Welcome back to the weekly update on the fall One Room Challenge! This week, I’m sharing all about our paint partner, Clare. Clare generously provided exterior paint and supplies for this project, however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Project Progress Update

The porch reconfiguration, framing, and stair installation for the porch are complete. The last step before installing the screen is painting the wood elements!

Why Clare

I am super happy with the Clare products we used in our first One Room Challenge, so Clare was the first company I shared our fall challenge plans with. The team at Clare happily offered to partner with us on this project and I was so happy! They recently(ish) added exterior paint to their lineup of paint offerings. The same beautiful colors, now formulated for the outdoors!

Here’s a few reasons I chose Clare for our first ORC, and why I will keep choosing Clare for our paint projects going forward!

• designer-curated colors that leave you with plenty of options, but not so many that you’re overwhelmed
• Zero VOC interior paint and ultra-low VOC exterior paint
• Greenguard Gold certified
• Enviromentally conscious brand with a focus on sustainability
• Super easy process from swatch ordering to paint delivery and application

Clare Exterior Paint – Decisions, Decisions

Just like our first project, I had a color palette in mind for this space. I knew we wanted to keep the framing dark because it felt easier to maintain and coordinated with the existing ceiling panelling that we are keeping.

The swatches are an important step, even if you think you know what color you want to use! I had my heart set on Blackish before seeing the swatches in real life. Paint can look a bit different when it is in your space, and this is especially true for outdoor paint that is subject to harsh light.

Once we received swatches, I felt Blackish was a bit deeper than we wanted and was a bit more contrasty than Coffee Date next the the flagstone and fireplace stone. Coffee Date is our final pick!

We are also going to update the exterior door paint and window trim to Timeless for a crisp, clean look.

Clare’s exterior paint is made to withstand the outdoor elements, is self-priming, and is delightful to apply. Seriously. Top notch coverage. We did two coats on the framing elements, and if we were feeling suuuuper lazy probably could have gotten away with just one.

It comes in two finishes – siding (eggshell) and trim (semi-gloss) – to cover all your bases. We used the siding paint for the framing and stairs, while the door and window trim is the trim paint.

Wrapping up Week Three

I’m leaving y’all with a bit of suspense on this post. Paint has been opened and application started, but I want to save the reveal for the final post! Don’t forget to go over to the main ORC Blog to see all the participants week three updates! PS – if you look closely, you might see a hint for another project sponsor that will be featured in an upcoming blog post! I can’t wait to get the design elements going in the project!

Fall 2022 One Room Challenge Hub

Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6 / Week 7 / Week 8

My husband and I are updating our back porch to a cozy, family-friendly screened-in area! We are updating the porch layout, repainting the new framing, installing the screened-in elements and a screened door, replacing fixtures, and updating the decor to better flow with the interior of our home.

You can learn all about the bi-annual One Room Challenge here, and see all guest participants projects here! Happy DIY-ing!