Why I Painted My Porch Ceiling Black Instead Of Blue

Blue Porch Ceilings | Myth Or Fact?

Is it a myth or fact? Some will argue the point to be true but I did a little research on this subject and here’s what I found.

1. Gullah folklore believed that ghosts also known as “haints” (also pronounced “haunts”) couldn’t cross water and because the blue resembles water, ceilings were painted this color to keep evil spirits from entering. This beautiful shade of blue is known as haint blue today.
2. This same blue color is also believed to keep away insects such as wasps or bugs. Back in the day, the paint was mixed with lye, a natural insecticide. So, I guess there is some truth to that.
3. Blue paint when used to paint the porch ceilings also was believed to keep birds or other pests from building nests. The theory was that birds would mistake the blue for the sky and take their nest-building skills somewhere else. No momma bird in her right mind would put her little tweets in danger of falling from the sky.

My in-laws painted their porch ceilings (front and back) this color and it was beautiful, however, it did not solve her bird nesting issues. She might as well have painted the ceiling brown. Maybe the mud nests from the swallows would have just blended in. They are in Central Texas and nothing seems to distract them.

Plan Out A Color Scheme | Front Porch Ceiling Painted Black

While painting your front porch ceiling blue can most certainly create a calming airy feel, before you jump into this southern tradition, consider a few things.

Do you love a blue accent color?

Does it complement the exterior of your home?

But if you do decide on the haint blue color and later decide it’s not for you, you can always repaint it.

Consider Adding A Ceiling Fan

Here in the southern states, we LOVE our ceiling fans. This porch had three! But they had all seen better days so we chose to update them with a more modern ceiling-hugging version to complement the dark ceiling.

If you have an outdoor space that you spend a lot of time in, consider adding one. Ceiling fans have really evolved over the last few years. I’ve always hated the ugly globes not to mention how they seem to attract dirt overnight. The ones we chose to replace these with are modern, stylish, and really complement our outdoor space.

Clean And Make Repairs Before Painting

The exterior of our porch is all wood so before painting it with a fresh coat of paint, we power washed it to remove all the dirt, grime, and more than a few dirt dauber nests and allowed it to dry overnight.

Challenges When Painting Exterior Wood

Painting the wood ceiling and walls was a bit of a challenge. The wood on the porch as well as the wood tongue and groove siding had been stained with an oil-based stain previously but it had been over 20 years since then. My painter and I agreed it would be best to use an oil-based primer before painting over the stain on the wood under the porch.

Normally this isn’t the case if you’re simply painting over an already-painted wall and or ceiling as long as it’s a water-based paint. But you should always do the research to be sure. Follow these three steps and you’ll be amazed at what a little elbow grease can do.

1: clean and repair

2: primer stain blocker

3: paint

New House Numbers

These are my all-time favorite floating modern house numbers. I replaced the small gold house numbers with these larger ones. These are the same style I used to make a plaque to display our address at our previous home. CLICK HERE to learn how to make a house number sign with curb appeal.

Bringing The Indoors Out

Our side porch leads to that dining room and we chose to use the same color scheme to bring the indoors out. We love the continuous flow and now our guests have a choice to dine in or dine out.

The Colors We Chose

Sherwin Williams Alabaster (white paint) was used on the tongue and groove walls with the ceiling painted in Sherwin Williams Iron Ore. We also painted the front door to match the ceiling using a satin sheen.

This past Spring we did a major upgrade with paint inside this ranch home fixer-upper. Yes, I painted wood but not all of it. Come see!

CLICK HERE to take the tour to see everything we did.

The stainless steel sink came with the house so I cleaned and scrubbed it up and painted the legs black to add a more modern feel. It’s a great place to wash up after gardening and even better to use while cooking out on the grill or smoker.

It’s so nice not to have to go inside to wash up or grab a quick drink of water on those hot Summer days.