A few months ago when my porch wasn’t acting as storage for my hoarding overflow, it was my favorite place to relax, and even take the occasional power nap.  I haven’t really dedicated as much time as I should to this space, but as we all know time, money and ideas control the pace. My screened in porch floor is made up of three different concrete sections. One area was original to when we extended our patio.  The other was added when we built the studio porch and the rest was hand done to repair a tripping hazard. It didn’t match so painting or staining was always something I had planned on tackling.

Let’s get started

Clean: As with any project using paint this is the 2nd most important step.  (First is picking the best paint, Shabby Paints, of course) 🙂 I swept then used a shop-vac going over every inch.  You don’t want to deal with dirt (or dog hair) in your paint.

Prep: I’m a very messy painter so, I went ahead and taped the bottom of my walls so I could easily cut in with a brush.  At the door opening I taped a straight line from wall to wall for a crisp edge.

Test: To make sure you get the right look, do a test somewhere hidden.   I did my first test under my welcome mat with Brown Bronze Shimmer Glaze and loved it but it clashed with my grey walls.  Play with how much water you want to add as well, the more water the more translucent your finish will be.

Mix:  My winning mixture was a 5o/50 mix of Water and Shimmer Paint in Smoked Pearl.

Stain: I applied one coat using a roller on a broom handle. (save your back youngins..you will thank me some day).

Let Dry:  Took about 30 min. to dry, but will depend on humidity.

Enjoy: It has been almost 5 months since I stained the porch and it makes me smile every morning when I walk into the studio. The slight shimmer effect is stunning in the sun.  Can’t wait until porch weather is back!

Total Cost: $84.00

Total Time: 2 hours