Last week, I let you in on our secret of how bad the exterior paint really was.
It looked fine from afar:
But up close, it was shabby to say the least.
Something needed to be done before our weekly Sunday afternoon BBQ guests started skipping our BBQ for one without manky paint. That’s right, it wouldn’t be my cooking, or our dirt patch of a yard that would drive them away, it would be the PAINT!
I got off my daybed, put my drink away, and got started. I wire brushed the loose paint, re-caulked and spot primed the problem areas with a good coat of Zinnser primer.
Now it was time to choose a paint colour.
I hit Pinterest, and my Storefront Exterior Board for some inspiration:
Follow Kristen’s board Storefront Exterior Inspiration on Pinterest.
I liked the idea of doing a lighter body color, and a darker trim. Something that would also blend in to the electrical & cable boxes plaguing the back of the storefront.

A cable box, the electrical box for the a/c unit, and a myriad of cables & wires litter the back of the storefront
This is my inspiration:
Photo via artandchic.blogspot.it
I broke out the left over paint from the front of the Storefront, Cracked Pepper in Satin, and did a test patch on the trim.
I liked it! AND it meant I didn’t have to buy new paint for the trim.
Now for the body color. We hemmed and hawed on light grays and I narrowed it down to two: Silver Screen or Pewter Mug.
I bought a can of Pewter Mug Behr Premium Plus Ultra from Home Depot, and headed home. I started painting, stepped back, and realized it was way way too light. Oops.
So down to the basement I went, and scoured through our selection of medium gray paint. I grabbed a can of Anonymous (from our master bedroom), and headed back outside to see how it looked on the wall.
A few brush strokes later, and we realized a darker gray was a much better choice.
Back to the store we went, and had a can of Behr Anonymous mixed up.
I cant wait to show you how it all turned out, but I have a bit more work to do before then.
In the meantime, I am on the hunt for two new exterior lights.
I want a couple large barn lights. I love these from Home Depot (and their 12″ size) but $218 each is out of my price range. Sad face.
I need something closer to the $50 price range.
Any suggestions on inexpensive outdoor barn lights?
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