Inspiring Tips to Spruce Up Your Front Porch

Your front porch is the first part of your home that you and your guests see, so it’s important to keep the porch looking good. Refreshing a front porch doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money. Just follow these tips.

1. Power Wash the Exterior

The easiest way to refresh your porch is to clean the entire front of the house. Spraying siding with your garden hose or a pressure washer set on medium should be enough to remove dirt and grime.

While pressure washers make quick work of cleaning siding, fencing, driveways, and sidewalks, be careful using them. They can damage wood surfaces. Always follow the pressure washer’s instructions and consider these guidelines:

• Use a cleaner designed for pressure washers rather than household cleaners, which can damage some materials. Look for cleaners labeled as safe for wood, brick, concrete, vinyl, etc.
• Don’t use chlorine bleach in a pressure washer. Chlorine bleach damages many materials. Use oxygen bleach instead. 
• Attach a downstream injector to your pressure washer when using cleaners. The injector mixes the cleaner with the water.
• Use a surface cleaner attachment on your pressure washer when cleaning large horizontal areas. This attachment allows for efficient cleaning in a single pass.
• Find the optimal distance from the nozzle to the surface that cleans effectively without causing damage. Start further away and get closer slowly.
• Use a wide nozzle on softer surfaces to reduce the chance of damage. Narrow nozzles concentrate the pressure and increase risk.
• When cleaning wood, move the nozzle with the grain of the wood. Perpendicular motions damage the grain.

2. Patch Any Cracks

You may not think much about cracks on a concrete front porch, but don’t just cover them with an outdoor rug. Small cracks lead to big cracks. Water gets into hairline cracks, which expand and contract during freeze-thaw cycles, causing the crack to widen. The widening leads to bigger problems.

Don’t wait. Fix hairline cracks with Quikrete FastSet Concrete Crack Repair. It’s an easy job that will take care of troublesome hairline cracks quickly.

After removing any dirt, dust, or loose debris from the cracks with a can of air or leaf blower, squirt the material into the crack using a caulk gun. The liquid seeps into the crack before hardening in about one hour. For deeper cracks, use sand as filler or make several applications.

Dealing with wider gaps? Then you’ll need a concrete crack sealant. Grab a chisel and hammer to widen the gap by ¼ of an inch and break away deteriorating concrete. Clear the loose material with a brush, insert backer rod into cracks more than ½-inch deep, and apply Quikrete Advanced Polymer Concrete Crack Sealant with a caulk gun. Let it cure, then resurface the top.

While you’re at it, patch any cracks on your driveway and walkway for a uniform, finished look! Consistent maintenance prevents further cracking and deterioration.

3. Paint the Porch Rails

Wrought iron handrails are common on front porches because they’re durable, but that doesn’t mean they’re maintenance-free.

If you have an older home, look closely at the porch rails. There’s a good chance you’ll see peeling paint and rust. You may even see a broken baluster. Fortunately, all these problems are easy to fix. First, pressure wash the handrails to remove some of the peeling paint. Use a downstream injector and the proper cleaner.

Next, remove rust with a wire brush. Use a drill attachment to speed up the process. Getting down to bare metal allows for proper bonding of the new finish.

As for the broken baluster? Insert a threaded rod into the bottom of it. Then, apply auto body filler to the outside of the threaded rod and allow it to set. You can shape and sand the auto body filler to match the rest of the handrail post. Choose a filler rated for outdoor use.

After that, apply anti-rust primer to the entire handrail and then apply two coats of oil-based enamel paint from a spray can. Multiple thin coats provide better protection than a single thick coat. Allow proper drying time between coats.

Have wood railings instead? A common problem with these is rotten wood, especially if landscaping grows too close to the porch.

4. Add Some Style

Want to wow guests? Display your style before they make it through the front door.

The easiest way to transform an old, worn-out concrete porch, patio, steps, sidewalk, or driveway into a beautiful new surface is with Quikrete Re-Cap Concrete Resurfacer. It’s an easy job, and you can do it in a day. Just clean the surface with a 3,500-psi pressure washer, protect the slab’s joints with weather stripping and apply with a squeegee, trowel, or brush. Add a textured finish to prevent slips.

Once you’ve tackled the porch or patio, move on to the flora! Nothing softens a home’s appearance and boosts curb appeal like plants, and there are many affordable ways to add some to your home.

Porch planters greet visitors at the front door and come in materials such as ceramic, metal, plastic, clay, wood, and stoneware. Consider your climate when choosing materials to ensure they hold up to the weather. Or build planters yourself from cedar, redwood, or pressure-treated pine for a customized look.

Installing window boxes can instantly enhance your windows’ appearance and show off your gardening skills. Vinyl or plastic window boxes cost as much as $100 at the home center, but you can also build them yourself for less.

Final Thoughts About Tips For Sprucing Up Your Front Porch

If you really want to get crafty, there are all kinds of ways to repurpose old and inexpensive products, including using rain gutters as flower boxes and upcycling a colander into a hanging planter.

You can even add a small plant on each step. Create a faux antique glaze on inexpensive clay pots for a weathered look without the wait.

Getting creative with planters, window boxes, and potted plants allows you to add personality and greenery to your home’s exterior. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different looks until you find one that expresses your unique style.