/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65891648/colorful_carpet_promo.7.jpg)
Stylish outdoor living calls for fresh thinking, and Brian Carter, a decorative painter in Atlanta, knows just where to focus when a front porch, a screened porch, or a sunroom is at play. "Since more thought is going into furnishings and accessories," he says, "why not look to the floor as a surface that can be treated decoratively too?"
Carter, the mastermind behind the porch-floor design in this story (and the others linked below), says keys to a great paint job include dry, pollen-free weather; paints and stains geared for use on floors; and a soft color palette.
Take the Colorful Carpet design here and on the preceding pages. Warm gray is the backdrop for a modern chain-link design filled with patches of pale orange, blue, and green. Carter used a single template and worked freehand—and, yes, his legs did get sore. "Be sure, each time you sit, to switch them from one side to the other," he says.
Shown: Benjamin Moore's floor and patio latex enamel paint in Copley Gray HC-104 (base coat), Palace White OC-100, Orange Blossom 2168-30, Whipple Blue HC-152, and Georgian Green HC-115.
Download and print out the template here.
Step 1
Prime the Concrete
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617036/01_painted_colorful.jpg)
Prime the concrete, apply the base coat, and let it dry at least 24 hours. Starting at the center, use chalk and a ruler to measure equidistant dotted lines the length of the porch. Here, they were spaced 12 inches apart.
Step 2
Create a Template
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617037/02_painted_colorful.jpg)
Create a template using heavy paper or posterboard. The one used here was a 10-by-16-inch rectangle with a 3-by-12-inch patch cut out of its center and 3-by-10-inch tabs at each end. Starting in one corner, align the center of the template with the chalk line, and trace it with chalk.
Tip: To make sure the pattern is the right scale for your porch, draw it on paper, make a dozen photocopies, and arrange them on the floor. Often, larger is better.
Step 3
Move the Template and Repeat
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617038/03_painted_colorful.jpg)
Move the template up, and continue along the length of the floor. Repeat along every other chalk line.
Step 4
Stagger the Template Pattern
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617040/04_painted_colorful.jpg)
Along the remaining lines, stagger the template by aligning the center cutout with the tabs to its left and right, as shown. Trace the template with chalk and continue.
Step 5
Paint the Template Borders
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617041/05_painted_colorful.jpg)
Using a 1-inch flat artist's brush, fill in the tabs and borders with a lighter shade. Let the paint dry.
Step 6
Mark Out the Colors in the Squares
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617042/06_painted_colorful.jpg)
Decide which cutouts will be, say, orange and mark them with an O in chalk. Using the same brush, fill them in, leaving a ribbon of base coat about ½ inch wide around the colored patch.
Step 7
Paint Inside the Squares
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/19617043/07_painted_colorful.jpg)
Alternate two other colors in the remaining squares. Allow the paint to cure for two days, and remove any stray chalk lines with a damp sponge.