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 objective 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 last item on my thoughts.
I had already strain washed the complete entrance porch space a few weeks in the past and the entrance porch boards have been trying a lot better.
So I deliberate to do just a bit little bit of sanding to take away the roughness left by strain 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 spotted that there was actually no approach I may do only a fast sanding job. I ended up taking approach 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 shade the sanding eliminated.
After the entire thing was sanded, the boards seemed nearly new. Nearly. Right here’s what it seemed like as soon as the entire porch was sanded and swept.
That took me approach longer than the fast 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 obtainable, and studying a ridiculous variety of buyer opinions, I lastly determined to make use of Cabot Australian Timber Oil. I used timber oil the primary time as properly, but it surely was a distinct model. So I’m sticking with what I do know as a result of I used to be fairly proud of timber oil the primary time round.
However the complete time I used to be engaged on this, down on my knees and sanding each board with my 5-inch sander, I used to be considering 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 need to pay that a lot cash for the entrance porch. I needed to do the porch makeover on a finances, so I used cedar. Cedar wasn’t the most cost effective wooden I may 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 bit of extra for it.
However in hindsight, I understand that in terms of outside tasks like porches, decking, and so forth., making an attempt to economize up entrance means you’re caught with a lifetime of upkeep so long as you’ve gotten that porch or deck. Meaning you’ll find yourself paying that cash, but it surely’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 understand that it’s not value it to attempt to save the cash upfront, particularly on outside tasks which have to resist the abuse of the climate and solar all year long. It could have been a lot 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 need 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 now we have our addition constructed, which is able to embrace a deck on the again of the home, I’m going to have that carried out with Trex. And at the moment (or each time this porch must be redone once more), I’m going to have it redone with Trex as properly. And any longer, every other outside tasks will likely be carried out with longevity in thoughts, and never with the objective of spending as little cash as potential on the time.
You probably 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 distinct 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 transform and embellish 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 the vast majority of the work on the home on my own. You can learn more about me here.
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