My projects update. Please post yours too with pictures !!

last year

last modified: last year

First is my front porch. It was laid 1 1/2 yrs ago and ended up being a big fail because the wood was sold to us as dried and it wasn't. The provider of the lumber really let us down but my contractor made it good. It was relaid with the old re-milled and then new added in. It's beautiful. Now I will be sealing it with ODO from The Milk Paint Company.

Next is my old HeartPine table and bench. I had used Marine Spar on it and that was definitely the wrong product. I am sanding back to the wood and refinishing with ODO as well. These pieces were made for me by a friend back in AL. They match my beautiful sideboard that he also made. All from re-claimed wood I got in Montgomery AL to complete floors in our 1890 house.

Last is my happiest new garden ornament !! My fence !!! I've been waiting since October to get it built but my poor GC has been so " covered up" with work, as we say in the South, that he and his guys just completed it yesterday and today !! 134 ft of 3 rail. I will be staining it after the wood is sufficiently dry...see note about porch floor above. pics of table first.

Please post any and all projects that you are working on or having done by others.

Before table :

DH bought me a new sander!

Next porch floor pics

And my beautiful new fence. Will have copper caps for on posts when they arrive next week. I am thinking SW Green Black for the stain color.

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DLM2000-GW

last year

Caroline your projects are major accomplishments. Your porch floor is gorgeous! Can't wait to see the fence painted - your color choice is perfect. Now for the table... you and I did then re-did very similar projects. I have a Brazilian pine table on our porch that was just a mess, getting mildew/mold spots. In our old house it was in and enclosed 3 season room then spent 2 years as our kitchen table in the rental. Now it sits on our covered but open porch and with the wind driven rain we get here the wood was trashed. Two years ago I sanded it down and applied General Finishes exterior water based urethane. It looked good for about 6 months then the finish started lifting in spots from the constant swelling/contracting of the wood. This spring I sanded it down - again! - and applied GF outdoor oil. So far so good. Wish I had a before shot but when I decide to start a project that's the last thing I think about!

One thing that will help a lot is DH's solution to the legs wicking water - they were black around the bottom 3 - 4 inches. He took an old plastic cutting board that had seen better days and cut protectors to keep the wood lifted.

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Comments (20)

Jilly
last year
Wow, C, those all turned out great! Everything looks wonderful. I’m swooning over the old Heart Pine.

Aren’t sanders fun? I love mine. :)
User thanked Jilly
maddielee
last year
So nice C!

I have no pictures because I have no projects started other then those in my head.
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User
Original Author
last year
@Jilly i had absolutely no plans for woodworking but you know what they say about plans! love good tools

@maddielee ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
oberon476
last year
that porch floor is gorgeous!

Very nice work on all the three projects
User thanked oberon476
lisaam
last year
No moss grows on you, Trail. All is lovely and the porch looks really beautiful. Have you used the ODO previously?
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Arapaho-Rd
last year
Love the results! Just beautiful. If I could go back I'd love to learn carpentry skills. Just tacked my Mom's masonry re-do for her porch. It's just so rewarding to take something and make it better!
User thanked Arapaho-Rd
Allison0704
last year
What a gorgeous porch! I am not familiar with ODO, so I hope you will post photos afterwards. I'd like to see the difference.

I miss our Kentucky four board fence in our neighborhood two houses ago. You three board looks great.
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User
last year
last modified: last year
@User -- nice work!

After waiting an entire year (due to supply chain issues), we finally had our splintery old deck re-stained.

I also spent years trying to figure out a good way to shade this area -- but the incongruent rooflines and plum tree wrecked any of my designs for a decent looking wood awning. I finally got the idea to do a triangle shaped shade sail, plus a smaller one for that corridor behind it.

I haven't finished styling the patio yet, so ignore the random furniture. Trust me this area looks SO much better than it did before!

This part of the awning is just two cotton curtains sewn together, with three pockets to string them securely on rods. Tip: you can make really strong outdoor curtain rods cheaply using metal conduit. The entire awning project cost me around $100 and it works great -- we get total shade all afternoon.

All of it was designed so I could easily take them down, clean and store away for the fall.
User thanked User
jojoco
last year
Trail, your porch and table are beautiful. Well done.

My project was clamming this afternoon. The clams have been soaking and will go into the freezer in a bit before I process them tomorrow morning.
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LynnNM
last year
last modified: last year
Trail, they look wonderful!!!

As for my projects, right now it’s all about our fifth wheel again, as we will be leaving for another cross-country trip this Fall. When we bought the RV, it was comfortable but brown and bland to me.

My goal was/is to make it warm, welcoming and reflect our beautiful New Mexico. So far, I’ve bought and remade curtains. There are good shades on every window, but I wanted color. I also found some great throw pillow covers:

I’ve added some framed art and am now on the hunt for cushions for the dining table chairs.
User thanked LynnNM
User
Original Author
last year
@oberon476 thank you !! it is black locust. The first person we bought from was unscrupulous so it has been very upsetting not to mention an expensive experience. But we are very hopeful that this will be a long term and beautiful too.

@lisaam no I haven't used it before . I have spent a fair amount of time reading about it and talked to the company as well as a You tube guy who does a great video of the product in his wood shop. It has consistent amazing reviews . I'm using it on the table and bench first :) just in case there is a learning curve haha.

@Arapaho-Rd I didn't understand what you did to your Mom's porch ? Pictures ? It is very satisfying to work and see results. I like measurable long term results.

@Allison0704 I will definitely post back. I remember your fence and beautiful property . I thought about a taller fence but with the slope up it would have " hovered" over my garden and driveway. I am glad my contractor was confident this was the right height. I have lots of plans for rocks and plants. The 84 ft long bed on that back fence is already prepped with cardboard and lots of ground up trees that the neighbor behind me took out, The soil is wonderful now ready for planting .

@User- wow !! those sails are an ingenious solution !! You really have great skills. I love the color of the walls and deck. I hope you will post back when you finish your styling. It looks beautiful.

@jojoco YUM!!! thank you I will post back when they are done. Will be this weekend we are getting COOL 50's weather !! Yay!!

@LynnNM you sure have made a beautiful home away from home. Your decorating skills and eye for detail are amazing. I hope you will post some of your trip as you make your way back to Michigan and other parts of the country.
Kswl
last year
Everything looks wonderful—the tsble, porch and fence! You did a marvelous job on that tsble, truly a labor of love, I am so envious of your front porch, it is spacious and well built and will be a gracious host for family afternoons. Charleston green black is the perfect color for your fence; the whole place has that lovely ”gentleman farmer” combination of rustic and refined that is so sought after and difficult to achieve. Well done, both of you!
User thanked Kswl
User
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
@Kswl thank you for such a kind response to my pictures. I haven't really done much with this front porch like I did with the one in Opelika that you saw on the porch tours . We spent so many many hours on that huge 1890 porch with the wicker all out there. Now we spend all our time on the screened porch we added at the back of this house. My DGS loves to swing on this front porch with his " Dammie" so we are out there together , we were swingin' on Sunday :) . I like your description of gentleman farmer !! Thank you for that. I will post back when I get the table/bench and porch floor sealed. c
LynnNM
last year
last modified: last year
Trail, I’m anxious to see more pics of your wonderful fence once it’s stained and with the new copper post caps on. Don’t forget to post some for us! Your DGS sounds precious ❤️
User thanked LynnNM
JustDoIt
last year
I feel like I've accomplished something and got bids on: new front door, new window in front of house, kitchen redo and fireplace remodel. Waiting on one more and all decisions will be made.
Arapaho-Rd
last year
last modified: last year
Trail, my Mom's front porch is concrete with brick. It was repaired last year but the winter took it toil so I repaired the mortar btw the bricks and the concrete top. It was painstakingly slow but once finished I sealed the entire thing. Will get photos. A lot of work but very satisfying.
User thanked Arapaho-Rd
User
Original Author
last year
@Arapaho-Rd what a job!!! please do post pics.

@DLM2000-GW Your table is beautiful. I had wonderful cleats in the bottoms of each leg that my friend had placed for just such protection….. dummy that I am I had DH pull them out!!! They made the table high 🤦‍♀️😳😩. We will definitely be replacing with something. Great idea your DH had.

Your table is exquisite!!!
User
last year
last modified: last year
@DLM2000-GW -- Wow, clever hack! for those of you who want to use this idea for yourself: this would work too. I made a note of these because they look extra thick and secure.

I wanted to be able to scoot my table around w/o scratching my deck and couldn't find anything. I finally tucked the legs into "carpet slide" cups. They look a little funny, but it's not really noticeable and it works so well! I cut notches because the legs are a bit too wide for them, and also so they drain when it rains.
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nicole___
last year
My project, done today: Bench before:

Bench after:

The before is an upholstery velour damask. The after is an upholstery fabric, with a raised velvet Greek Key design. The old fabric is still underneath and matches a ball 'n claw chair in my sewing room....in case I want to display them as a set again. :0)
User thanked nicole___