Done: Paint Our Mid-Century Ranch

What will probably be our biggest home improvement project of the year has finally wrapped up: We got the place painted. I've got photos to share, but please consider these the awkward teenage years. There are still some details to be finished, like installing a new Crestview Door in the front, replacing the mailbox, new house numbers and light fixtures, etc. But I was too excited not to share.

We kept the main color, white, but had it touched up where needed. We definitely based our color choice for the trim and doors on authentic mid-century ranch exterior paint colors. The trim in Behr Antique Tin gray. We went with gray because it fits perfectly into a mid-century modern color palette. And the dark looks really nice next to the white.

The carport was originally painted at a different time than the house (I'm guessing), the two were slightly off in color. It needed a couple of coats, but now they match perfectly.

We also went a step beyond the original paint job, which just had color on the front of the house. We painted all of the window frames, which is a lot on a mid-century ranch.

For the doors, we wanted a pop. There are plenty of mid-century modern paint colors that pop, but we finally landed on Behr Tropical Tide.

We had all the railings painted black. They used to be a mixture of green and black. And a little rust. But we had them sanded, rust-proofed and painted all the same color.

It's funny what a little (or in this case a lot) of paint can do. When I drive up to my house, I smile every time now. Plus, it feels good to be able to check a couple things off of our to-do list.

If you don't remember, here's what the place used to look like. Nice, but not as nice.