Can I just go out on a limb here? I LOVE THIS GARAGE! I mean, I know it’s immodest, but it’s just awesome.
The choice of slate-colored siding was a wonderful decision. My husband was totally right.
Although, the slate does make me very impatient to paint the entire house. I’m not kidding. I want to paint it right now. But, our lovely Midwestern weather won’t allow it, so we’ll be waiting until spring. And the glaring, ugly color will just annoy me until then.
Also this week, I made some painstaking progress with porch painting. (Try to say that four times fast.) But, I’m entirely unsure whether it was good progress…
Honest feedback is needed.
Here’s the porch when we bought the house:
I still can’t believe we cut down those bushes. They were beautiful. ๐
And here’s what it looked like after power washing, scrubbing and painting the foundation:
Yeah. Ugly. And, that was AFTER the first scrubbing.
Then, I put some more scrubbing and scraping to it. Then some mortar repairing and painting. And here’s what it looks like now:
Like the entrance to a carnival.
There are several problems with the paint job (which by the way, took FOREVER, making the entire ordeal worse):
- The porch paint that was recommended to me by Sherwin Williams was high gloss. It will be incredibly durable, but reflects horribly and also shows every imperfection. And, because the cement is super old, it has lots of imperfections, even with all the scrubbing and scraping I did.
- The blue color is NOT what I was expecting. It’s more royal than navy.
- The white is just far too bright with the blue color. Too much contrast. (But, I should also note that I’m not repainting all the white.)
- Plus, all the black and peach on the house just looks horrible with the porch.
Did you like this post?
We'd love to send you more inspiration and encouragement for your home. When you sign up below, we'll send you our free guide to save thousands on your next home project. Because your home shouldn't own you.
Deb says
I vote grey instead of blue. We used some special type of paint in our garage and on our porch that has sand or somethng in it – highly durable but not glossy or slippery at all. I’ll have to back and see what was used – a friend did it for us and I can’t remember what it was. The garage looks amazing!
Anonymous says
BAD… go grey.. i actually like the second to last photo better
Oonafey says
You are painting the house slate, so paint the porch a complementary gray.
But there’s no reason it can’t wait until spring.
Amanda Sevall says
I didn’t read through any of the comments, so please forgive if I repeat… ๐ I think you should wait until the house is painted before you invest the time, energy and money in repainting it right now. You may like it better when your plants grow in and your house is that pretty slate color. Though if you are anything like me (which I suspect is the case), you are already at Home Depot buying a replacement and repainting it right now cause you just can’t stand it! ๐ I don’t think it’s a bad color, I just think the old house color is making it stand out a lot.
Erin @ Domestic Adventure says
Wow, I love that you’ve gotten so many good thoughts/opinions! I agree with many that you should wait until you paint the house and then decide, and that the steps will probably look better if you paint the risers the same color. But, overall, you’ve made such incredible progress. And that garage?!? Amazing.
Danielle and Clint says
I actually don’t mind it at all. I think once the slate is on the house, it will be a very nice contrast!
The Brick Cottage says
Maybe if you paint the risers blue as well, it won’t look so stripey? My advice would be to wait until after you paint the house to decide on the porch–you may really love the blue once you see it with the slate color. And if you don’t, you will have the house color to work with (instead of working with the peach color).
Wendy says
Well…. I think it does look a bit bright right now, but it could also be because of the yellow and black on the house and the white on the foundation.. just too much going on.
I actually think I’d stay with the blue on the porch (or tint it a wee bit darker), paint the top of your steps white to remove the circus effect, and then paint your house numbers on the second step down in a navy with some fun fleur de lis or other symbols. That way it would pull it all together. With some fun porch accessories that color will look very nice combined with slate.
Kristen says
it’s not awful but it’s not my fave either. It’s def blue! In my last house we had a concrete floor in our laundry room, I went to Home Depot and got one of their concrete paints (I believe it was a steel color) and it turned out beautiful! Good luck lady! The garage looks fantastic!
Lauren says
The garage looks awesome! I also think you should wait until the house is painted and then re-evaluate the porch color.
Tara @ Tara Being Tara says
I think you should do the whole thing white, and use the blue for accents. The high gloss is a killer!
pozypeacock says
Hey love the garage! Nice job!
To me, painting the porch before the house is painted is like adding accents before the main project is even done. Maybe wait and decide until after the siding. You wouldn’t believe how different you might think or think you did great by painting the porch the way you did.
I keep looking at it thinking about the gray siding and white chairs out front with some cushions, plants in pots…it could be a winner.
-Kasey says
Looks great. You have made quite a bit of progress and the garage is awesome!
Jenny @ Anything Pretty says
Basically ditto Emily.
When we had the porch at the old house repainted (by professionals who were also painting the exterior….we were not seasoned DIYers yet). They added sand to the paint to reduce the slip factor. It was subtle but it helped a lot and masked the imperfections of the really old cement. Maybe that could help?
LOVE THE GARAGE!
Jen@Notes From the Heartland says
The garage=AWESOME. Porch color….always hard to picture in your head when standing at the paint chip selector. I agree you should wait till spring. When we painted our porch I headed out to Weber Paint in Marion and they were TERRIFIC help. I had decided in my mind that I wanted a dark rust color for the porch floor. The gal there said “you don’t want a dark rust color, trust me.” She said in the summer the porch would be hot, reflecting a dark color…and it would contrast too much with our house (white). She suggested a tan that is almost gray….LOVE IT. I would suggest a lighter color in a more neutral color and to paint the treads AND risers the same color. Sorry for the extra work Kim!! Let me know if you want help next Spring!! ๐
christi says
Kim!! The garage looks AWESOME!
CT mom says
I agree with waiting until the spring if you can until after you paint the house…chances are that the porch will be covered with snow most of the winter anyway! Color wise I think either a darker gray than your house color or have you thought of a color similar to your roof? You know that you already like the combination of the gray walls and the brown roof on your new garage. And I would paint the steps all one color. You are doing AMAZING INCREDIBLE work on your home!!! i’m glad yo had fun meeting my daughter in DC :>
Amanda @ Little House on the Corner says
Phooey — That is really frustrating! I applaud you for taking on this painting project, though! Looks like a lot of peeps have already given some good advice, like trying to wait until you re-paint the house to decide what to do.
Sara @ Russet Street Reno says
Oh no no no. The blue is awful. But I gotta be honest, I think painting the top of the steps different from the risers is a mistake – and will always cause a ‘circus effect’. I think it would be best to paint the entire steps (top area only) the same color as the top of the porch – like it was before you painted it. Best to keep the color very boring, dark gray, black, etc. And there is my *expert* opinion! ha
Kim @ EF eDesigns says
Gosh, that’s a pretty tough one….I agree with some of the others suggesting a slate color, but I would definitely warn against going TOO dark. Salt and dirt and dust will show like crazy on a dark “floor” surface. I am also concerned with the gloss = slip’n’fall factor! I would imagine that you might eventually have some kind of mat on the covered porch leading up to the door. You could either try texturizing the paint on the stair treads, or you could router some grooves on them just to give more friction.
jen @ homeinthecountry says
Love the garage color. You guys are just amazing – to have built that from scratch in only a few weeks?! Amazing.
Re: the steps. I’ll just echo what everyone else said – wait till after the house is painted in spring to make a final decision. My guess is that you’ll want to paint it slightly darker navy or even a gray. Also, I think you may want to paint all of the stairs whatever color you decide (not just the tops) to avoid the striping going on. Another reason to wait until spring? It’s getting freaking cold out there. And dark. ๐
Suzanne says
I agree with the comments that suggest you paint the front of the steps – it would help with the sort of weird floaty thing you’ve got going on. And if you really CAN take the paint back and have it tinted slightly darker I would do that too.
But don’t go putting a TON of effort into it until you get the house painted – it’s hard to tell now what the final effect will be after new house color & finished landscaping.
Life in Rehab says
If you’re planning slate gray on the house, that blue and white should look crisp and nautical. Try the gray just on the siding in the front and see if you still hate it before you redo it. With white porch furniture and some spare red accents, you may have a good combination.
Of course, if you come and look at the colors I’m using on my blog, you’ll probably delete this comment and dismiss me as crazy.
alexandjess says
Personally, I’d do the following:
1. Go back to the paint store and find navy color chip that you like (I agree, its just too “royal” right now).
2. Take back that $40 gallon that you’ve only used a bit of and have them add color dye to get it as close to the new chip you’ve picked out (they’re usually very good about this and will work with you to adjust the paint).
3. Repaint (in the Spring! when it’s warm again, live with it until then). Also, I’d probably paint the front faces and side faces of the steps.
You might consider planning to paint the shutters to match the new navy you pick out (in less glossy, of course).
While I don’t love it either, it really is a step in the right direction and an improvement of a million over what it used to look like! ๐
Emily says
I’m big into numbers right now.
1) The garage and slate color are perfect. Phenomenal work Woodwards.
2) I’d wait until the house is painted to repaint for a few reasons.
a) you’ll know how the paint holds up.
b) you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll like when you see the gray.
3) My thought is a dark gray – and then extending the gray all over the steps and not just the tops of the steps. Does that make sense? So the steps stand out from the foundation?
Wendy says
Ok, when I saw the picture of just the porch, I too thought…not sure? Now I am sitting here looking at the last picture of the whole house with the blue and trying to picture it with the new siding and some furniture and potted plants. Are you changing the color of the shutters? If you are going with white shutters, I actually think the blue will look good. It would remind me of a home in the New England area. My vote would be live with it until spring and don’t change it until after the new siding is on, then if you still hate it…change it.
Good luck! Will be excited to hear what you decide.
wendy
longbrakeliving says
I’m with Sarah! If you can stand it, I think you should wait until the house is painted. I think the color might really work with your siding color, plus you’ll get to see how the porch wears. Since you’ll be walking on it, it will probably wear to a slightly different color (this seems likely to me, but I’ve not painted a porch, so I can’t be sure).
Also, I hope I wasn’t too nosy in my question yesterday! It occurred to me, after the fact of course, that it was a rather personal question. I will be more than happy to answer an equally personal, possibly too nosy question in return!
Deb says
I agree with most everyone, ane especially Mrs. 5C who suggests waiting til spring and after painting the house. The garage is awesome!
Mrs. 5C says
Ok. So I don’t know how valuable my opinion is really going to be because I’m the queen of “It’s not absolutely perfect… LET’S PAINT IT AGAIN!!” But this time, I think you should wait until you get the house painted. Because I agree with the other commenters that making it grayer or darker might make the house too gray. If you look at your last close-up picture of the house, you can see the garage in the background and the gray siding looks really good up against the blue porch! I know the stress of having the “wrong” color just makes your heart sink. But see if you can stomach giving it the winter to grow on you.
Jenny says
First of all- love the garage! That IS a great color!
About the porch… hmm. What if you paint it a non-glossy, darker shade of the slate color you used on the garage and are going to use on the house? I imagine it might be a nicer, not so harsh contrast to the white, and it will look great once the house is painted but will also look nice with the house’s current color.
I feel so bad for though, after putting all that work into it! Don’t be discouraged!
amber waves of grain says
I was going to say grey, but with your new siding it may be too much. Black? Oh, I am of no help! I like the idea of painting it the same color as your shutters will be, for an accent.
Leigh says
oh no Kim! That is so frustrating! I’m sorry. The blue is too blue and bright, I think. Maybe they can darker it for you to a navy-black? I know it won’t change the finish- but maybe the darker color will blend in better.
LizzieBeth says
I think if you went a little more navy blue and a little less colbalt blue, it would look really good. That blue is just very… bright. and glossy.
LB
L says
Funny–we just had a similar porch incident. http://secretcityranch.blogspot.com/2010/10/painting-porch-take-two.html
If you stillthinkyou would like navy better, you could do as we did, and just take thepaint back to the store to get it re-tinted (for free). Of course, that doesn’t solve your glossiness problems. But your imperfections mights look a little better after a second coat–a little more levelling.
Sarah says
I can quite relate to this situation! We have an older home and have had similar mishaps…I have decided I no longer like Sherwin Williams because the color is NEVER what I am expecting. But that aside, I have a slate gray shingled home, and we went with a slightly darker gray for the porch. With a red door (or even your navy blue) wow! Just sayin’. ๐
OurSoundHome says
This is a tough choice! I see what you mean about the color, but it’s to hard to know what it’s really going to look like with the new house paint color. I would say change up the color of the porch, but I would worry if you do a darker grey color, you would have a whole LOT of grey going on.
If you added a few pots, maybe in a mustard yellow color or something, it might bring it together a bit more and balance out the blue & slate colors. I also think painting all the steps instead of just the tops blue, may help? Curious to see what you decide!! Good luck!
Liz @ It's Great To Be Home says
Hmm, I agree that it’s not quite right (I hate it when that happens!!). I’m with Michael on all counts – I think a darker gray than the house would look great, and I’d probably call it “good enough” for now and wait until spring.
Michael - Innkeeper says
wow. tough decisions.
i do agree the blue is a little too …. blue. and a little to glossy. i would the the gloss would be slippery too when it gets wet/snow covered? i haven’t purchased proch paint before but are their other options? i think i remember seeing somewhere at some point where people mixed sand with paint? maybe i’m crazy.
maybe it’d be best to wait until the house is painted to repaint the porch (if you can stand it till then)
maybe a darker verison of your house color would look better? or if you could match it up with your shutter paint? maybe even take a picture to the paint store and ask their advice?
I would also paint the steps all the same color to avoid the circus stripe effect too.
it will be interesting to see what you decide. and remember as they say ‘ if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.’