Porch Project: Final Reveal!

I am relieved to report the porch stencil project is finally finished!  Just in the nick of time as Hurricane Sandy bears down on DC.

All in all, I love it!  I especially love the way the stair stencilwork adds a pop of color and interest to the front of the house.  

Here are my thoughts and tips to those interested in painting your porch/patio/steps:

1. Do this project in the summer, or early fall/late spring.  I ran into time constraints with colder temperatures and waning daylight.  Also, we were hit with a lot of fall rain which hindered my progress. 
2. Buy your stencil brushes from the stencil company!  They are hard to find in stores... and buy extra since they tend to fall apart/get stray 'whiskers' after prolonged use. 
3. Consider your paint colors carefully.  While I love the colors used in the stencils themselves, I wish I had used a base layer that better matched the house instead of the bright white.  Maybe a light tan? 
4. Consider the quality of the surface of concrete... I don't think I would have done anything differently, but it's worth considering applying a new surface of concrete or doing a better job patching holes and cracks in the surface.  From afar, the quality isn't terribly affected, but the paint doesn't mask the holes and other concrete issues.  
5. For those with low attention spans or limited time, consider doing a 'rug' design stencil on the main floor -- this will eliminate having to cover the small/odd shapes of the obstructions in the border of the layout (railings, columns, etc.).  Also, consider doing a solid color stencil.  While less vibrant, this will enable you to use a roller for application, drastically speeding up the process.  I should note that I'm quite happy with my choice to buy the professional, larger size stencil template. 

Good luck!