Painting shutters and railings black and door bright blue
by
Sandi Roggow
+15
We are renting this house but want to dress it up a bit (we expect to be here for a couple more years). We plan to paint the shutters black along with the porch railing black and the door a bright blue. Any ideas how to make the landscaping look better. We were thinking of planting some green boxwoods in between the hydradrengas on the right side and putting in some type of brick border and mulch. Should we paint the cement porch. Any suggestions about the best paint to use for the plastic shutters and the railings would be appreciated.
16 answers
-
Assuming that you have the landlord's approval, I think that your ideas are great. However, painting a concrete sidewalk is not a good idea. No matter what you use, in time it will flake and peel, creating a nightmare in maintenance. Staining the concrete is a better idea but go to YouTube for some tutorials before doing it. Good luck, would love to see the After photo. :)
MaryStLouis
on Apr 19, 2015
-
Thank you Mary. Great suggestion on staining the concrete. Any suggestions on the best color. FYI! I had never heard of Ballwin before Friday. My son just looked at a house there! They may be moving to that area soon. Such a small world.We have enjoyed St. Louis (Clayton) when he lived there at another time.
Sandi Roggow
on Apr 19, 2015
-
Ballwin made a list of best places to live in the Midwest. It really is a nice place to live. What a small world we live in! No particular suggestions on the concrete stain, just something natural looking.
MaryStLouis
on Apr 20, 2015
-
SHUTTERS: I like black shutters, I painted mine too. Choose an off-black though, You don't want them too black and shiny. Take them off the house so you can spray them. PORCH: Powerwash the cement first, it might be okay once you clean it. I agree about staining the concrete vs. painting. What about a brickish red to go with brick border? GARDEN: Yank the ivy out of the tree before it kills it. Plus it disguises the cool shaped branches. I'd put your boxwoods on either side of the porch. Remember to leave room for them to grow.
Trudy
on Apr 20, 2015
-
@Sandi Roggow staining the concrete is an excellent idea. Remember the darker the colour the hotter it will get. There are several posts on here for staining concrete http://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=staining%20concrete If the link doesn't work, use the search bar at the top of the page to find staining concrete. For the shutters I would probably use rustoleom as it adheres to many surfaces. For the plants the boxwood is a great idea. Have you considered globe cedars - easy care and grows faster than boxwood. They don't grow too tall.
Gail Salminen
on Apr 20, 2015
-
flower boxes under the windows would be nice and a magnetic hook (dollar stores have them now) holding a straw hat painted black (shutters) with a bow on it would look great!
Susan Priestly
on Apr 20, 2015
-
Oooh, don't know that I like the idea of black and blue. I think I would go with a darker gray shutter if I wanted the bright blue door. But please look in the exterior color section for your bright blue. Otherwise, you will end up with a blue that is too bright for anything other than a kindergarten. Also, remember to pick a blue that will blend with your hydrangeas if they are blue!
Donna Oliphint
on Apr 20, 2015
-
If u stain concrete, u cannot pressure wash it!
Betsy Wilson
on Apr 20, 2015
-
Definitely add a border and mulched bed around the hydrangeas. I'm thinking that it would be better to move the hydrangea nearest the porch in between - but slightly in front of or behind - the other two hydrangeas and put your boxwood on either side of the porch. You will need to get the biggest boxwood you can afford because they do not grow fast. If you plant a one gallon pot this year it will probably only be a 2 gallon size when you move out in two years. Cute house. Lots of good suggestions for colors. I like blues too.
Lindcurt
on Apr 20, 2015
-
What a cute house and what you plan will only make it better. Grouping the hydrangea is a great idea. It will make them stand out even more. I would place them in a triangle shape to the right of the porch. Boxwoods to form a round ball hedge under the right window. Consider a larger plant to anchor the right end of the house. Maybe a small (6-8') flowering tree. I agree to pull the ivy out of the tree. Rustoleum 2X works well on plastic shutters. For the door consider a softer blue such as BM Palladium Blue or SW Copen Blue. Consider painting the screen door to match front door. Good luck with your projects.
Pam Bolton
on Apr 20, 2015
-
I think your landlord is very lucky to have you as tenants. I would not mix black with blue. Black shutters and black door will look really nice. It looks like the door has glass panels therefore to prevent seeing directly inside your house I would put up either roller or roman blinds. Have seen on pinterest cheap roller blinds covered with fabric they really looked amazing and very inexpensive. Just be very careful that your landlord is going to be good to you. We were renting for a short time before buying and did an amazing makeover including the garden when we finished the work the landlord put us out so they could increase the rent. We planted Lilly Pilly trees in pots then barked the area hence we took our plants when we left. Good luck I am sure it will look great please post a pic after you have finished.
Don1459676
on Apr 21, 2015
-
I think black shutters with a deep red door would be lovely.
Heliane Ripley
on Apr 21, 2015
-
Removing the plastic shutters and using Rustoleum spray paint made for plastic will work great. I'm assuming the railing is metal. Any exterior paint (and probably using a primer first) will do. I painted our metal railings for our former home and it held up very well using what I described. Cement steps: I've seen pics where they painted a sort of 'runner' in colors that coordinated with the house and the door's color. Exterior paint will work. You may want to add in the specific painting 'sand' to help it keep from getting too slippery when wet. I love hydrangeas so I'd give thumbs up on planting more of those near the foundation :-) Also Russian sage will grow in nearly any planting Zone (I'm in Zone 3 and they grow great!). They grow quickly and look similar to lavender when in bloom. Add in some annuals as your budget allows and you'll have a beautiful home.
CK
on Apr 21, 2015
-
Exterior latex paint should do the job on the shutters. With the storm door your front door color isn't going to show very much, so I would go with a lighter aqua blue/ turquoise. Afraid a darker blue won't look any different than what you have already. Yes, for black on the railings.
Leslie
on Apr 27, 2015
-
We finally painted the railings black. Made a huge difference.
Sandi Roggow
on Oct 05, 2015
-
I agree with you now that the railings are painted. We are leaving the cement alone. We might power wash it yet this year or wait until next spring. Thanks for your help😀.
Sandi Roggow
on Oct 05, 2015
Sign Up to Answer
