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Katharine McCormick
Citizen
Username: Katiemcc
Post Number: 6
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 10:40 am: | 
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To get to our front door we have four wood steps up and a wood platform that's bigger than a stoop or step but smaller than what I think of as a true porch. The top is maybe five feet by five feet and it's covered by an overhanging roof but is open on three sides. It's painted a nice shade of blue that matches the house. The winter was not kind to it and the paint on the top planks is flaking like crazy and exposing the bare wood and some patches to the wood that the prior owners must have made. In a best case scenario, we need to have it repainted. In a worse case scenario, we need to have the decking and the stair treads replaced. Any suggestions on who to call? Is this a job for a painter? A carpenter? A contractor? Is this too small to get someone to come out to do just this? We have some other small projects that we could "bundle" in with it if it meant that we'd have better luck getting a contractor's attention.
Also, for aesthetic and monetary reasons, we'd rather not replace the wood with bricks or stone or cement and I don't think just a stain, like you'd do with a backyard deck, would work either. Are we crazy to keep the wood? I like the way it looks, but I also don't want to spend time every spring redoing the front steps. |
gj1
Citizen
Username: Gj1
Post Number: 361
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 11:18 am: |
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From what you describe it doesn't sound like the flooring needs replacement, unless there is major rot or some other damage. Sounds like it just needs scraping and a fresh coat of paint. BTW, these were traditionally painted just about every year due to the abuse they receive.
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shoshannah
Citizen
Username: Shoshannah
Post Number: 1283
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 11:58 am: |
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I agree. Wood front porch needs to be repainted just about every year. I know from experience. (Not that I repaint mine every year. I just said it *needs* to be repainted every year.) |
Spare_o
Supporter
Username: Spare_o
Post Number: 420
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 12:22 pm: |
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Our neighbors had their wooden front steps repainted recently by World of Colors. They did some repairs to the steps as well. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 11765
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, June 8, 2006 - 3:14 pm: |
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I have also seen Rutgers doing small trim jobs this year as well.
We had the same situation in our old house. When we finally bit the bullet and replaced the decking we finished it with stain. We used semi-transparent because we like to be able to see the grain. However, if you use opaque stain the grain will be hidden and will look pretty much like paint, although without the gloss (not a bad thing on exposed wood). Stain wouldn't flake off. It will fade over the years and it is a relatively easy job to restain the decking. Consumers' Reports rates Cabot stains the best.
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Neen
Citizen
Username: Neen
Post Number: 235
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 11:33 am: |
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What is the going price for a front porch (1/2 the width of the house) and steps repaint? |
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