At this point you’ve probably seen the big front porch makeover we completed for the 48-Hour Challenge with Better Homes & Gardens and Home Depot. Here’s a clear, simple tutorial for refreshing an old wood deck or bringing new life to a worn front porch. When we decided to repaint our porch we chose subtle tan and cream stripes. Below is how we did it.
Step 1: Choose Your Colors. Bring paint swatches to the porch and view them in the natural light where the front of your house is seen every day. We narrowed our options to tans and creams and chose Behr’s Harvest Brown (tan) and Ralph Lauren’s Greenwich (cream). We had both colors color-matched to Behr Porch & Floor Paint in a flat finish, which is formulated to handle foot traffic and exterior conditions. We picked flat instead of glossy because it’s less slick when wet; after testing in the rain the texture felt comparable to unpainted wood.
Step 2: Clean the Deck. A clean surface is essential. If your deck has mildew, grease, or oil stains, scrub it with a wood cleaner before painting. Our deck only needed a good rinse: we used a hose with a full-spray nozzle to blast away pollen, acorn pieces and debris, then removed any trapped leaves or stones from between the planks with a flat-head screwdriver. Make sure the surface is completely dry before painting.
Step 3: Protect the House. Use blue painter’s tape to protect the siding, stucco or brick where the porch meets the house. Taping off that seam gives you a clean line and makes it easier to paint each plank without worrying about accidental overlaps. Once taped, grab a quality angled brush — it reaches the gaps between planks better than a roller — and ensure the deck is fully dry before you start.
Step 4: Begin Painting. With two colors, we kept a dedicated brush for each paint can to avoid cross-contamination. When painting a floor, start at a point that allows you to work your way out without stepping on wet paint — we began at one end of the deck and worked toward the center where the stairs are.
Step 5: Maintain a Rhythm. Creating a striped pattern takes time and patience. Work plank by plank, get into a steady rhythm, and keep track of your pattern so it feels less overwhelming. Music or a podcast can help make the time go by faster.
Step 6: Plan Your Exit. For our porch we painted toward the front steps, then paused and restarted from the opposite corner so we could finish by painting toward the steps and enter the house through the back door while the front dried. With a striped pattern it’s important to count and confirm which planks will be tan and which will be cream before you stop and restart, so the pattern lines up perfectly when you resume.
Step 7: Paint the Sides. After painting the top surfaces, finish the look by painting the sides and fronts of the planks. We chose to paint the sides all tan for a crisp, unified edge rather than alternating colors on the plank sides. This made application faster and the finished edge cleaner.
Step 8: Final Touches and Drying. Once the edges are painted, you’re essentially done — assuming one coat gives the look you want. We liked the subtle, slightly weathered effect of a single coat, but if you want a more opaque, solid finish, apply a second coat 24 hours later once it’s safe to walk on the porch again.
We also painted the fronts of the steps and the wide trim around the porch in the same tan tone. Accent painting like this breaks up large areas of wood and adds polish without repainting every plank. For trim or vertical faces that won’t receive heavy foot traffic, you can use leftover trim paint rather than porch-and-floor paint. To avoid drips on the stair treads, tape off edges or use cardboard as a shield while you paint.
Whether you choose a small accent on the step fronts or go all-in with a painted, striped porch floor, the process is straightforward. If you can paint a wall, you can paint a deck or porch floor — and you’ll be doing the happy dance when it’s finished.