How To Update Front Porch Post Column

Do you have an old or dated metal porch post? Do you want to replace your porch pillar to make it look more modern? In this post, I’ll show you ideas on how to improve your home’s curb appeal by updating your front porch column.

Our ranch home was built in the 50’s. While I love the curb appeal of our home, I hate the grape-style wrought-iron column. LOL. It’s an eye sore and it’s hard to miss it.

It’s original to the house and it’s starting to rust. When we moved in, the column was painted white. After I removed the shutters and painted the window trim black, I decided to paint the column as well to match the trim. It looked better than it was but I still don’t like it.

The wrought-iron post reminds me of houses I saw in Louisiana and Charleston. It doesn’t fit with our midcentury-modern house style. Hubby finally agreed to update it and I was so thrilled 🙂

I’ve seen videos on YouTube and HGTV about wrapping the post with wood. This is an affordable way of updating the post without replacing it. However, hubby does not like the idea because the wood may rot or split in the long run.

We are not professional DIYers or very handy people. We hire a contractor to renovate or repair broken things around the house. My husband said he would rather work more hours and pay a contractor to get the job done right.

If your front porch column is load-bearing, then I highly recommend hiring a professional to replace it. Unless you are a pro-DIYer 🙂 and you want to save money by doing it yourself.

Front Porch Column Ideas

Replace the existing metal column with a cedar post.
Remove and replace the existing metal column with a PVC wrap or fiberglass.
Wrap the post with wood (e.g. 1×6) tutorial here.

We chose the second option which is to replace the column and wrap it with using a PVC column wrap. The main reason is that PVC wrap is known for its durability, weather resistance, and maintenance-free (aside from occasional cleaning).

What is versawrap? According to their website. “The unique design of the VERSAWRAP column wrap line features pre-mitered grooves and friction fit joints. The joints are interlocking with a unique design to allow for easy alignment and additional surface area for bonding. Plus, similar to our one-piece corners, there are no seams exposed that can collect dust and dirt after installing your column wrap”.

I want the post to look like a midcentury-modern home so I searched on Pinterest for ideas. I found an MCM home with two front columns and another home with multiple columns. If money was not an issue, I would’ve preferred to have 3 columns. But to save money, we went with two instead.

How To Replace Porch Column

Install a temporary brace to support the roof because it’s a load-bearing column.
Remove the existing column.
Install the 6×6 wood (we used 2) and use brackets/screws to secure them in place. Then remove the temporary brace.
Cut the hollow PVC wrap to the desired length and attach the top part to the column. Caulk the base and the top for a finished look.
Paint if desired.

For the step-by-step video tutorial using versawrap watch it here.

The entire project took about 4 hours.

If I were, to be honest with you, I did not like how our contractor did not give an allowance for the PVC wrap. One of the columns sticks out a little bit. It’s a little annoying but there’s nothing I can do to fix that issue.

Overall, I am pleased with how the new columns turned out. Our front porch looks so different with wrought iron being gone. I couldn’t wait to paint them black because the white looks more traditional than modern.

Hubby told me to wait until spring before painting them black. But I am stubborn and decided to paint it the next day 🙂 And I’m so glad I did! Black looks way better than white, in my opinion. It also matches with the window trim.

I can’t believe how different our front porch looks because of the updated columns. I can’t stop looking at them. I also love that it looks different than any other columns in the neighborhood. It makes our house stand out and it ties in with our midcentury-modern style.

A couple of months later, we noticed that our gutters were all rusted and had holes. We got an estimate from a contractor and replaced our gutters. We went with black gutters to match the trims and new columns.