A Mini Porch Repair… Curb Appeal Love!

Not sure if you remember, but back when I shared our DIY BBQ Pad project I mentioned another project that was on our ‘to do’ list. A little porch repair…

We had to wait out the weather (like 3 months worth of waiting!) before we could get started, since staining was involved. Finally, this weekend some good weather lined itself up with our ‘spare’ time, and we were able to get at it.

Here’s a look at the actual repair we needed to make.

The bottom step needed to be replaced, and while we were at it we wanted to restain the porch, too.

Our neighbour caught wind of this project and offered us the use of his power washer. He also gave me a quick lesson on how to use it.

I only power washed the decking, because the boards for the step were being completely replaced.

And then our neighbour lent us his belt sander to finish the job. We have a little sander, but he was convinced his was the better tool to get the job done!

Have I mentioned that we have pretty awesome neighbours?

Before hubs did the sanding he dealt with removing the boards on the step.

The nails were pretty heavy duty, so this was the toughest part of the whole thing, otherwise I would’ve tried to tackle it myself!

While he was doing this part, I stained the underside and edges of the new boards for the step.

I wanted them to have a chance to dry before hubs needed to install them.

Here’s a look at the fully sanded deck-top.

I jumped in and took over the staining at this point. I wanted to give the whole porch a fresh coat of stain before the new boards were nailed down.

Here’s a look at the stain job.

I’m not sure what those streaks are in the photo, because the porch doesn’t actually look streaky to the eye! You can see here that I gave the frame of the step a coat of stain as well.

Once the stain was dry – and trust me, it didn’t take long in the heat – hubs nailed the new boards into place.

And then I finished them off with a couple of coats of stain.

This is the stain we used, which was in the basement when we moved in, and is what our landlord used on all the porches of this home.

Here’s a look back at where we started…

And how the porch looks now.

A quick repair job, and a new coat of stain gives this porch a refreshed look. Another ‘to do’ scratched off the list!

And did you notice the BBQ is out and in full use? Just thought I’d mention that!

What did you do this weekend? Did you play in the sun, or did you tackle a home project, too? If you’re like me, tackling a home project out in the sun is playing in the sun!

You know, it’s the little things such as a mini project like this that make all the difference to your curb appeal, and the statement your home makes. If you look closely you’ll see this porch is not made with treated lumber, and in fact, doesn’t even have a cement pad to sit on. Heck, it’s not even sitting perfectly level. But with the step repaired, and the fresh coat of stain, those aren’t the things you notice. What you see is a little porch that looks loved and cared for. And that is what makes a home feel welcoming, what curb appeal is all about!

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

All Photos by Sheila Zeller

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