The weather was even better this weekend, so I decided to take advantage of it and get some more work done on the porch. My front porch will be the last thing on my mind when those cabinets arrive.
I had the entire front porch area pressure washed a few weeks ago, so the front porch boards looked much better.
So I decided to sand down a little bit of the roughness left by the pressure washing and then seal the board. However, once I started sanding, the color of the board started to change quite dramatically.
I realized that a quick sanding was never going to do it. It ended up taking longer than expected and a much more thorough sanding job than I originally thought the porch would require. I was quite surprised at how much color came off with sanding.
The board looked almost new after the whole thing was sanded. largelyAfter sanding and cleaning the entire pouch, it looks like this:
I hadn’t applied the stain/sealer to the porch yet as it took longer than the simple sanding I had planned. After reading up on it, I finally decided to use Cabot Australian Timber Oil. I was happy with wood oils for the first time, so I’m sticking with what I know.
But the whole time I was working on this I was on my knees sanding all the boards with a 5 inch sander, but the biggest mistake I made with this porch was using real wood for the actual porch boards and Trex Or extra money for something similar.
And why didn’t you use Trex in the first place? Cost. I didn’t want to pay that much for a front porch. I wanted to redecorate my balcony on a budget, so I used cedar. Cedar was not the cheapest wood I could use. Cedar is very weather resistant, so we paid a little more for it.
But in hindsight, when it comes to outdoor projects like porches and decks, trying to save money up front means you’ll be stuck with maintenance for as long as you have that porch or deck. So you end up paying that money, but it’s spread out over the years. you have to pay extra money for it.
I’ve found that it’s not worth trying to save money upfront, especially with outdoor projects that have to withstand weather and sun abuse year-round. It would be much better if you could enjoy the front porch.
So it helped me decide what to do with things like the timbers on the columns that separated at the joints, and this area on the skirting boards that was literally spongy.
I haven’t replaced anything so far. Use wood hardener on spongy wood, wood filler and caulk on non-spongy areas that need attention, and paint them. And of course, now that the porch board is all sanded and ready for the stain and sealer, it’s time to reseal the porch board.
But this is the last time we do this. Once I’m done with the extra building including the deck behind the house, I’ll finish it off with Trex. outdoor projects are done with longevity in mind rather than the goal of spending as little as possible at the time.
If you own a Trex porch or deck, we would love to hear what you think! The company claims that it is literally maintenance free. was that your experience? Or, if you have another brand of maintenance free composite deck board, we’d love to hear about them too.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where my husband Matt and I share our DIY and decorating journeys as we modify and decorate a 1948 Fixer upper that I bought in 2013. Do the housework yourself. You can find out more about me here.
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