Cozy Back Porch Makeover full of Vintage Finds and DIY Decor

Today I’m excited to share the first finished space in our new house – our budget-friendly back porch makeover!

So I’m using the term ‘new’ house loosely here. But we’ve lived here less than a year and to me it still feels new so I’m going with it. And while we’ve filled the rest of the house with furniture and even hung art on the walls, this is the first space I’ve really taken the time to intentionally decorate.

Now you may be wondering why in the world I chose the back porch as the first room to actually finish. Well, I have a major love of a good back porch. I adored the back porch at our old house and the back porch here is also a pretty fantastic space. In fact, it’s one of the big reasons we chose this house.

The porch has a small screened in section along with a bigger open section. It connects to a nice patio which is surrounded by lots of green plants and even a small manmade waterfall and koi pond. It’s a pretty great little spot to relax but when we moved in, it was a completely blank slate.

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A few years ago, I shared a collection of my favorite screened porch decorating ideas and what I really learned from studying all the best porches is that they have all the same decorating elements as an interior room. That means rugs, art, accessories, the whole nine yards. Just because it’s outdoors doesn’t mean it needs to be sterile or boring.

I also knew that I wanted to use the things we already owned as much as possible instead of buying a bunch of new stuff. And in true Lovely Etc. fashion, the vast majority of the furniture and decor on the porch are things that I either thrifted or made myself.

I’m pretty sure even if I win the lottery someday, I’ll still be incapable of just buying a bunch of new stuff and putting it in a room and calling it done. I just really love rescuing antiques, building my own furniture, and combining the old and the new.

Painting the Porch Floor

Luckily, the porch overall was in great shape so there weren’t a lot of big projects to be done, but the floor did need some help. It had been stained a dark red and the stain was very noticeably uneven with lap marks all over the place.

I really didn’t want to sand the whole thing down or go with a super dark stain to try to cover the red. So I painted the floor instead.

I’ve painted several floors at this point so I have my tried-and-true method down pat. After a good cleaning, I primed the floor with Zinsser Oil-based Cover Stain Primer. This primer will stick to anything and it’s a great choice for when you want to paint with a water-based paint over an oil-based stain.

I followed that with a few coats of Sherwin Williams porch and floor paint in the color Repose Gray. It’s a nice neutral that seemed to go well with the vinyl siding as well as the adjoining patio stone.

Once the floor was done, I could move on to the decorating!

Outdoor Dining Area

I knew I wanted a nice dining table where we could eat outdoors and also do family game nights in the fresh air. Luckily, I already had a wooden outdoor table and bench that I built for our last screened porch, but I did decide to give them a new look for the new space.

I built new tops for both the table and the bench, stained them a lighter color (General Finishes gel stain in colonial maple), and painted the table base bright white.

It was a great table before and I love it even more now with this lighter, brighter look.

I’m also using the same metal chairs I had before. I’ve been using them outdoors for more than five years now and they’ve held up really well. (Plus they’re really affordable.) And the blue and white outdoor rug is a new purchase from Amazon.

Next to the dining area is a small seating area. This is were I’m using the wooden outdoor chair I made this summer.

After debating about the color, I ended up staining my chair the same gel stain as the table and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Next to the chair are a small table and a basket with extra pillows and a blanket for chilly evenings.

And on the wall is a fantastic pair of vintage brass wall planters I found at a yard sale last weekend for $1 each. They were in super rough shape, but with some Brasso and a lot of elbow grease, they look gorgeous now.

I used these simple vinyl siding hooks to hang these planters along with the other wall decor out here and they worked so well. They won’t damage your walls and can hold up to 18 lbs of weight.

Screened-In Porch Area

The last section of the porch is a small screened-in porch.

I moved my DIY daybed in here. This daybed continues to be one of my favorite furniture projects ever; it has plenty of room to seat several people and it’s also the perfect spot to curl up with a book or take a quick porch nap.

I also moved in an old dresser I painted several years back. A dresser might not be traditional porch furniture, but it’s the perfect spot for storing our fish food and other things we use regularly in the back yard. Plus it really helps the whole space feel a lot more homey.

Mirrors are also not a super traditional choice for a porch, but I love how they really bounce the light around. Plus, I’ve never been a fan of all the rules about what belongs inside or outside anyway. I think bringing some of the indoors outside is what helps make this porch feel like a real room.

Want to know how to protect your interior furniture so it can be used outdoors? I have another post full of tips for using indoor furniture outdoors.

That round jute rug was one of the few things I purchased for the porch and I absolutely love it. It was another Amazon find and it adds so much texture and interest to the space.

And I built that cute little bench/coffee table several years back as well. (I don’t have a full tutorial for it online, but there is a tutorial is in my book Wood Plank Projects).

The rest of the decor are vintage finds I’ve gathered from various thrift stores and yard sales over the years.

In the corner, I added an old piano stool, a plant, and some lanterns to round things out.

And that’s my back porch!

I was hoping to finish up the patio area as well this summer, but with fall quickly approaching, it’s looking like that will have to wait for next spring. In the meantime, you’ll find me out here enjoying the fresh air everyday until it gets too cold! There is absolutely nothing as relaxing as sitting on the porch with a good book listening to the waterfall in the evening.

Sources

Here are links to all the things I purchased for this space. The ones that didn’t come from a yard sale or thrift store anyway ;)

• Blue and white patterned outdoor rug Amazon
• Round jute rug Amazon
• White metal chairs Amazon (these are a steal and have held up really well)
• Table runner Amazon
• Outdoor lounge chair cushion set Home Depot

DIY Tutorials

And here are links to all the DIY tutorials for the projects in this space.

• How to Build a DIY Daybed for $50
• How to Build a DIY Wood Bench for Inexpensive 2x4s
• How to Build a Beautiful DIY Farmhouse Table with X Legs
• Cheap and Easy DIY Outdoor Chair
• How to Paint a Chippy Farmhouse Dresser with Milk Paint
• How to Hang Decor on Vinyl Siding: The Quick and Easy Way

Want to see more porch decorating ideas? I’ve got loads!

• You can see our huge screened porch from our previous house here. My favorite part of the space is definitely that gorgeous floor!
• If you have a screened-in porch, I have lots of tips for decorating a screened-in porch here along with 17 gorgeous porches to inspire you.
• Want front porch decorating ideas? Check out these 19 front porches full of budget-friendly smart decorating ideas.

I’d love for you to pin this post on Pinterest!