We had extra beautiful climate this weekend, so I made a decision to make the most of it to do extra work on the porch. My foremost purpose proper now could be to get the porch boards stained and sealed earlier than my studio cupboards arrive on Wednesday. As soon as these cupboards arrive, my entrance porch would be the final thing on my thoughts.
I had already stress washed your entire entrance porch space a few weeks in the past and the entrance porch boards have been trying significantly better.
So I deliberate to do just a bit little bit of sanding to take away the roughness left by stress washing, after which transfer on to sealing the boards. However as soon as I began sanding, the colour of the boards began altering fairly drastically.
I noticed that there was actually no means I might do only a fast sanding job. I ended up taking means longer than I had anticipated, and doing a way more thorough sanding job than I had initially thought the porch wanted. I used to be fairly amazed at how a lot colour the sanding eliminated.
After the entire thing was sanded, the boards regarded nearly new. Virtually. Right here’s what it regarded like as soon as the entire porch was sanded and swept.
That took me means longer than the short sanding I had deliberate to do, so I didn’t get the stain/sealer on the porch but. However after researching the potential deck stains and sealers accessible, and studying a ridiculous variety of buyer evaluations, I lastly determined to make use of Cabot Australian Timber Oil. I used timber oil the primary time as properly, nevertheless it was a special model. So I’m sticking with what I do know as a result of I used to be fairly pleased with timber oil the primary time round.
However your entire time I used to be engaged on this, down on my knees and sanding every board with my 5-inch sander, I used to be pondering that my largest mistake on this porch was utilizing actual wooden for the precise porch boards and never spending the additional cash for Trex or one thing related.
And why did I not use Trex the primary time? The associated fee. I didn’t wish to pay that a lot cash for the entrance porch. I wished to do the porch makeover on a funds, so I used cedar. Cedar wasn’t the most cost effective wooden I might have used. I did select cedar as a result of it’s a really weather-resistant wooden, so I used to be okay paying a little bit extra for it.
However in hindsight, I notice that in terms of out of doors tasks like porches, decking, and so on., making an attempt to save cash up entrance means you’re caught with a lifetime of upkeep so long as you’ve got that porch or deck. Meaning you’ll find yourself paying that cash, nevertheless it’ll be unfold out through the years. And along with the cash, you’ll additionally both need to spend hours and hours of your time doing the required upkeep, otherwise you’ll need to pay further cash to have somebody ese do the upkeep.
I’ve come to comprehend that it’s not price it to attempt to save the cash upfront, particularly on out of doors tasks which have to resist the abuse of the climate and solar all year long. It could have been significantly better to spend the additional cash upfront, after which simply to have the ability to benefit from the entrance porch with out having to fret about continuous upkeep.
In order that helped me determine how I wish to deal with issues just like the wooden on the columns that has separated on the joints, and this space on the skirting that’s actually spongy.
For now, I’m not changing something. I’m going to make use of wooden hardener on the spongy wooden, and wooden filler and caulk on the non-spongy areas that want consideration, and I’m going to color them. And naturally, I’m going to re-seal the porch boards now that it’s all sanded and prepared for stain and sealer.
However that is the final time I’m going to do that. When we have now our addition constructed, which is able to embody a deck on the again of the home, I’m going to have that accomplished with Trex. And at the moment (or at any time when this porch must be redone once more), I’m going to have it redone with Trex as properly. And any further, every other out of doors tasks will likely be accomplished with longevity in thoughts, and never with the purpose of spending as little cash as potential on the time.
In case you have a Trex porch or deck, I’d like to know what you consider it! The corporate claims that it requires actually zero upkeep. Has that been your expertise? Or when you have a special model of no-maintenance composite deck boards, I’d love to listen to about these as properly.
Addicted 2 Adorning is the place I share my DIY and adorning journey as I rework and adorn the 1948 fixer higher that my husband, Matt, and I purchased in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do bodily work, so I do nearly all of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
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