Farmhouse Style: Transforming a Family’s Front Porch

This 1901 farmhouse belongs to the mayor of Silverhill, Alabama, Jared Lyles, and his wife Christie, who share it with their children, Jackson and Adalyn.

We’re here to help fix up the family’s front porch. The porch surfaces are worn and a little dingy; the under-skirting looks more “farm” than “farmhouse,” and without working lights, fans or door lock, it isn’t very functional.  

The Projects

Repair Front Columns

First, we find out how rotted the columns are and remove all the damaged wood.

Then, we use JB-Weld Wood Restore Liquid Hardener to seal up the wood’s pores. Then we cut some hardware cloth left from the underskirting to hold up the epoxy putty we’ll add later.

After mixing the epoxy putty together, we spread it out to fill the void and smooth it over to make it flush with the column surface.

Repair and Refinish Door

The front door is original to the home — and you can tell it is when you look closely at it. So, we’re going to remove the door for refinishing. 

We brush stain stripper on the door; it’s made from citrus oil, so it smells nice. It removes the door’s stain, but the peeling portions look like earwax!

After staining the door, we apply spar urethane and watch the door’s details pop, restoring the door to its former glory.