Porches
Green Paint Chips & Too Many Opinions
Every porch makeover starts with a decision. For House 173, that decision begins with color.
After discovering carpenter ants in the porch walls (oh - by the way, we have carpenter ants), we knew portions of the porch were going to need attention anyway while everything gets treated and repaired. And once you’re already dealing with repairs on an old house, it becomes very easy to start saying things like, “Well…while we’re at it…”
That’s how repainting the porch entered the conversation.
When One Paint Color Starts Changing Everything
At the same time, we had already started drifting toward green last fall after repainting the front door in Sherwin-Williams Recycled Glass. We ended up loving the color. It felt soft and vintage without becoming overly pastel, and somehow looked fresh while still fitting the age of the house.
The problem is that one successful paint project almost always creates another one.
Once the front door was finished, suddenly the existing porch colors didn’t feel quite right anymore. The new green started changing the way we looked at everything around it. And before long, we were standing in Lowe’s holding paint samples and pretending this was still going to be a simple refresh.
The Day AI Became a Porch Designer
The funny thing is, this entire project actually gained momentum because of AI.
At some point I uploaded a photo of the front porch interior and asked AI to revise the image so the lower wall beneath the windows was painted a dark green. And honestly? It looked pretty good.
Dangerously good.
So naturally, I took it one step further and asked AI to revise the porch door color to Sherwin-Williams Recycled Glass green, the same color already used on both the front and back exterior doors here at 173.
That version looked even better.
Suddenly we weren’t just “thinking about repainting the porch someday.” Now we had visual evidence. The porch had entered the dangerous stage where you can actually picture the project finished.
That’s usually when the trouble starts.
Recycled Glass Was Supposed to Be the Easy Part
The original plan seemed simple enough: darker greens on the lower half of the porch walls and lighter greens above for upper sections and accents. Recycled Glass felt like the obvious choice because we already loved it on the doors.
Naturally, we assumed it would work perfectly inside the porch too.
It did not.
Once we painted actual test samples of Recycled Glass directly onto the porch wall, the color somehow transformed from soft green into what can only be described as “light beige pretending to have once heard about green.”
The porch lighting completely changed it.
Instead of looking fresh and vintage like it does outdoors on the doors, it suddenly looked flat and warm and almost tan depending on the time of day. Morning light pulled one direction. Evening light pulled another. Cloudy days made it even stranger.
And with that, the chase for the right shade was officially on.
The Great Green Paint Experiment
For the last couple weeks, the coffee table has looked less like a place to set drinks and more like a tiny design studio devoted entirely to shades of green.
And apparently there are hundreds of shades of green.
At first we focused on lighter vintage greens. Colors like Bonsai Tint, Rolling Glen, Kiss of Mint and Easy Green all felt soft, cheerful and appropriately old-house-ish.
The kind of colors that seem like they belong on an enclosed porch filled with wicker furniture, old screen doors and plants that somehow survive despite inconsistent watering.
Then the darker greens entered the conversation.
Garden Grove.
Arugula.
Evergreens.
Hunter Green.
All of which we loved - oh the decisions!
Suddenly the porch felt moodier and more traditional. The darker colors gave everything an older, library-like feeling that honestly worked surprisingly well with the age of the house and the woodwork already there.
Seventeen Sample Pots Later
Of course, paint chips only get you so far. Eventually we graduated to actual paint samples.
And by “samples,” I mean we bought seventeen little sample pots from Lowe’s between the Sherwin-Williams and Valspar collections because apparently we have lost all ability to make reasonable decisions.
So if anybody needs green paint, we’re fully prepared to open a small store.
At some point we painted large test sections directly onto one wall of the porch just to see what the lighting would actually do to the colors throughout the day. Because porch lighting changes everything.
Morning light made some colors feel fresh and airy. Evening light suddenly pulled gray tones out of nowhere. On cloudy days certain greens looked soft and historic.
By nighttime under the porch light, some of those same colors drifted dangerously close to looking like slightly expired mint ice cream.
At one point the porch wall looked less like a historic home project and more like an unusually calm graffiti installation devoted entirely to sage green.
There once was a porch painted greenWith seventeen shades in betweenOne looked too grayOne faded awayAnd one turned the color of creamWe sampled from ceiling to floorThen went back to Lowe’s for some moreWith cookies in sightAnd porch lights at nightWe now own enough paint for a store - GBS 2026
Why Old Houses Make Paint Decisions Complicated
Painting projects at 173 also tend to follow the same pattern.
What starts as “just freshening things up” somehow evolves into debates about undertones and whether a color would have existed in 1925. We’ve stood in hardware store aisles holding paint chips under fluorescent lights like confused historians trying to preserve architectural integrity while also buying furnace filters and birdseed.
Some other porch-related posts
✤ Found Photos: First Front Porch Remodel - 2023
✤ The Front Porch Interior Megapost - 2023
✤ Of Wisteria and Wobblies - 2013
✤ Yellow Door at 173 - 2013
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You might also like other paint posts
And somehow every painting project eventually reaches the same point — complete color fatigue.
That’s usually when snacks enter the picture. In this case, homemade brownies.
Not fancy bakery brownies. Just the kind made because standing around debating seventeen shades of green somehow feels more manageable with chocolate involved.
And honestly, the brownies may have been the most successful part of the project so far.
The funny thing about choosing paint for an old house is that it starts feeling strangely important. Not because the porch needs to be trendy or perfect, but because color changes the entire personality of a space.
And enclosed front porches already have personality.
They’re not quite indoors and not quite outdoors. Sometimes, they (usually the back porch) become catch-all rooms for plants, packages, muddy shoes, half-finished projects and those few perfect spring afternoons when you remember exactly why enclosed porches exist in the first place.
The Colors that Finally Won
Eventually, though, the paint chaos finally started narrowing itself down.
Some colors were eliminated quickly. A few looked too gray once they hit the wall. Others suddenly became much brighter than expected under the porch lighting. A couple darker greens we genuinely liked — especially Hunter Green and Evergreens — felt a little too heavy once larger test sections went up. They looked beautiful on paint chips but started changing the entire mood of the porch.
Garden Grove, though, kept surviving every round.
It had the depth we wanted for the lower half of the porch walls without becoming too dark or formal. It felt historic without trying too hard to look “historic.” And most importantly, it still felt warm and welcoming in changing light throughout the day.
The bigger challenge ended up being the lighter upper wall color and accents.
At one point I painted a large stretch of Easy Green above the bank of windows, fully convinced we had finally figured it out.
We had not.
Once it dried, Easy Green ended up feeling much darker than expected across such a large area. Instead of brightening the porch, it visually lowered the ceiling and changed the airy, relaxed feeling we were trying to create.
That was the moment we realized this porch was going to decide for itself what colors belonged there. So, back to the sample pots we went.
Then I painted a section of Kiss of Mint, and finally, everything clicked.
Kiss of Mint kept the soft vintage feeling we liked from Recycled Glass, but it stayed unmistakably green under the porch lighting instead of drifting into beige or gray territory. It felt lighter, fresher and somehow more natural with the age of the porch and the changing daylight.
More importantly, once we tested Kiss of Mint alongside Garden Grove, it finally started feeling like we might actually be heading in the right direction.
Garden Grove seems to have the depth we want for the lower walls and woodwork without becoming too dark or formal, while Kiss of Mint keeps the upper areas feeling lighter and more open without drifting too pastel or beachy. Even as test sections, the two colors feel promising together; cheerful, historic and slightly old-fashioned in exactly the way we’ve been trying to achieve. Here's the AI mock-up:
At least for now, it finally feels like the porch may have helped us narrow the choices down instead of creating even more confusion.
So after seventeen sample pots, endless lighting experiments, AI mockups, paint chips scattered across the coffee table and at least one package of cookies, we finally settled on the combination we love:
Sherwin-Williams Garden Grove for the lower portion of the porch walls.
Valspar Kiss of Mint for the doors and accent areas.
At least the color decision is finished.
Now comes the scraping, patching, sanding, caulking and all the other prep work standing between us and actually opening the real paint cans.
That, will be the next post.
Hey, thanks for stopping by - see ya' next time!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of paint works best inside a closed-in porch?
For most enclosed porches, a high-quality acrylic latex interior paint works well because it handles changing temperatures and seasonal humidity better than cheaper flat paints. Satin or eggshell finishes are usually the safest choice for walls because they clean easily without looking overly shiny.
What colors work best in a closed-in porch?
Soft warm whites, muted sage greens, pale grays, dusty blues, and creamy neutrals tend to work especially well because they reflect natural light without feeling harsh. Benjamin Moore “White Dove,” Sherwin-Williams “Sea Salt,” and Benjamin Moore “Palladian Blue” are all popular porch-friendly colors.
Should porch ceilings be painted blue?
Light blue porch ceilings remain popular because they brighten enclosed spaces and soften natural light. Traditional “haint blue” shades also work especially well in older homes because they feel historic and relaxed rather than trendy.
What finish should be used on porch trim?
Semi-gloss paint is usually best for trim, windows, and doors because it handles wear, moisture, and cleaning better than flatter finishes while helping architectural details stand out.
Is satin or eggshell better for enclosed porch walls?
Satin generally performs better in enclosed porches because it handles humidity, dirt, and seasonal temperature changes more easily while still looking soft in natural light.
Should old porch woodwork be filled before painting?
Small nail holes and cracks should usually be filled, but many old-house owners avoid overfilling every imperfection because some unevenness and wear help preserve the porch’s age and character.
How do you prep old porch walls before painting?
Most enclosed porches benefit from washing the walls first, scraping loose paint, lightly sanding glossy surfaces, caulking gaps around trim, and priming stained or repaired areas before painting.
What color works best for enclosed porch floors?
Medium-to-dark painted floors often work best because they hide dirt, plant debris, and scuffs more easily. Soft charcoal, muted brown-gray, deep porch gray, and historic green tones are all practical choices.
Should enclosed porches feel bright or cozy?
Usually both. Lighter wall colors help maximize daylight, while slightly darker floors, warm trim colors, natural wood, and vintage furniture help the porch still feel comfortable and grounded.
What makes an enclosed porch feel “right” in an old house?
The best enclosed porches usually feel connected to the rest of the house instead of overly modernized. Traditional colors, visible woodwork, old windows, layered textures, and slightly imperfect details tend to feel most natural in older homes.
Keywords
front porch colors, porch paint colors, front porch refresh, old house exterior, historic paint colors, curb appeal ideas, porch makeover, exterior color selection, front porch renovation, old house restoration