Front Porch Railing: Remove It or Repair It?

Entrance porch railing — some owners adore it, some hate it, and a few completely want it.  

This railing could make your entrance porch really feel cozy or claustrophobic. Whether or not or not you want it’s as much as you and your fashion.

What are the Elements in Entrance Porch Railing?

A entrance porch railing has 4 fundamental elements: posts, a prime rail, a backside (base) rail and balusters. 

The posts are the thickest vertical planks of wooden that maintain your horizontal prime and backside rails. 

The balusters are the vertical slats of wooden between the highest and backside rails.

Eradicating Railing

In case your entrance porch railing appears extra like confinement than a retreat, you’ll be able to take away it to have a transparent and open view of your yard. 

Additionally, in case your railing is rotting, that’s much more cause to eliminate it. The most typical trigger for a rail to rot is the underside of the railing not being painted whereas it’s being constructed.

Regardless that the bottoms of the balusters aren’t seen, it’s nonetheless important to color them. The unpainted wooden will take in water like a paper towel and speed up rot.

Additionally, if the railing is made with untreated wooden, this might additional speed up rotting.

First, you’ll want a mallet or hammer. Knock out the balusters down one after the other, after which take away the highest and backside railings.  

After eradicating the entrance porch railing, apply putty and sand the columns so it’s like they had been by no means there, to start with.

This railing was simpler to take away as a result of the bottom railing was a couple of inches off of the bottom. If you happen to don’t have a base railing and your balusters are embedded within the concrete, you’ll must get a utility knife to dig out the wooden railing inside the concrete, then patch the outlet with a concrete patcher. 

Restore Entrance Porch Railing

One factor to contemplate in case you are fascinated by eradicating entrance porch railing is security. Does the railing maintain kids out of hurt’s means?

If security is your concern, it’s essential to be certain your rails are useful. The aim of entrance porch railing is to be held onto, so it ought to be capable to maintain your weight.

Additionally, what in the event you want it sooner or later?

Now greater than ever, persons are needing to age in place, so will this railing be helpful in a while? Or, do you’ve got an getting older relative who could possibly be residing with you someday sooner or later?

Hold railing top in thoughts. To be compliant with the American Disabilities Act, the entrance porch railing have to be 34-38 inches excessive.

If you wish to maintain the railing for these causes however it’s in dangerous situation, you’ll be able to restore it.

Create two plywood types and clamp them on the highest and backside of the rail. Then, use a plastic putty knife, and apply auto physique filler to the entrance of the rail. Paint the types to match your railing.

Watch ‘Tip for Repairing Broken Porch Railing‘ right here.

Different Methods to Add Entrance Porch Curb Enchantment

Whether or not you determine to ditch the railing or maintain it for security causes, there are extra methods so as to add some curb enchantment to your entrance porch.

Change up the colour scheme. A brand new paint coloration can elevate your own home’s exterior. Paint shutters and the entrance door for a punch of recent coloration.  

If the concrete flooring of your porch is wanting slightly uninteresting, add some character to it with a paint stencil. Watch ‘Find out how to Stencil a Sample on a Concrete Porch‘ to discover ways to do it.

Lastly, change overgrown shrubs with decrease vegetation unfold out in a bigger mattress to cowl a wider space.

Watch the video above to see what a distinction these adjustments make!

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