The Front Stoop Renovation

We hated the terracotta tile color, and our intention is to have a mason create a new porch and steps with flagstone. It's on the list of things to do, but it's pretty far down on that list. A quick fix is to just paint it. I used Gator Grip that I got at a local Benjamin Moore store. GATOR GRIP is a single-component, COMMERCIAL DUTY, LOW V.O.C, LOW ODOR pigmented acrylic coating. Based on Nano Technology, GATOR GRIP demonstrates outstanding adhesion to a wide range of substrates, including most coatings. GATOR GRIP incorporates a chemical curing mechanism that achieves fast initial water resistance and curing, and continues to harden and cure for 7-10 days after application to give a harder, tougher finish and more marking resistance than conventional water-based coatings and even most solvent-based sealers.

I had it color matched to the house trim and added non skid sand to it so it isn't slippery. I think this will be perfectly fine for now.

I also added a beautiful light from Rejuvenation.com.

WILDWOOD SEMI-FLUSH MOUNT Arts and Crafts Semi Flush Fixture with an opal acorn shade.

From Rejuvenation: 

The Wildwood Semi-Flush Mount fixture adds a lovely Arts & Crafts touch to any room by gracing the ceiling with a trefoil canopy cast from a hand-carved mold.

When we first decided to reproduce this family of Arts & Crafts fixtures, we tried to duplicate the detailed design using 3-D computer modeling. Not surprisingly, the software wasn't subtle enough to get the deep grooves, beveled edges, and natural curves we wanted. So we turned to a time-tested method we knew would work: making them by hand.

There are some touch-ups that need to happen to the exterior. At some point, these shingles were painted white. One of the previous owners had the paint stripped, but there is still some white paint stuck in some of the cracks. There is also some wood filler that the stain didn't take to. I'm using high-end acrylic paint and mixing matching colors to paint over the old paint and wood filler to perfectly match the stained wood. Below are a couple of examples. I'm slowly making my way around the entire house and doing touch-ups.

You can see in the above pics that the new columns have been stained. Because the cypress is new wood, they are way lighter than the rest of the beams, and they just don't look finished.

First, I took a stainable caulk and filled every crack and gap in the columns. Then I used silicone around the base. My goal was to make them completely watertight. Then I used a gel stain and glazed both columns. After that dried, 3 coats of Modern Masters Matte Clear Coat were applied.

As you can see in the photos below, they turned out great. They match the house perfectly now and look as though they have always been there.