10 Porch Colors That May Inspire You to Paint Yours

The entrance to your home sets the tone for your entire house and gives you an opportunity to let your personality shine. Don’t let a drab, unwelcoming front porch bring everything else down. Instead, transform it with a fresh coat of paint. Take some inspiration from this collection of color ideas for the porch, and then get to work sanding, scraping, and painting. You’ll be amazed at the boost a crisply painted porch will give to your home’s exterior—and your spirits.

White paint never goes out of style. This traditional neutral works well on all parts of a porch and complements a range of house styles. Plus, white provides the perfect backdrop for brightly colored decor, such as vibrantly patterned rugs, ceramic pots, and lively furnishings. 

Related: 9 Simple Porch Ideas to Steal from Real Homes

Red is a wonderful choice if you’re looking to make a statement. To incorporate this strong color, apply it to key elements of your porch—the floor, ceiling, or front door—and use a neutral tone everywhere else for optimal contrast.

Sky blue is a great option for homeowners who want their porch to blend in with the outdoors. This look is especially popular in the South, where the Gullah people, enslaved Africans and their descendants in Georgia and South Carolina, used this blue shade on porch ceilings. They believed that evil spirits could not cross water and that this watery blue, known as “haint blue,” could drive them away. Keep the tradition alive today in honor of your ancestors or merely for its beauty. Just imagine looking up and always seeing this calming blue “sky,” even on a cloudy day.

This timeless combination is a stunning choice for the front porch. Try white balusters with black railings or a white floor with a bold black ceiling. Consider incorporating a striped or geometric pattern on the floor or ceiling for a distinctive look.

Related: 10 of the Best Porch Swings You Can Buy on a Budget

This nautical hue works especially well with Cape Cod- or Craftsman-style homes. Use white on some elements of the porch to make the blue really stand out.

A lovely mixture of green, blue, and gray, seafoam green will brighten your front porch and promote a “staycation” vibe at any time of the year. If you’re feeling extra daring, paint your front door coral and watch it pop against the seafoam green.

A wooden front porch, stained in a rich dark brown, is a classic, and for good reason. Add a touch of elegance by using the same dark brown stain on the balusters, front door, and wood floors.

Choose a solid color for your porch floor then use stencils to mimic the look of tile. Your neighbors will be surprised to discover that it’s not an expensive renovation—just paint! This look works especially well when you use white for the stencil color.

Related: 6 Steps to a Budget-Friendly Porch Makeover

Gray is an easy shade to live with, and it bestows a sense of calm on outdoor spaces. If your home skews traditional, stick with a solid shade of gray, but if you’re up for a little playful artistry, try stripes or ombré.

For particularly striking porch stairs, use complementary hues on the steps and risers. For instance, paint the risers white and the steps the same shade as the porch floor, or amp it up with a bold pattern on the risers.