Yay! The back porch is finally done! Phew. This project had me close to tears because it was so much painting. Ugh. It took three coats of Cabot white stain on the woodwork, two coats of Valspar paint/primer on the brick, and two cans of Valspar Exotic Sea Spray Paint on the shutters to get the look I wanted. But in the end…it was all worth it!
In my rush to get this baby done I forgot to take a good “before” picture for you. Gah! However here is a before and after of the main porch area. The brick was previously painted red and the entire porch and latice were unfinished wood.
And here is what it looks like now! I am in love with it!
The first thing I needed to do before I could paint was to clean! We used a deck cleaner on all of the wood and on the window and door moldings we used Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro and and Outdoor Magic Erasers.
I wasn’t a fan of the “old man aftershave” smell of the outdoor spray, but it worked like a charm! And I AM a huge fan of the Outdoor Magic Erasers. I’m going to start just buying those from now on. They seem to be much stronger than the indoor ones and don’t flake off as much. You can buy them at Lowes. Below you can see how nicely my door cleaned up. It’s hard to see but in the before there is actually reddish deck stain on the right side of the door jam. The magic eraser took the stain right off!
Here are some of the other Lowes products I bought to complete this project. This was my first time using Valspar’s paint and primer in one. I was actually impressed. I’ve used 2 in 1 paint products before and have always been disappointed but the Valspar outdoor paint covered the red brick nicely. I used a long nap roller for the first coat and then went over the hard-to-get-into grooves with a brush for the second coat. I used the paint mit on all of the spindles and on the porch floor. I still had to touch up with a brush but I liked the mit.
I had purchased the shutters a few years ago at a yard sale. They were coated with over 100 years of paint and were a mess. I did my best to remove the old paint using Jasco Paint & Epoxy Remover but it was proving to be a TON of work and just not worth it. In the end, I just spray painted over the chippy paint and called it a day 
.
I think they turned out beautifully, chippy paint and all!
The porch furniture, garden stool, and subway art are all from Pier 1. The paint color is color matched “Knitting Needles” by Sherwin Williams. This fall we’re having the entire exterior of our home repainted and Knitting Needles is a strong contender.
The sunflowers are from my garden! When Zephan was in Pre-K he brought home a sunflower seedling for Mother’s Day. It grew into one sunflower. I saved the seeds and replanted them this year and they went CRA-ZAY! I wish we had a yard larger than a postage stamp so that I could have planted even more. LOVE!
The rocking chair was a $10 Craigslist score. I need to figure out if I want to paint it, stain it, or leave it as is. For now, I’m enjoying it as is!
So there you have it! Now when I sip a drink from my patio table I can look back and see this delightful sight!
And now for the fun part! I get to give away some free money and free cleaning products! Please follow the instructions in the widget below in order to enter for your chance to win $100 Lowes giftcard. In addition to the gift card, one Home Stories A to Z reader will ALSO receive some fun P&G Cleaning Products to go with it. You’ll get to try out the Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro for yourself . (P.S. I also have a fun giveaway going on for $200 credit to MirrorMate. Very cool stick-on custom frames that spruce up builder grade mirrors. Click here.)
Disclosure: Lowe’s provided me with a gift card and P&G cleaning products to showcase this project this month as part of their Lowe’s Creative ideas Bloggers team.
Beth, your back porch looks fantastic. We just moved into a house that requires a TON of outdoor painting and scraping. This post gives me hope
Oh girl, it was awful but worth it in the end!
Gorgeous – I love the color of the shutters!
your porch looks SO cute!! I love the blue you chose for the shutters – and I would’ve totally painted over all of that chippy paint too
This is so gorgeous and inviting! I LOVE the gray and blue. I’m really digging that mitt, too. It looks pretty handy!
oh man, i have major painted brick envy! love the pops of blues back there!
What a GREAT transformation! I’d say all your hard work really paid off! Enjoy your new space.
Looks so bright and fresh!
It turned out so pretty! I’ve never seen a painting mitt before, that looks interesting. I’m laughing trying to picture where you were standing to get some of those pics! LOL … the top of the fence? The neighbors must be thinking “There goes that crazy blonde lady again!”
Dumb. So dumb. I was standing on the very top of a 6ft ladder to get some of the shots.
Very cool! My patio needs major work too!
Your porch looks great – and I love the addition of the shutters.
The new paint color on the house makes the biggest difference! Love the choice of turquoise as an accent. The deck really looks lovely!
LOVE the color of the shutters and the garden stool. Fyi- you can plant 2 rows of sunflowers and tie the tops together to make a shaded play are for your little, if your yard allows. LOL Also, I have never heard of a paint mitt! How does that work, and was it easier than a brush? Great remodel job!!
Good tip Anna! The paint mit worked well but I still had to go back and touch up with a brush. I think it’s a matter of tool preference really but I would use one again.
Your porch looks fantastic! I hope someday to have an outdoor space like yours that I like spending time in
Oh my goodness Beth, I just love it! Such a beautiful space to relax in. The colors you used are just perfect!
I love your fun blue that you chose. I recently painted something in my garden “spa blue” and it is similar. Enjoy the outdoors! Great Job.
Your back porch looks great painted white and love the blue shutters. That is a very cool blue color. Yes, I can imagine covering red brick color was not fun . I’m sure you are glad it’s done though
Your deck came out great, Beth! I am so intrigued with that paint mitt as I embark on painting my deck this week. I’ll have to look one! Thanks for the tips!
Love the shutters! And the sunflowers!
the porch looks great….now i need to start working on mine!!!
That came out great! I love the Pier 1 sign! I might need that…
I looks great, Beth!! I love the pops of color!
BEA-U-TI-FUL!!!
I love those chippy looking shutters & the color is awesome. Thanks for the giveaway.
twelve30(at)gmail(dot)com
It looks great! You deserve to sit and sip ice tea…that was alot of work you did! I never knew about the outdoor Mr Clean product. I’ll have to try them.
They really do work well and I’m now a convert to the outdoor erasers. I think they should just make their indoor erasers with the same durability.
The porch furniture is very cute!
Oh my gosh! I know this was a pain in the booty, but WOW, it turned out SO GREAT Beth!
You’re one talented girl. I love it! Whoo hoo!
xoxo
Shelley
Thanks love!!
You did a great job! Your porch looks relaxing and inviting.
Looks very inviting! Great job!
We’re just getting started on a huge project so this gift card would be a huge help!!
It looks really good, Beth! I really like the gray and blue together.
When I bought my house, it had new gray vinyl siding but had an awful orange brick on the front. I hated it. I took a leftover piece of siding to Lowes and had them color match it for me and painted my brick. All my neighbors thought I was crazy and would stop to tell me so when driving by. When I was finished, every one of them stopped to tell me how good it looked and they were sorry they had their doubts. LOL It’s so fun to be a spontaneous DIYer!
Way to go Tricia
!
Looks so good!!
Your porch looks great! Thank you for the giveaway!
What a great before and after. Enjoy!! I would love to do something like this to my back porch and that gift card would get the supplies!
Looks so fresh and so clean!
We’re getting ready to start a remodel project and a gift card would be a huge help! I also need to try the Outdoor magic erasers! I love using them to clean everything!!!
your porch looks awesome, i love the colors you chose! And my eye keeps going to the garden stool in every photo, I’m in love with it
Pier 1 girl. Go see if they still have it!
It looks fantastic! I love all the colors!
Wow Beth! It looks beautiful! I love the white & blue together…it looks so fresh and fun. The shutters are the perfect touch for cottage feeling too! I would be out there every day sipping iced tea and reading home decor mags! Angie xo
The back porch looks great and these products sound amazing. Fingers crossed I win.
Wow! I think the shutters look amazing…they really pop! I bet the chippy paint gives them some character. You did a great job!
It looks great, that is a lot of painting though! I bet you are worn out.
Porch looks great! Love that sky blue against the gray.
fantastic results!!! your project turned out beautifully!!
It looks so beautiful and cheery! Love the color for the shutters! I’m putting these erasers on my list for the next lowe’s trip. our dog has dirtied up the interior and exterior doors at our house. Maybe those will help.
You did a great job on your porch! I LOVE it!
mommyfortwo@hotmail.com
Thank you for a great giveaway.
Beautiful!
Thanks for the inspiration! Lovin’ what you did.
Your porch looks so pretty. You’ve certainly done a lot of work on it.
WOW, that looks like A LOT of work. But it looks soooo GREAT…afterwords. GREAT job!!!!
Love it! Thanks for the give away.
This is so cute!!!!
Great job!
I love the blue POP of color!
Good on ya for attacking outdoor brick – it is TEDIOUS! The end result was worth it, though – turned out great!
We just finished our front porch so now we can enjoy being outside..it needs a few pieces to make it more cozy though
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Love the colors you used – so cheerful.
I love all the colors!!!
LOVE this porch makeover, Beth! And your chippy shutters are just perfect. Hope you’ve patted yourself on the back and poured yourself a glass of wine.
I’ve been itching to try the Mr Clean outdoor products, so thanks for hosting!
xo Heidi
I love what you did. I wish my front porch was wide like your, it is narrow like a hallway
We have a few projects to start or finish at our home. One is our back porch. It really just needs furniture. Our other projects involve wainscoting, paint and updating some furniture…
It looks beautiful! I love how you tied in the color of the shutters with the wall art and planter!!
Your porch looks AMAZING!!!
http://www.iheartmygluegun.com
I am a new blogger and love you r designs. I have been following you and have been inspired by your creativity and all around good ideas! Thanks for your constant inspiration!
Your porch looks great! I love the pops of turquoise and I DIE for that rocking chair!!
LOVE those colors and the craigslist chair is a great find!!
Thanks for offering such a great giveaway!!
I wish I had a porch like that
Great job!
So many things that I would love and you have a fabulous porch that makes me wish I had one of them.
So cheery! Can’t wait to redo ours!
I just love that blue color (shutters and planter). I’ve got to find somewhere to use it in my house!
Your hard work was so worth it! Love the shutters and the gray paint on the brick!
A great giveaway…I’d LOVE to try the magic erasers!!
♥’s
Sherry
Sadly many good things take hard work. It looks amazing!
Very inviting.. makes me want to sit an chat while.
Turned out great! Sorry you had to paint so much.
The porch looks great… I’ll be right over
I’d love to win your giveaway too! 
Susan
Your porch is so pretty!
gorgeous porch! thank you for the giveaway!
I love the shutters! Can’t wait to do the same thing to my own home.
I love the colors you chose- very peaceful.
Love the color choice. I would love to use something that bright on my screen porch!
I LOVE it, Beth! So pretty! I re-painted our deck and fence this summer so I can relate to the blood, sweat and tears! I’m picturing that rocking chair in a bright, happy yellow…but maybe its the sunflowers that are speaking to me! ( If you’re thinking of going bright with it, I used Behr Empire Yellow on my adironak chairs, and I love it!) Now, go put your feet up out there and relax! ~Kerri, A Pop of Pretty xo
I thinkl you did an amazing job. Congrats, it’s beautiful
Love what you did with the place, looks great.
Your porch is gorgeous! I think that beautiful turquoise is my favorite color.
Your makeover is great! I’m getting ready to re-do our master bedroom soon and a $100 gift card from Lowe’s is just what I need!!
Oh I wish we had a big porch!! Gorgeous make-over…
Looks really pretty with the blues…I have porch envy!
Stacey of Embracing Change
Love the porch! The blue shutters are so pretty and those sunflowers just make me happy! =)
Looks great!
Looks fantastic! I love Mr. Clean products!
Thanks for the giveaway! Looks soo good!
nelly dot barney at yahoo dot com
Love the color of the shutters, Beth! And the pillows go perfect with them.
The sunflowers are so special too – so neat that they are from the original seed that he brought home
It all looks great and I love the rocking chair as is!
Thanks for the giveaway!!
Beth,
I just went through a whole “I love Majic Sponges” with my sister in law this weekend. She had never tried them (she doesn’t have kids is the only excuse I can think of) so I ran to Lowes and bought her some. She was amazed and she and her friend who was also there were converted after one door rubdown. Great stuff.
Love the colors on the porch. Nice job. I need to get the old shutters out of the garage and paint them a fun color. Thanks for sharing .
I love your deck, colorful, clean and warm
Beautiful! Great job!
I love the blue on the shutters, you did a great job
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
Great colors! Beautiful job.
SAAAWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET
LOVE IT!!! I love Mr Clean Magic erasers and didn’t even know they made outdoor ones!!!
They regular ones are great for cleaning vinyl baby dolls!
I love the porch redo. Your neighbors must be totally envious! The colors are so relaxing and inviting. Great job!
Looks so summery! You’ve done a great job!
Love the color of the shutters! Looks great!
I love the older feel of the shutters! It gives the porch a pop! Also would love to win the giveaway!
Gotta bookmark this post, though I dread the thought of using it! Hopefully it’ll cool down in South Carolina soon so I can put it to use.
Love the blue. It all came out beautiful
One more time- your back porch is beautiful!!!
I love the colors and I can only imagine how much work you put into it. I’m kinda’ glad I can only imagine…. 
Too bad our neighborhood HOA forces us to be mindless clones with our exteriors.
Your completed back porch looks awesome! I think the shutters really do make the space. I wouldn’t worry about the ‘chippy-ness’ – It just adds character!
Beth,
Your porch area turned out great! Thanks so much for the tip about the Outdoor Magic Erasers, I use the indoor ones all the time but they don’t last very long. Will go to Lowe’s this week to pick up some of the Outdoor ones.
Beautiful. Wow, a lot of painting went into that but totally worth it. Nice Beachy vibe to your porch!
Looks great! Thanks for the giveaway – my deck could use some loving and cleaning…
This looks beautiful!!! I just bought a house and could really use the prizes!
The back porch looks great! I love Magic Eraser’s and had no idea there was an outdoor version! I am definitely trying those out soon.
Love your porch – great job!!!! Awesome giveaway – thanks for hosting
Looks great! I need to redo my back porch!
I love the bold, unexpected color of the shutters!
love the pics! thanks for the giveaway!
Love the porch! Especially love the yellow sunflowers against the gorgeous blue shutters!
The blue is charming and it makes it pop!
I love the new look. I am looking for some shutters to make a new look on my porch.
Your porch looks amazing!! So inviting and relaxing. Did not know about the Mr. Clean products. Thanks for sharing your beautiful porch.
It sounds like a tremendous amount of work but it turned out beautifully. Definitely worth it! The colors you chose are perfect for it.
Your porch looks so fresh! Great job, Beth!! Many thanks for the chance to win.
Oh man, that sounds like a lot of work, but you’re right – it was worth it! The space looks inviting and has me longing for a back porch. Thanks for the work you do on your blog. It’s so helpful!
I am in the process of trying to purchase a fixer upper. This gift card would be put to great use!
I love all the turquoise, of course! And I love Lowe’s.
Excellent work. Makes me want to go clean my back door… almost.
Facebook Name: Leslie Galloway (www.facebook.com/GallowayLeslie)
I love your front porch makeover! It is so pretty and refreshing!
Looks great and thanks for the giveaway.
I love the back porch reveal – especially all the blue! I wonder if I could convince my husband to do this to our house…
LOVE the shutter color! Nice work!
It looks great! Thanks for the giveaway!
Your porch looks great! I love the cheery blue and the sunflowers just finish the space so perfectly!
Hi Beth: What a beautiful new porch! Amazing what a change it was to go from red to white bricks–love it! And all the decorative accents–the pillows, the garden pot decoration with the bird on top, and the side table–are really pretty.
Great make Over! Looks like a TON of work. I did a porch this summer too. Still have a couple details (are we ever finished?) but daughter and grangirl arrive today so taking a break. Love yours. Suzi pblapere@att.net
Hey Beth, that porch looks terrific – a totally cool and relaxing place to sip coffee or just relax. But, boy, that is A LOT of work – you must be both wiped out and totally pleased! Congrats again – it looks great – now go out there and enjoy!
David
Beautiful! Nice work!
It looks so pretty! I am tired just thinking about all of that painting. My favorite part is the aqua shutters against the gray brick! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I love your porch. It came out beautiful. Wish so bad I had one to decorate.
cute porch! I love the color you painted the shutters!
Your back porch looks Great-Enjoy!
Thanks for the give-away!
Love the porch
Thanks for the giveaway!
The porch looks awesome! I love the pop of the blue shutters and the cute fluffy dog statue
love that bright blue!!
thanks for the giveaway!
LOVE the look of the porch!
I would love to win! I have a deck that is only 3 years old, but looks 10 years old! It definitely needs help! Thanks!
Beth, it’s beautiful!! Great job!
Beautiful! I love the new colors!
–Katie
@ Creatively Living
Now I want to go try the outdoor MEs
What a beautiful job, I love the porch!!
Love the cheery blue!
I wish I had a nice porch like that
WOW! Great front porch and improvement over what was pretty great before!
Adorable! Looks like a great place for a good book and a glass of tea! Love the shutters
Beautiful- I love the color combo!
what an amazing transformation! Great job!
Gorgeous!! I LOVE that color!!!
Wow, what a difference a little color makes! LOVE your choice!
Your porch reveal is spectacular! I’d love to see a happy little teddy bear on your rocker until you decide what to do with it…you can find charming and cheap ones on etsy http://www.etsy.com/search?includes=tags&q=teddy+bear
All your hard work paid off. Just fabulous!
Everything looks so super fresh….I am partial to blue so love the shutters and love that stack of clay pots painted blue!
I love it!!! It’s so much fresher and brighter now! The light blue accents are perfect against the white! I’ve heard over and over those magic erasers are worth the money, but I have yet to try them… Definitely on my list now!!!
It looks great – so nice and clean and fresh.
Beth, I love the porch! One of my favorite things is Zephan’s pre-k sunflower going crazy this year!
what a wonderful porch redo!! mine is in dire need!!
Your porch is awesome!!! Thanks for sharing it!
I love the blue pots, how did you make it?
Thanks Leila! Here is the link to the DIY Planter/Bird Bath: http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/2012/03/diy-garden-planter-birds-bath.html
I love those blue shutters! They look so incredible out there! Great job!
Pick me!!
Beautiful makeover! The transformation is breathtaking. Congratulations on a job thoroughly well done!!!
Love it, Beth! What a difference! So fun…..