Our Front Porch Makeover

See the before and after of our Americana theme front porch makeover. Small decorator projects with paint and elbow grease pay off.

Our porch makeover resulted in a cozy outdoor room with an Americana theme including red white and blue décor and lots of live flowers and plants. A very pleasant space for porch sitting.

The makeover process included lots of new paint and a few fun DIY décor projects. We added Boston ferns, red geraniums and white petunias too.

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I did a mini makeover of the porch several years ago with minor changes which you can see here. Clearly that makeover had exceeded its expiration date and it was time for some serious home improvement at the entrance of our home.

Table of Contents

• Porch Makeover Projects
  • Front porch theme
• Porch makeover project list
• DIY Porch Decorations
  • Red, White and Blue Mason jar set
  • Red, White and Blue Coasters
  • American Flag pillow cover
  • American Flag Side Table
  • Vintage Lantern Upcycle
  • Flower Containers
• Porch swing makeover
• The Front Door
  • DIY Wreath for front door
• New Front Porch Steps
• Porch floor and railings
• Porch Makeover After
• More Home Improvement Projects

As you can see in the Before picture above, this porch was much in need of a makeover. New paint can do wonders. A few summer plants would be nice also.

Porch Makeover Projects

We created a list or small projects within the whole porch remodel project and got to work. The goal is a major overhaul of the front porch including; new paint, new flowers, a few decorative pieces for ambience, new furniture except nothing is really brand new, it is all made over. We had a lot of work to do.

Front porch theme

First, we needed to decide on colors and if we wanted a cohesive theme. I did want something that matched and made sense, not just a mish-mash of colors.

I decided on an Americana theme on my front porch, with lots of red, white and blue.

Porch makeover project list

• Pressure wash the entire porch and banisters first
• Paint porch rails and banisters white
• Paint the porch floor gray
• Replace the wicker chairs with repainted wicker rocker and table
• Paint the porch swing
• Make a pillow cover for pillow on swing
• Make an Americana wreath for the front door
• Repaint the flower containers
• Add our American flag side table to the porch
• Decorate the porch table with DIY Americana coasters
• Add Boston ferns, red geraniums and white petunias
• Create a flower container by repurposing a blue speckled canner pot
• Replace and paint the steps

DIY Porch Decorations

Red, White and Blue Mason jar set

My youngest daughter gifted me this beautiful red, white and blue American flag Mason jar set. She painted them herself and I think it turned out great. She also gave me that adorable American flag metal tray which fits perfect on our wicker table!

The mason jar set is perfect for holding these citronella tealight candles so we can enjoy the porch on summer evenings without being bothered by mosquitos. 

Red, White and Blue Coasters

I made the Americana Mason jar lid coaster set recently. My hubby and I have been using them when we have coffee on the front porch in the mornings or tea in the evenings.

American Flag pillow cover

I made the pillow cover using a paint drop cloth so it would hold up well outdoors. You will want to grab the link for the American flag stencil I used to make my Americana Drop Cloth Pillow Cover. You will find the paint colors included in that article. I love how the pillow turned out.

American Flag Side Table

My hubby gave this fun American flag table a makeover last summer. You can see that entire project here. We have been keeping the table inside until the porch makeover was complete. We both are loving having it right back in that spot between the swing and the house.

Vintage Lantern Upcycle

I found this vintage lantern at an estate sale. It was a lucky find. I gave it a red makeover taking care to preserve it’s original charm as much as possible. It’s a perfect conversation piece for the porch decorations.

Flower Containers

A blue speckled vintage canner pot made the perfect flower container to match my red, white and blue theme. See my trick for using less dirt in your flower pots.

A couple of coats of white spray paint brought this old flower pot back to life. I filled it with red geraniums and white petunias. An easy makeover project for outdoor decorating.

Porch swing makeover

The porch swing was part of the mini-makeover when I painted it red. This time I decided to paint it a more neutral color. Y’all I have no idea how many times I have painted this old oak swing through the years. It always looks nice with a fresh coat of paint.

The Front Door

First I painted the front door red to create a bright and cheerful greeting.

Our Americana theme begins when you get to the top of the steps and are greeted by a red door with a red and blue clay pot wreath filled with cacti.

DIY Wreath for front door

I knew I wanted an Americana theme wreath so I did some Pinterest research and fell in love with clay pot wreaths. All I needed was red and blue paint to give it my theme colors. The clay pots and most of the cacti came from Dollar tree. This is not an expensive wreath to make yourself.

New Front Porch Steps

Building new steps was a must. The old steps were weather worn and the untreated lumber wasn’t really holding up well.

My husband built the new steps and painted them to match the porch. The paint gives this treated lumber another layer of protection from the elements. I love the gray and white. It looks so neat and clean.

I used one of the old front porch step boards to make this Reclaimed Wood Harvest Porch Sign.

Porch floor and railings

The porch floor was painted gray. Both my husband and I had fond memories of a gray painted porch from our childhood. Tradition can be warm and comforting.

We also agreed that painting the railings white would give the porch a clean look and it would also match the white siding on the house.

Porch Makeover After

We even had help with painting the porch from family. Help is always appreciated.

Even the wicker furniture, which had belonged to my parents, got a new coat of paint.

There were a lot of small projects that went into the whole makeover. We took our time and did not complete the entire porch makeover in one weekend.

We decided to sell our home after 17 years and move closer to our grandchildren. The house sold to the very first person who viewed within a few days of listing. Our realtor told us that the porch and the kitchen sold the house.

Also see my tips for How We Sold Our Home in One Week.

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