DIY Porch Refresh for a Mom on the Go!

Nov 26

Moodboard for DIY porch renovation project

A DIY porch refresh to celebrate a very deserving mother. See how I brought new life to Chanel’s porch deck with a little exterior stain, live greenery, and durable outdoor decor. She can now enjoy this space when she comes home from a busy day, or need a little fresh air alongside her pup.

View of Semi Transparent Wood Deck Stain on deck boards — Semi-Transparent Wood Stain

Semi-transparent wood stain enhances wood's natural patterns while providing increased protection from the elements. BEHR’s formula seals out the elements and UV rays.

Staining the Porch Deck

To revive the deck, I chose to clean and stain it using BEHR’s semi-transparent exterior wood stain. My favorite thing about this product is that is adds rich color to any wood project while still letting the wood grain shine through. You can get stain tinted to your preferred color at your local Home Depot paint counter.

I chose to roll on stain for this project and it made the process go by quickly . I was able to touch up any bubbles with a stain brush.

Woman is rolling on exterior wood deck stain to floorboards

Woman is applying wood deck stain to stair railing.

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Woman is refreshing landscaping in front of a newly renovated deck porch — Low Effort Landscaping

Chanel, the homeowner, is always on the go so anything we planted needed to be low maintenance.

Hearty Low Maintenance Gardening

In almost every outdoor project, I include Hostas - they grow so effortlessly in this area, as long as they have plenty of water and some shade on sunny days. They are so low maintenance and therefore perfect for my friends Chanel’s front porch.

To bring some life to the actual porch, I also potted some plants and flowers into oversized planters.

Woman in potting a plant into a planter while admiring a small dog

Woman using shovel to dig up dirt for porch landscaping.

Durable Outdoor Furniture

I was nervous about adding two chairs AND a table to an already small space but this Hampton Bay patio set was absolutely perfect. The seating is actually comfortable and the wood grain details paired perfectly with the new deck stain.

Hampton Bay dining set decorated with picnic basket, purple flowers, lemonade jug, and decorative rug

Woman in fuschia dress sitting at dining set on newly renovated front porch

Front Door Paint

Let me be honest - things did not go smoothly when it came to painting the front door. We were set on a beautiful teal blue but after letting it dry, Chanel felt that it looked out of place. Thats the best thing about paint projects - you can always change your mind. We went back to the Home Depot paint counter and picked up a true Navy Blue color to give Chanel the “Olivia Pope” front porch of her dreams.

I hate to say - Chanel was right. The navy color looks absolutely amazing.