113K Views
Redoing a Front Porch
by
Kendall K.
(IC: homeowner)
After doing the back of our house the previous year, we decided to do our front porch in 2014. This is phase 2 of our 6 (maybe 7) phase exterior renovation. We do 1-2 phases per year so we have the winter to save up for the next phase.
First I took a hammer and smacked off the broken thin coat on the sides of the concrete...which was actually a lot of fun!
I decided to try a technique called Water Staining on the concrete. You have to do an acid wash as prep then neutralize with a baking soda rinse. Once dry and you've taped off the area, you spray on the color(s) you've chosen.
I gave up trying to protect the siding etc because I knew they were being replaced.
Don't forget the sides!
After its dried for a few hours you seal it. I would suggest hiring someone to clear coat it. It needs to be very thin and unless you've got a proper sprayer and experience, you're going to put it on too thick!
It was also made a lot easier by taking all the railings off first!
While Mark was "fixing" my sealing job, I painted all the wood for the porch. I painted the railings, handrails, posts, balusters, brackets and the cap and finial.
The balusters and brackets are from Olympia Washington and the cap and finial are from Fargo, North Dakota
Now it's all coming together!
Because we wanted to do the siding and front door at the same time, it would have to wait until the following year. If we would have a funny looking house for a bit we decided to put in the front garden and trees to make it bearable..but that's another story..
Enjoyed the project?
Published November 27th, 2016 4:06 PM
Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 33 comments
-
Kendall K. on Dec 09, 2016Nope not slick at all. But it's not a smooth surface.
-
-
Happy Days Hometalker on Apr 18, 2019
Such a delight to look at it ! Great job !
-
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?