# Color opinion for front porch rails and pillars?



## Beth777 (Jul 3, 2008)

Need opinion of this idea: White porch rails and pillars to match house trim color. Stained transleucent grey porch floor and steps. And a transleucent grey side/back deck.

(tacky/distracting...or nice plan?)

Our side/back deck and our front porch are both currently stained the transleucent grey, from last summer. Both can be seen fron the driveway. Do the deck and porch need to completely match eachother, for consistency, since I can see both from my driveway? 

I like the bright, cheerful look of white porch rails & pillars above a natural wood stain porch and steps flooring! But I'm not sure if it would look odd to have natural wood color stain on the front, but leave the grey on the side/back deck??

Those of you who are good with color, please share opinions! Thanks!


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

IMHO: They usually match eachother.


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## Beth777 (Jul 3, 2008)

House siding is a light grey. Trim work is white.

Better to skip the white on the porch and just leave it all grey?


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## krankykitty (May 16, 2008)

If I understand your question correctly, usually porches are the same color... a possible caveat here could be that they were structurally different, ie the front porch has "decorative" appearance, and the back porch is more "blocky" like a deck, then maybe it could work.

How many colors you can paint your house sort of depends on the age and style of your house. Many people will tell you no more than two colors if you are planning to sell the house... but if you have the right type of house, it can work... usually the right type is a cottage or victorian...

Hmm, hard call without a picture. But the important thing is this... it's YOUR house, will YOU like it that way?

Good luck.


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## Beth777 (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks for reply. Yes, I think you understand correctly, and I appreciate all input! I really enjoy my front porch, and would like to make it look its best but not odd...

Both front porch and back/side deck (deck wraps around from the side kitchen entrance to the back) have similar construction, more "blocky" than ornate. Other homes in my subdivision have the same typical "blocky" deck style.

My confusion comes from trying to copy the neighbors in my subdivision, even though most houses are different from mine.

In my neighborhood, a lot of people who have porches paint their porch rails and pillars a glossy white to match their trimwork. A few also paint their porch flooring and steps white. Most use a translucent wood stain on the porch flooring. The white rails and stained flooring give kind of a 2-tone porch effect. Most people have vinyl siding, white trim, and an accent color for doors and shutters.

However, most people have back decks that are not seen from the front of the house at all. Most decks are stained in a wood tone. Very few are painted. There are many back decks, but I think no actual back porches.

Many of the houses are bigger than mine...many split levels, whereas mine is a cute little ranch home. 

I think the front porch is one of the house's good features. I usually have several hanging baskets of flowers out all summer, and have a little park bench and a rocker on the porch to make it inviting, and lots of flowers around. If nothing else, it's looking cheerful outside! Maybe it's kind of a cottage effect.

So far my selected colors are light grey siding with white trim. It's a small change from a slightly darker grey siding with deep grey trim and cranberry shutters and door. Porch and deck are stained grey.

No accent color yet for front door and shutters, and no porch plan! As slow as we are with doing the work ourselves on the weekends, inbetween thunderstorms...maybe should wait till the front of the house is painted before deciding on porch color?

Some decks and porches are stained with a very dark brown woodtone...I think that can give too much dark contrast with their lighter-toned houses and makes the porches look a bit dreary. Maybe I could find a very light translucent grey stain.


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## krankykitty (May 16, 2008)

I think I like this thread because my front porch is my favorite part of the house 

As i think about it, if the shade of the back/side deck sort of blended in with the house (it's already stained grey, is it a simillar shade to the siding?) and you did the front porch with the white rails and finished wood as an accent, it would seem to me it could maybe work... it's still hard for me to be sure, but i can sort of picture something like this...

Back/side porch sort of blending in in grey.... white rails and posts to go with the house trim, natural wood finish on the porch floor and the tops of the steps, maybe the same grey stain as for the back for any wood that is not a horizontal surface on your front porch, to tie it in with the back deck. of course, that would be three tones, white trim, wood floor, and grey for the step risers and such, but depending on the style of house, i think it could be cute. Particularly with a cranberry door.

But...

You should probably be warned that I own a little cottage and don't subscribe to the two-color theory. Once I get a few other things done and get to painting my house, it will be pale yellow with white trim, very dark green window sashes and porch floors, and a crimson roof and door. Of course, there are a few people that think I'm nuts too.

The important thing is this.. what will YOU like? I guess if you painted the front porch rails white to match your house trim, the absolute worst thing that could happen is that you would end up painting the rails on the back/side deck to match later. Unless it doesn't have rails, in which case, the problem doesn't seem that big to me. 

Oh... I tend to like lighter stains myself... because they just look brighter to me.


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## Beth777 (Jul 3, 2008)

krankykitty said:


> I think I like this thread because my front porch is my favorite part of the house


We have to take good care of our porches since they are cheerful spots!

Drove around the neighborhood yet again, evaluating everyone's porches and decks. Conclusion: our house needs a "happy medium" in color choices that blend well. My favorite houses blend well and look friendly. Nothing really jumps out at you on my favorites.

Super-dark stain on the porches of light-tone houses makes way too much deep color contrast...and looks a bit serious and dreary...even though it does hide dirt well. Another surprising new trend is painting the entire porch in the house's accent color...to match the door and shutters! (that will take some getting-used-to...seems more like a business color plan than a home plan) White-painted porch flooring does not hide dirt at all...would need to be washed down regularly. Much as I love my porch, I don't want to have to wash it every week or so....

Decided to be content with light grey deck stain on the entire front porch this year, everything matching, since last year's back deck stain job still looks good and does not have to be redone yet, and I don't want it to look odd. It's the frugal choice in light of gas prices and recession worries.

We can change it up next spring if we want, if paint fever hits again. The back deck will need attention by then!


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