DIY Wrapped Porch Columns

Looking to enhance your porch’s appearance? Our guide to DIY porch column wrapping provides step-by-step instructions to transform your outdoor space with a touch of elegance and practicality.

As a parent, there are certain things you say you’ll never do, like get your hair cut in the I-want-to-talk-to-your-manager style or start telling your younger, childless friends that they don’t even know what it’s like to be really tired. Well, Alex looked fatherhood in the eye and decided he was going to go all in on every dad stereotype, including caring more about his lawn than most things in life.

For his first fathers day this year literally his only request was to mow the lawn in the morning. As such, his extreme dedication to the yard’s health has spilled over into all elements of curb appeal and we’ve been slowly beautifying our boring exterior.

The front porch ﹘arguably the most important element of curb appeal﹘ needed some love with its peeling green paint, wasp nests and rusted wrought iron railings.

As with most DIYs, one day I just went outside and started unscrewing the railings to see if they’d come off and when they did, we kept going and built out these cute Craftsman style DIY wrapped porch columns.

They make much more of a statement than the old railings did, and give it a fresh, clean look we love.

Here’s how to make your own DIY wrapped porch columns:

Tools & Materials

Note: Some of these measurements and materials will depend on your own beam measurements, but our original skinny beams were 5.5 inches by 5.5 inches, so adjust the measurements if yours are different!

• 1×8 – 3 at 8 feet
• 1×3 – 1 at 8 feet
• Sander
• Exterior quality primer
• Paint (We used a sample size of Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace)
• Paintbrush
• Roller
• Caulk
• Wood glue
• Nail gun

How we did it

First, start by making your cuts.

We wanted the finished beams to go up to the height of where the railing was prior, which was 36 inches. So, we needed the 1×8 pieces to be cut at 35.25 inches so that when the top 1×3 piece (which is 0.75 inches thick) is added, the whole thing is 36 inches tall.

Assuming you’ve got two columns like us, make eight cuts of the 1×8 at 35.25 inches.

Make top piece cuts

This part is a little trickier, especially for us because as it turns out, our columns did not have equal side measurements.

But, you’re going to take your 1×3 and cut at a 45-degree angle with your miter saw, then measure the width of your original skinny beam (for us this was 5.5 inches) and make a second 45-degree cut going the opposite direction so you’ll have a piece that has one short end the same length as your beam, and another side that’s much longer and has pointy edges that will come together like a frame around your beam.

Do this so you’ve got eight total pieces for your two columns.

Assemble the base

Next, take three of your 1×8 pieces and form them into a U-shape with one end of each overlapping the next piece (like the photos below), then use some wood glue and your nail gun to secure them all together. (In the pics you can see I used pocket holes, but learn from my mistake because just using a nail gun would’ve been much easier).

Repeat this for your second beam, then give the U-shape open boxes, the 45-degree cap pieces and the additional two pieces that will make the fourth side of the box a coat of exterior quality primer. We pre-primed so we knew the inside would be as water-resistant as possible.

Attach to your beam

Hold your new U-shaped box around your skinny beam and nail the final fourth piece in place. Make sure that if the box isn’t super snug around your existing beam, that you use shims or a scrap piece of wood space it properly so it’s even around each side.

Nail in the top cap pieces

Next, take one of the top cap pieces and hold it horizontally on top of the new beefier bottom beam part, with the shorter side up lined up against the beam. Nail it in place from the top down into the box pieces you just installed. Repeat that for all the edges, and the 45-degree angles should hopefully line up perfectly.

Evidently we don’t have any photos of us actually attaching these things, but here’s what it’ll look like afterward:

Wood fill, caulk, then prime

Use some wood filler on any nail holes and the vertical seams, and give them a quick sanding when dry. Because these are outside, we also caulked any gaps (like the ones at the 45-degree angles on top) to make sure the whole thing would be as waterproof as possible.

Paint and you’re done!

We used a couple of coats of Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore over both the new thick beams and the old, skinny ones so they matched. Then we stood back and marveled at how much fancier our house looked to passersby. DIY porch column wrapping is a great beginner DIY project.

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