Front Porch Welcome Post

This welcome post is such a lovely way decorate for any occasion.
This project is pretty easy, but you do need a few power tools to make it. It consists of a 4x4 cedar fence post, a fence post cap, finial, 2x12 pine board, deck post wood trim, and some corner trim for the base. Fortunately we were able to use scraps we had from other projects.
We started with prepping the post cap. You need to find center and drill a hole that will allow the finial to screw into the top of the post.
Place it on the top of the post and drill through the post a bit to allow the finial to screw in easily.
Cut your 2x12 to a 12x12 square for your base. We notched out an edge to receive the trim. You don't have to add trim, but it makes it a little more decorative. You can see the deck post trim piece here. It comes ready to receive your fence post.
Here is the complete assembled project. Remember to sand your post and base so it will be a nice smooth surface.
We stained the entire post with a dark walnut stain.
After the stain is thoroughly dry, we then painted the post with Waverly Cashew chalk paint. Leaving it stained also is beautiful.
We then sanded the edges to give it a distressed look.
We added a oil rubbed bronze hook to hold different signs for each season. Adding cup hooks at the top and bottom of the back side of the post allows you to add different garland for any season or time of year.
For complete instructions check out Under a Texas Sky.
Under a Texas Sky
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 17 questions
  • Laurie Schaalma Laurie Schaalma on Jul 20, 2018

    Hi,

    Can you tell me which kind of trim you used to go around the 2x12? How did you notch out where the base of the 4x4 is? Thank you

  • Momo s Momo s on Aug 30, 2018

    Why stain it dark to then paint it white. I get that the dark shows when you sand..but why not just stain the areas you plan to sand.

  • Lynn Lynn on Mar 21, 2019

    The post is a 4x4 but can u tell me how tall it is . Thank u

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  • Kelli Kelli on May 24, 2020

    Thank you for this walk-through! I made two posts, one for me and one for my bestie's housewarming. I did a few things differently, such as adding pvc feet to lift it off the ground because we do get heavy rains at times and I caulked the gaps so bugs wouldn't make a home. I also added an eye screw on the the back of the cedar post and anchored it to the wall so the weight of the fern wouldn't pull it over. I used a cedar post on one and treated lumber on the other. I already have plans for another variation for a holiday-style post using carriage bolts instead of hooks. This was such a fun project!

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  • Gale O'Neal Gale O'Neal on Nov 09, 2020

    Beautiful! My "Post" was done with a jug, and dollar store flowers and pumpkins. Maybe next year I will attempt yours.

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