{"id":2531,"date":"2012-04-18T09:47:02","date_gmt":"2012-04-18T13:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/2012\/04\/18\/sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-front-porch-part-1paint-and-stain\/"},"modified":"2017-08-14T15:06:51","modified_gmt":"2017-08-14T19:06:51","slug":"sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-front-porch-part-1paint-and-stain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/2012\/04\/18\/sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-front-porch-part-1paint-and-stain\/","title":{"rendered":"Front porch part 1: new paint and stain {Sprucing up the Outdoors for Spring series}"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wlWriterHeaderFooter\" style=\"float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 0px 4px 0px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; width: 450px; height: 80px;\" src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/widgets\/like.php?href=http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/2012\/04\/18\/sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-front-porch-part-1paint-and-stain\/\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-button2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"sprucing up the outdoors for spring button\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-button_thumb2.png\" alt=\"sprucing up the outdoors for spring button\" width=\"236\" height=\"236\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Thank you so much for all your great comments on my mailbox dilemma post yesterday!\u00a0 So many great suggestions!\u00a0 I am eager to get started on it and even took a trip to a discount grower\u2019s outlet yesterday and got some beautiful plants.\u00a0 So maybe my project will be done in the next week or two.\u00a0 And of course I will share it here with you! <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile\" style=\"border-style: none;\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/wlEmoticon-smile9.png\" alt=\"Smile\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So here is the next project in our series on \u201cSprucing up the outdoors for Spring.\u201d\u00a0 You can catch catch up on our past projects,\u00a0 \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/2012\/04\/04\/new-seriessprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cleaning out and beautifying the flower beds<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/2012\/04\/11\/sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring-series-color-filled-flower-pots\/\" target=\"_blank\">Planting color-filled flower pots<\/a>\u201d by clicking on those titles.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/front-porch-button.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"front porch button\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/front-porch-button_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"front porch button\" width=\"640\" height=\"385\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The past two weeks though I have been taking a break from the dirt and flower beds and working on my front porch.\u00a0 This post will be part one of two as this is the sprucing up part of it and I will show you the decorating part of it in part two.\u00a0 I worked out there this week invoking every <em>bit of my Southern roots<\/em> on my front porch and I can\u2019t wait to show you!<\/p>\n<p>So here was my front porch the first week of April.\u00a0 Not <em>too<\/em> bad you think, right?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0220.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0220\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0220_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0220\" width=\"320\" height=\"480\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get a little closer.\u00a0 Pollen, dead leaves, aging wood, etc.\u00a0 Oh, and a door that needs to be repainted \u2013 that might have to be in part three! <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile\" style=\"border-style: none;\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/wlEmoticon-smile9.png\" alt=\"Smile\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0219.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0219\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0219_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0219\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Oh, and this is just gorgeous right??\u00a0 We had this outside pole replaced at the end of the summer last year because it had rotted at the bottom.\u00a0 It was pre-primed, but I never got around to painting it (or filling in the new nail holes, spackling the gaps\u2026)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0222.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0222\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0222_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0222\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I had repainted the white rails and re-stained the deck part of the porch two years ago.\u00a0 BUT that was when we had bushes that were overtaking the porch and I wasn\u2019t able to get to the front of the porch at all to stain the decking boards or to paint the white rails.\u00a0 So I decided to just re-do it all and I should be good for at least another 2 years.<\/p>\n<p>I did the rails first and it honestly didn\u2019t take long at all \u2013 maybe 2 hours?<\/p>\n<p>Then the next day I stained the decking boards.\u00a0 I just re-used the same stain I had used before but I did darken it a little with some black and brown paint to take away some of the \u201creddish brown\u201d and make it just a more \u201cdark brown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0226.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0226\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0226_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0226\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is the deck freshly stained and the rails freshly painted white!\u00a0 You can see in the corner too that the railing looks much better than before.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0227.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0227\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0227_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0227\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nothing like freshly painted white rails and dark stained deck and that water beads up on when it rains! <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile\" style=\"border-style: none;\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/wlEmoticon-smile9.png\" alt=\"Smile\" \/>\u00a0 And the fact that I don\u2019t have to do this job for at least another 2 years <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile\" style=\"border-style: none;\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/wlEmoticon-smile9.png\" alt=\"Smile\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0228.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0228\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0228_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0228\" width=\"320\" height=\"480\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I know it is hard to see but it really did make a difference on the deck.\u00a0 I love that the water beads up on it now.\u00a0 That is when you know the wood has a good seal.\u00a0 And I think it is a little less \u201creddish\u201d now too especially once it dried fully.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0228-001.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"DSC_0228-001\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/DSC_0228-001_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0228-001\" width=\"560\" height=\"330\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can definitely tell a difference with the rails!\u00a0 Amazing what a little white paint can do!\u00a0 By the way, I just used leftover paint from past years on the rails \u2013 off the shelf, Behr outdoor white paint.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/porch-beforeafter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"background-image: none; margin: 0px auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;\" title=\"porch beforeafter\" src=\"http:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/porch-beforeafter_thumb.jpg\" alt=\"porch beforeafter\" width=\"640\" height=\"325\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>I would love to hear what projects you have been working on!\u00a0 Have you planted any flowers this spring, painted outside, cleaned up something?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>{cj}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thank you so much for all your great comments on my mailbox dilemma post yesterday!\u00a0 So many great suggestions!\u00a0 I am eager to get started on it and even took a trip to a discount grower\u2019s outlet yesterday and got some beautiful plants.\u00a0 So maybe my project will be done in the next week or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[104,577],"class_list":{"0":"post-2531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-spring-2","9":"tag-sprucing-up-the-outdoors-for-spring","10":"entry"},"mv":{"thumbnail_id":2514,"thumbnail_uri":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/front-porch-button_thumb-300x180.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2531"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10534,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531\/revisions\/10534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefrugalhomemaker.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}