At Long Last - Front Porch Reveal!

173 is so lucky to have two great closed-in porches!  When we first moved into the house, the front porch was getting a little tired, and needed an update.  A couple years later we gave it a mini-makeover.  Here's a mid-project shot taken lo those many years ago:

Looking at that picture really makes me realize how much a difference a digital camera can make. That old film picture makes the porch look tiny. And how about those chairs? I guess that was about all we could really afford back then. Anyway, the mini re-do left the porch looking like this:

I loved the look of this version, but those windows just had to go!

We were pretty pleased with the result, but as explained in this earlier post, there were some flaws, particularly the windows. In December of 2011, the windows and door were finally replaced. Of course having that much work done exposed the fact that the porch was again beginning to show its age. 

So we finally went all out and got 'er done! Of course it was a lot of work...using the heat gun to remove paint (now THAT seems like an endless task), caulking, priming, painting etc etc etc...

Nothing like stripping paint overhead

After the overhead paint removal was done...

...the floor was sanded, then the lower half was sanded and caulked, cleaned top-to-bottom three times over, and primed with Kilz prime.  I gotta tell ya - that stuff really works!

Then came the painting!

It's hard to capture the colors with my little phone camera, but here's what was used:

• WINDOW FRAMES:  "Do It Best" Best Look white paint
• LOWER PORTION OF WALLS:  Valspar Duramax semi-gloss "Sweet Mint"
• FLOOR: "Do It Best" Porch and Floor in light gray
• DOOR: (Interior and Exterior) Valspar Duramax semi-gloss in "Goldenrod"

Before I go any further I have to say this...that Do It Best "Best Look" paint is awesome!  Apparently it's made by Sherwin Williams and up to this point it's the best paint I've used! We went with the light gray for the floor so it would be a lighter color than the old brown, be a neutral color, and a bit of a traditional porch color.  And the "Sweet Mint" was light, colorful, and while not an exact match, it hearkened to another traditional porch color!  

After the painting was done, the blinds went in, then it was time to start the decorating.  The decorating part isn't done yet, but that will take a little time.

Here's a few random pics:

There's the inherited chair!

And here's a few shots of my little corner:

I found this old clock/radio in a second hand shop several years ago and have been waiting for this moment!  The radio works great but I had to replace the clock with one of those battery-powered movements.  I wanted an old school look so I went with a simple shelf.  If you know me at all, that's probably not the least bit surprising!

And the "Made at 173" rustic book case:

And finally, just as a point of interest!

So there it is - 173 has a new, brighter front porch!