What Happened When the Quote to Pave my Veranda was $15,000 OR.... How I Stencilled my Cement Front Porch

I love my house and for a custom-designed sofa, 
antique bookcases or a beautiful outdoor set,
 I'll sell an organ to get the money for it.

But when the quote to pave my front porch came in at 
$14,800 and another at $12,500
all I could envision were lost opportunities.

How much furniture I couldn't buy.
How many rugs, chairs and armoires 
would slip through my fingers--
How many "bargains" I'd be forced to walk away from.
I was faced with a decision.
The cost of paving was equivalent to a small island.
And I preferred the island.


I'm a firm believer of paint can fix anything.
So I got to thinking...

Quite awhile back I stencilled my Studio floors  
and I still love them. 
See the blog post on stencilling the studio floors HERE.

For The Love Creations Design Studio floors — stenciling in progress

The studio floors stencilled in Chalk Paint

Looking at these floors every day, after all this time, is still a joy. 
They continue to make me happy. 
So — I thought —why not? 


Without a doubt, stencilling a large space,
whether it be a wall or a floor, in my opinion, is a two-person job. 
The work is completed quicker and is a lot less frustrating. 
I also believe the second set of eyes helps. 

I suckered my husband into helping me. 
Go figure it ended up being crazy cold, 
super windy and rainy day. 
Ahhhhhh, Adelaide in Autumn!! 

I did not add Bonding Agent as concrete is porous
and I want the pattern 
to develop a worn look with time and wear.


I selected The Trailing Vine Stencil  for this project 
as I l thought it would liven up a pretty dull area.
Another last minute decision--
I turned the stencil and used it horizontally.

Front porch cleared off, hosed down & ready to go!

The wind and rain kept the porch wet and riddled with leaves

You can see on my porch that there are a number 
of lines, cracks, dips, repairs and textures.
Not the easiest canvas to work on!

All the tools to get going on that stencil

A bit of time spent laying out a stencil 
pattern before starting is a good idea.
Where to begin, how corners, angles and anything fixed
comes into consideration.
It's tough making decisions on the fly 
or once you've started painting.
I don't get pedantic with large scale projects
and with an oversized busy pattern—most mistakes 
disappear once finished. 
Besides, in  my world....imperfection is beauty!


Here is where personal choice matters the most.
Be mindful of how you want your home
or area represented. Are you traditional?
Modern? Boho? A bit country?
Select a stencil that represents this.
This porch would look stunning in subtle, timeless stencils like
Leafy Floral Damask,  Single Dill Flower or even
Old French Script! 
But base your decision on your personal style
and what best reflects you.


The same advice applies to colour choice. 
A front veranda stencilled in any classic
neutral colour including
Miss Mustard Seed's beautiful whites such as
 Ironstone or Marzipan  or Typewriter (black) or Trophy (gray)
would be elegant and amazing.
Your own self-designed paving!


Personally, I like to experiment
with pattern and colour
and have learned to give in to this side of myself.
On a last-minute whim I went with
 Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint 
in the stunning shade of Eulalie's Sky.

I mixed a 2-quart bag in my blender.
I always hand mix my Milk Paint, even for very large jobs.
But I went for it with the blender this time.

I found it a bit challenging. 
My advice? Go slow and in small batches. 
Allow the paint plenty of time to rest.
I overloaded the blender with paint and water 
and when the paint thickened I had to pour some out
and thin it and it became a messy whole thing...

Official inspectors Tex and Willow ensuring all safety regs are being met

We cleared everything off the porch and 
hosed it down with bore (well) water. 
In retrospect, I didn't allow for drying time 
on a cold, wet, windy day. 
This ended up being a small problem. 

Mixing Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in the blender

All the tools you need:
Short-nap Roller 
(I find foam doesn't hold onto Milk Paint, I prefer a slightly fuzzy one)
Paint Pole 
I prefer a long, sturdy timber pole, I had too much bounce from the extending one.
Paint Tray
Painter's Tape or Masking Tape 
Especially if working alone  to hold the stencil in position.
Damp Rag and small bucket of water for any spills
Dry Rag


Position the stencil, roll,  lift the stencil, wipe down if needed, reposition and repeat...
That's it!


Because the weather was TERRIBLE and 
we were fighting 
the rain and wind (not to mention the freezing cold!) 
I don't have progress shots. 
If I would've stopped to take photos my husband's head might've exploded!

Loving this pattern and colour...finally some life to that ugly stained concrete!

Finished...and of course the wind and rain stopped too!

The pattern is down, we just need to go back around the edges

The colour is a little off on this photo...but I liked the angle!

I did a rough styling of the finished porch for photos, 
but over time it will evolve and this stencil 
will wear with age and become even more beautiful.


In fact, I'll be sure to share a follow-up blog post
in another year or so to see how it's holding up.

I took on a "What's the worst that can happen?" 
attitude with this project, but honestly,
 it fits perfectly with my love for colour and whimsy.  

I wanted to share this...
even after dragging, rolling, stepping on and 
getting thrashed by the wind, 
I was thrilled with the state of the stencil!
I thought it might be a write-off, 
but it is good to go as when we started.

Buy The Trailing Vine stencil online, $120.95 (one in stock)

Doesn't the Bright Turquoise Autentico Chalk Paint painted front door look even more fabulous?

Time to sit and enjoy our work—if it wasn't so cold!!!

Love the tendrils and trailing pattern of this stencil

Hello new front porch....all for the cost of a 2L bag of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, $66

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint 
works perfectly for a project like this.
It grabbed onto the cement working better 
than any paving paint I've ever used, "staining" 
the concrete in this happy colour.



A couple things to keep in mind,
most larger stencils have registration marks 
to line up and continue the pattern. 
And because the film is flexible, 
you can sometimes bend them 
around  fixed objects 
as was the case for our pillars and the front step.


Also it was so wet and cold
 parts of the porch didn't dry fully.
Being impatient, I didn't wait and in those spots
the paint oversaturated blurring the pattern. 
Those who know me, know
I don't like crisp patterns and a bit of unexpected
"smudging" doesn't bother me.
In addition, I want the effect to look worn and aged
with time and this paint saturation moved that along!


But if you're after a perfect pattern,
slow down, wait, be patient. 
Ensure the route you'll be taking,
familiarise yourself with the registration marks
to keep you going straight, make sure your paint
is the right consistency and that your canvas is
dry and relatively clean.

Would I do this again?
In a heartbeat. 
I'm in love with my where my home's entrance
is heading and now I have about $15,000 more to 
spend on other goodies.
Including that island I've been thinking about buying.
;D

It's all here...for the love...
Sada