Porch Love

Photo credits: Sonja Lovas via flicker(l) ; apartment therapy (c); Doug Garner via flicker(r)

 

Photo credits: Canadian House & Home (l); Martha Stewart (r)

I am definitely a porch person.  I mean, what's better than  chilling out on a porch on a hot summer day?  Exactly!  An outdoor front porch was a must-have on my house hunting list.  No boxed in porches for me thank you very much.

And on any given evening  you are likely to find me out on my  porch  reading with a  cold beverage and eating some variety of cheese (probably Havarti).

Ah, but if only my porch looked like the pretty ones  above.  Sadly my porch was looking more shabby without the chic.

"Before -  Ugggly!"

I had recently ripped up the filthy carpet to discover a battered mess of ugly green chippy paint.  This porch would have  to  be seriously sanded  before I could even think about painting.












   Step #1:    before sanding,  I  gave the whole porch a good power wash and scrubbing with my hose and TSP (trisodium phosphate) which is great for  getting off grease and serious dirt.

After the big scrub down,  I let the porch dry for 24 hours then I was off to  The Home Depot to rent my sander and get er' done.   Now have I used a belt sander before?  No.  But how hard could it be?   Plus, thanks to  youtube you can learn  how to do absolutely anything by watching a video. 

For a mere $28.00  plus the cost of  belt sandpaper (60, 80 & 100 grit) , I picked up  a 24 hour rental on one of their standard  belt sanders.   There I was, first time  in the tool  rental department surrounded by a sea of men all covered in  paint and drywall dust.   When it was my turn at the counter I was  actually too embarrassed  to ask the guy how  to  use the thing.

 Again, thanks   youvtube , specifically you Kevin at Expert Village for your step by steps on belt sander threading!  Belt Sander Tutorial.

 Step #2:  With my dust mask on (actually it was a bandanna), I spent the next hour  on my knees moving the belt sander in circular motions up and down the grain, all while applying pressure to keep it from taking off or kicking back. IT'S HARD WORK!

When my knees tired, I made the big mistake of  sanding standing up but bent over in  a back breaking  inverted V  position.



So what did I learn for next time?  Four simple words:   walk-behind  orbital sander! 

Step #3:   Finally, I chose a latex paint specifically made for porches  and decks.  I thought the colour would be more beige grey,  but in fact it's more off- white.   And after two coats over two days I was done. 

"After"

So it's far from perfect but it  looks much better than before.  All that's missing now is a  cold  Mint Julep (I've never had one but it sounds appropriate)  and a nice plate of cheese.

Photo Credits &  links:
 Sonia Lovas via Flicker
http://flic.kr/p/79R15s 
Doug Garner via Flicker
http://flic.kr/p/5Cov29

apartment therapy:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/dc/my-great-outdoors-2009/my-great-outdoors-carma358s-front-porch-087703
Candian House & Home
http://houseandhome.comhttp://houseandhome.com/