Front porch floor colors
The 10 Best Porch Paint Colors for the Front of Your Home
Caroline Biggs, Freelance Writer portrait
By Caroline Biggs Updated February 25, 2021
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Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Score some serious curb appeal by using one of these designer-approved shades on your porch.
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home front porch blue chairs
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Your front porch sets the tone for how you and any visitors view the rest of your home. That's why a fresh coat of paint can work wonders for the area as a whole. "Your front porch is where your home makes its first impression," says Hannah Yeo, color marketing and development manager at Benjamin Moore. "With the right color, you can transform an ordinary entryway into a welcoming and inviting greeting area."
Of course, there are several factors to take into consideration when choosing a paint color for your front porch—that process should start with your landscaping. "Consider the botanicals in your garden and play off those colors," says interior designer Crystal Sinclair. "Look for colors that complement the surrounding grass and trees." Don't forget about the parts of the porch that won't be getting a fresh coat of paint. "Be sure to consider the architectural elements that you won't be painting, such as brick, stonework, and the roof," says Erika Woelfel, color expert at Behr Paint. The colors you select should complement these pre-existing features."
You'll also want to think about the amount of light your porch receives since light direction can impact the appearance of paint color. "A south-facing porch will struggle with darker colors, so it's best to use lighter shades," says Patrick O'Donnell, brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball, adding, "whereas northern light tends to bring out the cooler tones in a hue." Ready to revamp your front porch with a crisp coat of paint? These expert-approved paint colors are a great place to start.
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Muted Greens
Muted Green paint swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
When in doubt, draw from the colors in your surrounding landscape.
"Green is a great shade for front porches because it ties in the [greenery] around the house to create a beautiful and cohesive look," says interior designer Ariel Okin. Consider a meadow-inspired green, like Behr's Back to Nature. It will warm up your front porch without stealing any focus from your gorgeous lawn.
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Deep Blues
Pale Blue Paint Swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Go with a chic and eye-catching shade of deep blue, like Benjamin Moore's Evening Dove, to create a stylish front porch scene that you can see from the street. "Blue makes a bold statement," Sinclair says.
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Warm Blues
oval room blue paint color
Credit: Courtesy of Farrow & Ball
If your front yard landscaping is already wow-worthy, try offsetting it with an elegant shade of blue. "Blues that echo the skies of the warmer seasons, such as Oval Room Blue, are ideal to use in a space overlooking a garden," O'Donnell says.
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Off-Whites
Off white color swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
You can always count on a creamy coat of off-white paint, like Behr's Swiss Coffee, to upgrade the ambience of your front porch. Our experts also say it plays nicely with the exterior of just about any home. "Since front porches often take up a decent amount of surface area, you want a warm but neutral hue that blends nicely with the overall exterior scheme of the house," says Woelfel.
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Pale Blues
Pale Blue Paint Swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
Not ready to commit to painting your entire porch? Highlight the accents with pale blue paint instead. "Front doors, ceilings, and shutters are a great place to add color," Yeo says. "Blue porch ceilings have been a long-standing tradition in many parts of the country for centuries. Whether used to keep bugs away or to help visually extend daylight by matching the color of the sky, colors like Clear Skies 2054-70 and Arctic Blue 2050-60 are popular choices.
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Moody Greens
Moody Green Paint color
Credit: Courtesy of Farrow & Ball
Cool and comforting, our experts say grayish-green shades, like Farrow & Ball's Lichen, will create a calming vibe for your front porch. "Moody greens work great for front porches because they offer an inviting sense of calm when you first enter a space," says interior designer Becky Shea.
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Silvery Grays
Silvery Gray color swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
Looking for a sophisticated paint color that will enhance your porch's architectural details? Woelfel says to go for a sleek shade of silvery gray. "A composed gray-white, like Silver Mine, will elegantly play up interesting architectural elements on your porch and works wells with almost any color," she says.
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Light Gray
Light Gray Paint Swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Benjamin Moore
If you painted the exterior of your home in a commanding color, use a soft and versatile shade of gray on your front porch to tone things down.
"Light grays like Classic Gray OC-23 and Stonington Gray HC-170 work well with a variety of different hues," Yeo says.
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Light Gray-Blues
Light Gray Blue color swatch
Credit: Courtesy of Behr
For a soft pop of color on your front porch, Woelfel suggests painting the ceiling in a simple shade of light gray-blue, such as Gentle Sea or Light Drizzle. "A serene grayish-blue provides a cooling note overhead on the ceiling," she explains, "making it a perfect place to enjoy a morning cup of coffee."
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Navy Blues
Navy Blue Paint
Credit: Courtesy of Farrow & Ball
When all else fails, our experts say you can always depend on a classic shade of navy blue paint, like Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue, to modernize your front porch. "Navy blue works anywhere in my opinion, but especially the front porch," Okin says.
"It's a contemporary neutral that will still make your porch stand out."
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10 colors and designs to boost curb appeal |
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The porch paint ideas you choose will have a big impact on your home's overall appearance and curb appeal. If you have a front porch, it's likely one of the first thing guests and passers-by will notice about your home, so if it is looking worse for the wear, a paint job will be a big upgrade. The back porch, on the other hand, is often the site of warm-weather entertaining, parties, and events.
Because there's so much riding on the look of your front porch ideas (no pressure!), we went to the pros for advice on creating an inviting, beautiful, and functional porch, all with the help of a little paint. The paint ideas, below, run the gamut from practical advice and insider insight, to color theory and more.
Porch paint ideas
These porch paint ideas are an effective and cost-efficient way to give your home exterior a facelift, whether they are for front or back porch ideas. Use the expert advice to get this element of the paint colors for the exterior of a house just right.
1. Highlight an architectural element with paint
(Image credit: Swan Architecture)
How you decorate a front porch should highlight its positive attributes. If you're lucky enough to have a front porch with an exciting architectural feature, like the curved entry ceiling, above, paint is the perfect way to give it the attention it deserves. A contrasting color, like a deep, warm gray on a white porch, will set special features apart.
The porch above is from a home by Swan Architecture.
2. Skip the porch floor paint
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
If your front porch flooring is looking worse for the wear, it's tempting to just cover it with a coat of paint.
Don't do it, says Matt Mosher, co-founder and CEO of Dzinly , a home improvement platform focused on exterior design that helps people visualize what upgrades will look like through online renderings.
'Installing flooring materials that require any type of painting should be avoided. Even the best paints have a difficult time handling ongoing foot traffic,' he explains. 'Furthermore, flat surfaces are more susceptible to water absorption. As the material absorbs water, it oftentimes causes the paint to peel.'
3. Embrace Southern tradition
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Have you ever noticed that so many porch ceilings are painted a pale shade of blue? It's not a coincidence, it actually started as a tradition in the southern U.S. There are a few theories about where it originated, including as a way to help repel bugs, to keep bad spirits away, and draw the eye to the sky.
'The quaint blue porch ceiling helps to visually extend daylight,' says Arianna Cesa, color marketing and development specialist at Benjamin Moore .
'To achieve this iconic look, check out Palladian Blue HC-144, Yarmouth Blue HC-150, and Clear Skies 2054-70. These colors often pair best with more neutral hues to let the ceiling be the focal point in the palette.'
4. Choose a contrasting porch paint color
(Image credit: Dzinly rendering)
When painting a porch, why not highlight it with a color that will help it stand out? Similar to calling attention to an architectural element, painting your entire front porch a different shade than your siding will make it the defining feature of your home's façade.
5. Camouflage ledges and windowsills
(Image credit: Getty Images)
When considering porch paint ideas, it's important to think functionally, too.
'Regarding porch design, avoid creating any type of ledges in your trim work. Even the smallest ledges are a bird's paradise,' says Mosher. Instead, paint them the same color as surrounding walls or pillars to help them blend into the background.
6. Complement the landscape
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
If you're having a hard time choosing a color for your front porch, take a hint from your front yard landscaping ideas, and the other materials on your exterior, says Cesa.
'Are there pavers or some sort of stonework? Do you have colorful landscaping? What color is your exterior, trim and any other accents such as outdoor furniture? Be sure to look at the whole picture and all of the colors in your exterior’s palette to ensure color cohesion,' she says.
7. Test colors to find the right shade
(Image credit: Benjamin Moore)
Just like if you were painting a room in your home, you'll want to test out your top paint color contenders before making a commitment. Even if you have a go-to paint color or your mind is set on a certain hue, the lighting your porch gets during the day will affect how it look. This is of particular importance for small front porches or cottage porch ideas, where the right colors can enhance the feeling of space.
'Your porch is the ultimate “outside room,”' says Cesa. 'Before you start looking for the perfect patio paint color to extend your outdoor spaces, consider how much sun it gets, since light and time of day affect how a paint color casts. The best way to choose a porch paint color is to sample your options and view them throughout the day to choose a color with confidence.'
8. Match the door and ceiling
(Image credit: Jean Stoffer Design / Stoffer Photography Interiors)
For porch ceiling ideas, take a cue from designer Jean Stoffer , and paint the ceiling of your front porch to match your door. In this case, the Michigan-based designer chose a true black to contrast her home's brick façade and white trim.
9. Go for a monochrome porch scheme with a pop of color
(Image credit: Swan Architecture)
If you tend to prefer neutrals or live in an area where most homes are painted a subdued color palette, there's no need to get overly creative with your front porch paint scheme (especially if you're considering a bold paint color as one of your front door ideas).
Instead, continue the color palette of your siding and trim work onto your front porch, and go bold with your front door color.
The porch of this home, by Swan Architecture, matches the white siding for a seamless look, while letting the red front door shine.
10. Layer creams on whites on greys
(Image credit: Future)
'For someone who loves color, I am a major fan of porch paint ideas that use different tones of white and cream alongside grey and black – there's something incredibly soothing about the combination, and it's so easy to accessorize with accent colors when you want to switch up the scheme from spring to summer to fall to winter,' says Lucy Searle, Homes & Gardens' Editor in Chief.
What color is best for a porch?
The color you choose for your porch should complement the color and style of your home. The hue doesn't need to match your house, but it should be in along the same spectrum (i.e. don't choose a warm white porch for a cool gray house, or a bright blue porch for a sage green home).
The style of your home will also clue you in about the best paint color for your porch. Traditional Victorian or Queen Anne-style homes lend themselves to experimentation with color, while farmhouses can be suited to colors like pale green, butter yellow, and brick red, or simple neutrals like white and gray. Colonial homes are contenders for warm white, blue, and gray, while contemporary homes look best with steely black, bright white, or a small pop of a bold accent color. For a small front porch, try a shade that contrasts the rest of your home to help it stand out.
Remember, too, the warmth cast by your front porch lighting ideas – this will affect how your porch paint colors look at night.
Looking for a few colors to start with? Arianna Cesa offers these front porch color suggestions from Benjamin Moore.
'For warmer color palettes, some favorite neutral colors to consider for the porch are Opaline OC-33, Simply White OC-117, and Hazy Skies OC-48. If your preference is for cooler hues, check out White Wisp OC-54, Metropolitan AF-690, and Silver Gray 2131-60.
To make a statement on your porch floor, opt for more saturated hues like Georgian Brick HC-50, Kennebunkport Green HC-123, Normandy 2129-40 and Iron Mountain 2134-30,' she says.
What kind of paint do you use for a porch?
'Generally a flat sheen presents best on the outside of a home because it helps reduce reflection,' says Matt Mosher, co-founder and CEO of Dzinly, a home improvement platform focused on exterior design that helps people visualize what upgrades will look like through online renderings. 'On a front porch though, it is important to consider the wear and tear it will be subject to from use. Therefore, a less absorbent sheen such as satin or eggshell should be considered for items such as pillars and walls around a porch that may be subject to heavy traffic.'
Kaitlin Madden Armon is a writer and editor covering all things home. Her work has appeared in Real Homes, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart Living, Refinery29, Modern Luxury Interiors, Wayfair, The Design Network, and lots more.
She graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in journalism and currently lives in Connecticut with her husband, three kids, and black lab.
The color of the terrace in the country house or in the house
Earthy brown, contemporary black or light are just some of the options when choosing the best color for your wood floor. This checklist will help make your decision easier, especially if you're unsure.
1. What is the current color?
The starting point for finding the right color is the current shade of the coating. Tikkurila Valtti Plus Terrace Oil and Tikkurila Valtti Plus Wood Oil are translucent, so the initial tone will affect the final result. Surfaces in neutral and light tones can be easily repainted into more intense colours.
Pre-chipping is the only way to know for sure what the result will look like. Try applying the oil to an inconspicuous area of the deck before making your final decision.
2.
Underline or hide?
Do you want to make the terrace the central point of the exterior, or rather an area that harmoniously fits into the overall composition? Keep in mind that all light, bright and colorful shades will stand out, while dark and muted tones will blend into the decor. If you're feeling insecure, dark and muted colors are the smartest choice and you won't regret it.
3. What is your home like?
For many, it is important that the terrace matches the appearance of the house, including in terms of color. If you are looking for a harmonious pair of colors for a cottage and an outdoor area, you can safely choose a combination of cool and bright shades or use warm, muted colors with each other. In addition, the appearance of your home also plays an important role in the decision-making process: a traditional wooden house painted in red will look nice and cozy with a warm brown terrace, while a modern villa will look spectacular next to a black or gray terrace.
A good tip is to move 15-20 meters away from the house and try to imagine the result of such a color combination. Often we look at the terrace while standing right on it, but from a distance it looks completely different.
Shade options from top left: 5071 Tatti, 5074 Karhu, 5088 Turve, 5089 Piki, 5143, and 5087 Poro. The product used is Tikkurila Valtti Color azure. The final color result may vary depending on the product used.
4. Take a look at nature around you
Take a look at your surroundings for fresh ideas for your new terrace color. Do you find shades you like among grass, rocks, moss, plants or tiles? The source of inspiration is the colors that already surround you and you like the most.
5. What else is there on the terrace?
If you already have a table and chair set that you love, why not choose a stylish color that goes with it? You can also think about what else will be inside the terrace on the terrace: boxes with seedlings, rugs, pillows, barbecue grill .
.. The number of decor elements affects how much of the space remains visible and, therefore, how effective the chosen color will look .
+1. Do it your way
There are no rules about color combinations or limits on how many shades you can use together - it's all up to you. Add accent hues to a fence, seedling boxes, or stairs. Make your site bohemian or flashy, classic or simple. The main thing is to create an atmosphere that will please you.
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How to paint the floor on the veranda
Contents
- Features of open verandas
- Materials for painting
- Preparing the floor
- Painting the floors
The outdoor veranda is a great place to relax for the whole family.
Thanks to the presence of such a structure in summer and on warm days, you can enjoy fresh air in a pleasant company. In winter, the veranda is usually covered with polyethylene. To make a wooden building look attractive, you need to think about its processing. The main thing is to decide how to paint the floor on the open veranda.
When caring for a wooden surface, certain difficulties can arise. It must be treated with special compounds to protect against moisture and pests. Also, the veranda must be protected from temperature extremes and fire.
Features of outdoor verandas
Many owners of suburban areas change part of the floorboards every few years. This is due to the fact that being outdoors, the wood is exposed not only to mechanical stress, but also to the effects of rain, snow, and sunlight. In such conditions, even the most durable material can deteriorate. In this regard, many people want to know how to paint the wooden floor on the veranda so that it serves for a long time and reliably.
Sometimes the key to the safety of boards is their correct laying. With quality work, the wood will not collapse. For example, if you lay boards with a gap of 3-5 mm, you can avoid the accumulation of excess water on the surface of the terrace. In this case, the flooring will be well ventilated. If you provide good ventilation and moisture removal, you can significantly reduce the risk of rot.
It is worth considering that even with the most correct laying of boards, untreated wood can deteriorate quite quickly. Materials for painting the veranda in the country should be selected in accordance with the characteristics of the coating. Most often, verandas are made of pine boards. However, today a terraced composite is also used quite often - it is shown in the photo below.
Solid pine boards are usually chosen in natural moisture. You can also use ordinary boards of medium quality. If the veranda has not yet been completed, you should choose the right materials for flooring, as well as means for protecting and coloring the boards.
Materials for painting
To figure out how to paint the veranda of the house outside and inside, you should decide on the materials. Properly treated wood does not need special care for at least 3 years. Primers and antiseptics are selected for processing. With the right choice of materials, you can count on a significant extension of the life of the flooring. With proper processing, a significant extension of the life of the flooring is possible.
Materials and tools to prepare for painting:
- surface sander;
- spatula;
- primer;
- brushes and rollers;
- solvent;
- paint (it is worth deciding in advance on the choice of color).
First you need to choose the materials with which the floor surface of the veranda will be painted. It is worth remembering that ordinary enamel paint can only protect the coating that is inside the enclosed space. Open verandas with such processing will not be able to last more than 1 season.
The best option for treating the veranda of a wooden house is terrace oil. It is recommended for covering verandas, piers, floorings of summer cafes. Such material provides full protection of wooden elements from moisture.
There are many types of terrace oil on the construction market. Each of them is selected in accordance with certain operating conditions of the flooring. For example, there is a terrace oil used to treat boards that are not ready for quick laying. Such products should lie in the warehouse for several years. During this time, the oil perfectly impregnates the wood.
Other grades of oil can be used already on the finished deck. Even when processing the floor and external walls of an open veranda, you can not worry about the effectiveness of such products. Outdoor work with them is carried out quickly and simply.
If you want to preserve the beauty of the wood and also protect it reliably, you should pay attention to the combination of stain and varnish.
If this option is selected, the floor must first be prepared and then stained. Only then can a waterproof varnish be used. It is better if it also protects the tree from ultraviolet rays. This property of the varnish will allow you to maintain the high quality of the impregnation applied before it. It is also worth preparing for the fact that the price of such material will be quite high.
If you don't want to keep the wood pattern, paint for yachts is available. Acrylic paint for verandas will also cope with the task of preserving the flooring. Before starting paint and varnish work, the floors should be thoroughly prepared. First, a glazing antiseptic is applied to the tree. If acrylic paint for verandas is chosen as the coating, you should follow the instructions when applying it. Otherwise, the varnish layer may be damaged. With proper processing, the floor of the veranda will serve for many years without the need for preventive maintenance. Builder's shops sell porch paints in different colors, which allows you to give the building a personality.
Preparing the floor
The deck floor will only last if properly prepared for painting. When processing old floors, paint residues are removed with a solvent and a spatula. You can also use the SM-1 emulsion.
In addition to removing the paint from the surface, you should get rid of the found defects in the wood. If the material has been in contact with water or sunlight for a long time, you will notice that it has acquired a gray color. You can eliminate such a defect using a grinding machine. In this case, the top layer is simply removed.
Work is carried out until a light shade of wood appears. If the boards are damaged by rot, they should be replaced completely. If cracks are found in individual elements, they can be puttied. As soon as the grinding machine is completed, the floor should be cleaned of debris and sawdust. Now you can start impregnating the flooring.
It is important to consider the material of the formulation that will be applied in the first step.
For example, if a primer is chosen, it should be applied in layers. After each treatment, you need to wait for it to dry for 3 days. The antiseptic primer should saturate the wood well.
Once the last coat is completely dry, you can apply terrace oil or acrylic paint. When using such materials, wooden flooring will serve for many years without requiring regular repairs.
If floors are treated with a special impregnation, varnish must be applied on top. The method of covering the boards differs depending on the manufacturer. The application technique is described in detail in the instructions. Which color is best for a particular veranda depends on the overall style of the house.
Floor painting
Veranda decking is painted after the preparatory work is completed. Paint is applied in several stages. It is also worth observing a certain technology of work. For example, paint is applied along the boards, not across. The main work is done with a roller. The sides of the boards are painted with a thin brush.
It is better to choose for painting those materials that can prevent stagnation of water on the surface of the flooring. For example, all wood oils have this property.
If painting for the first time, it is worth shading the coating as much as possible so that the layer is as thin as possible. Then it must be left to dry for 4-5 days. In some cases, complete drying is possible only after a week. In total, 2-3 layers of paint are applied.
Important! All layers of paint should be applied to the floor of the veranda as thinly as possible. This will allow the material to dry quickly, retaining its useful properties and aesthetic appeal.
Once the paint is completely dry, rinse the floor with hot water. With timely care of the flooring, it will serve for many years without changing its physical and aesthetic parameters.
In order to prevent the impact of snow on the wooden surface of the veranda, with the onset of cold weather, it should be covered with plastic wrap.
