How to Paint a Design on Your Porch Floor

ThisOldHouse
by ThisOldHouse
Dress up a plain porch floor with this durable brushed-on outdoor "rug"! Here are the templates you'll need for this project> http://ow.ly/uczft
"I've learned to coordinate patterns with plank width. It saves time measuring," says Atlanta-based decorative painter Brian Carter. Here, he used 2 templates: a 4-petal blossom the width of 6 boards, and an oval 2 boards wide.
Paint & dry base coat. Make width of the larger template based on an even number of floorboards. Create a second, proportional oval template. Start at center; position large template using floorboards as a guide and outline with chalk.
Center the small template directly above the large one and outline it, working along the length of the floorboards. RELATED: Think you'd prefer a more colorful design? See here> http://ow.ly/ucAyx
When the first row is done, do the next, starting this time with the oval so that the pattern is staggered.
Keep going with alternating rows across the porch. When you reach the porch rail, fold the templates as needed to fit the smaller space. RELATED: See inspirational Victorian-era porches> http://ow.ly/ucAF3
Using a 1½-inch painter's brush—and taking care not to paint yourself into a corner—go over the chalk lines with a stain in a contrasting color. Aim to let the floorboard edges run through the centers of the lines.
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