One of the nicest places to just hang around in is your very own porch. However, porch maintenance is not always a breeze. Unless yours have a closed-in design, the porch gets a lot of beating from the elements. Also, most porches are not attached to the main foundation of the house and are only supported by a landing place of bricks or blocks that settles over time and eventually causes the porch to collapse.
Here are the steps to perform basic front porch repairs:
1. Take out all the floorboards, making sure not to cause damage to the supporting joists below.
2. On one side of the foundation, remove one foundation block by cutting out the mortar around it. Take a new block. Spread cement mortar and sand mix over its edges and tap it into the foundation evenly. Clean out the extra mortar around the block and make new lines of mortar so that the block matches the existing foundation.
3. To this new block, add a front cover made of stainless steel mesh to let air circulate well underneath the porch. Cut the screen so it fits the block tightly. Attach to the mortar line by tapping it in with a trowel.
4. With a nail gun, attach new lumber beams to the existing joists. The new joist should be a quarter of an inch elevated at the house end.
5. Install the subfloor, positioning the joist and cross joist at right angles to each other. Start laying the floor from the outside, allowing 16 inches of space in between cross joists.
6. Install the tongue-and-groove boards perpendicular to the cross joists. Put some construction adhesive to reinforce bonding.
7. When the floor is complete, place a temporary wooden edge to the porch to guide you and protect the porch as you saw off the uneven floor ends. Paint your finished porch.
Replacement Ideas
Sometimes, quick front porch repairs are not enough and replacement of components become called necessary. For the frame, consider replacing rotten or insect-damaged wood frames with pressure-treated lumber, which can ward off termites and wood decay. This new system will last you for many years.
When it comes to wooden floorboards, these could suffer from wood rot during the damp cold months. When summer comes, they easily crack when exposed to the sun. Replace the boards with composite deck material, which doesn’t crack and decay and is virtually maintenance-free.
You can also upgrade wood railings, columns, and other parts of your porch with high-density urethane components, which are reinforced with steel for durability. Plus, they never need repainting.
Need Help with Front Porch Repairs?
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Tags: Front Porch Repairs
