Here it is June already and time to revisit a popular post from this time last year. The one we are sharing today is one of our all-time most viewed posts. We are glad that so many people liked what we did. Enjoy revisiting an easy way we improved our home’s curb appeal.
When we moved into our 1928 bungalow three years ago, it needed a new roof, a new paint job, shutters, and major landscaping. Little by little, we have gotten all of those items checked off of our to-do list. However, one eye-sore remains, and getting it done will be costly. Our front steps and mini-porch need to be replaced, and they are concrete. We want to have them torn out and replaced with something more fitting for our vintage craftsman style house.
To tame down their evil look, I bought two gallons of concrete paint and put a temporary fix on it.
Here’s a closer look at the grossness. Before starting, I power washed them and then scraped away as much of the old paint as possible. I know they have been painted at least three times in the past – gray, green, and black.
My plan was to make the steps look as if they have a runner on them. I have seen the same idea on some other blogs and knew the same look would be the perfect band-aid for our steps. First, I taped them off and painted the outside of the steps using Behr black concrete paint from Home Depot. It dried quickly because I was working in probably the warmest part of the day.
Then I taped off the outline for the runner, which I painted gray. This color took three coats. I lightly sprinkled sand on the final coat of paint so it would add some traction to the steps when they are wet. I was amazed by the improvement that came from a few hours of work.
Here’s a side by side of the before and after.
This is the way our house’s front looked when we bought it.
And this is what it looks like today.
Before I close, you might like to see a close-up of our window boxes. Even though Syracuse is very cold in the winter, the summer temps are perfect for growing the healthiest flowers.
