After 8 Years, It’s Time!

Welcome to the 380th Metamorphosis Monday!

It was a busy weekend around here. The porch that normally looks like this…

Build a Screened Porch

 

…and like this…

Screened Porch Ready for Spring Entertaining

 

…looks like this today. Ruh-roh! Something’s up!

Screened Porch with KDAT Porch Flooring, Marine Varnish

 

The hutch that was full of dishes, now looks like this.

Porch Hutch Emptied to Add Marine Varnish to Porch Floor

 

All the dishes are here on the breakfast table. What is going on around here?!

After 8 years of weather and wear, I decided it was time to have the porch floor re-polyed. Is re-polyed a word? Actually, my hardwood flooring company, the same company I always use when I add another room of hardwood flooring to the house, is going to “screen” the flooring and apply 3 coats of marine varnish. I can’t remember if that’s what the original flooring company used (been too long to remember) but apparently that’s what you use for outdoor wood surfaces.

Preparing for Marine Varnish for Porch Floor

 

They will start tomorrow and it will be an all-week ordeal since they will sand and apply one coat of varnish tomorrow, then apply the second and third coats on Wednesday and Thursday–unless we get rain which could cause a delay.

I almost had this done when I had the porch repainted two summers ago, but decided to put it off a bit longer. The porch floor still looks great, but I can tell the shine has almost worn/faded away, so it’s time. If I only have to do this every 8 years, I can totally live with that. I LOVE how cool the floors feel during the summer underfoot. They are smooth, cool and feel wonderful in the heat of the day.

Porch Flooring

I get a lot of questions about the flooring here on the porch. It’s KDAT wood flooring. KDAT stands for “Kiln Dried After Treatment. What that means is they took pine, tongue and groove, wood flooring, pressure treated it just like they do decking, then kiln dried it to dry most of the moisture back out of the wood. Then the flooring was professionally installed by a wood flooring company who both nailed and glued it down to a very heavy-duty sub-flooring. Forgotten the name of the sub-flooring, but it was much thicker than normal sub-flooring.

If you would like more information about KDAT flooring and how to install it, google for “KDAT wood flooring.”  I can’t really help you with how to install it because I left that to the professionals. If you use this type flooring on a future porch, be sure to hire a professional to install it and make sure he follows all the instructions regarding how it needs to be installed. That’s very important for good results and long-lasting wear.

Build a Screened Porch

 

Second Project of the Weekend

The second thing I worked on this weekend was this little project. Remember all those post caps I primed out in the garage?

Post Caps Primed for Painting

 

They refused to paint themselves so I finally had to do it!

Pressured Treated Post Caps Primed, Ready to be Painted

 

This weekend I painted all 17 of them. Twice! Glad that’s done!

New Post Caps for deck

 

Right now they are just sitting atop the posts. I still need to add caulk underneath (per the instructions) to hold them in place. They are so heavy, I’m tempted to not caulk underneath them, but then they may get blown off by a leaf blower one day, so I guess I’ll go ahead and caulk them into place.

Pressure Treated Post Caps, After Painting

 

Third Project of the Weekend (a little one)

The final thing I did this weekend was repaint the white plant stand that lives in the corner of the porch. See it over there behind the chair?

Screened Porch with Kimberly Queen Fern

 

It was looking pretty rough from many years of use.

Plant Stand Before Painting

 

All shiny and new…ready to hold another plant once the flooring is done.

What projects did you work on this weekend? I think next weekend, I’m going to just relax and play a little–right after I get allll those dishes back into the porch hutch. 😉

Plant Stand Freshly Painted

 

Pssst: I post almost daily to Instagram. Follow Between Naps on the Porch on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch.

Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters for this Metamorphosis Monday!

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Comments

  1. Ah yes, the proverbial moving twice and going nowhere! I don’t envy you now, but when it’s all done, I will be green with envy. Hope weather is on your side – unlike my balcony project – which is taking twice as long (not because of contractors not showing, but simply weather). Thanks for hosting us, and sharing all the dilemmas of homekeeping.
    Rita

  2. Thanks so much for the party!!

    Hugs,
    Deb

  3. Your floors already look beautiful. They will be spectacular with the marine varnish on them. Your caps look great on the porch railing. You are so good at tackling these jobs. I have things in my house that need to be repainted. Funny how I live with something and don’t really look at it. Your plant stand looks so fresh and pretty. Thank you for hosting.

    • Thanks, Laurie! It’s always something with a house, isn’t it? I had a checkup today and as I was checking out at the doctor’s office, I noticed I had a big smudge of paint on the underside of my hand. Now I’m wondering if he saw that. lol If he did, he was too polite to say anything. 🙂

  4. So nice to freshen things up isn’t it? I always love seeing your beautiful porch. Enjoy your week!
    Shelley

  5. Wow! You have been a busy bee, Susan! I am at that point, too…time to refresh a few things! I admire your get-up-and-go! Hugs…Debbie

    • Thanks, Debbie! Good luck with your spring freshening up. I’m amazed how much pollen is still floating around, thought it would be gone by now.

  6. Hi Susan, LOVE the idea of having the chains from the swing covered. I have to ask a practical question, though: how often do you take them off and do you wash them or replace completely?

  7. I think those wood floors have weathered very well!…At first I thought you were going to say that you are adding windows to your porch…Look forward to seeing your new refurbished floors! Have a great day and thanks for hosting Susan!

  8. Carolyn Price says

    You were busy this weekend!! I know you enjoyed your Mother’s Day accomplishing so much on your to-do list.
    If you used tongue and groove and have no gaps in your flooring, why is the flooring company going to “screen” your floor? Did I miss something?
    Love your posts. Thank you!

  9. Thanks so much for the chance to link up a project today. Your porch has always been one of my favorite places to visit. 🙂

  10. No link today but will be posting tomorrow so can link up then:) The porch floor will look SO nice all shiny and new! Have a beautiful day!

  11. Susan, you have been so busy since you came home…WOW! Thanks for hosting! Happy Monday, Pam @ Everyday Living

  12. Try sticky velcro for the post tops- easy to remove next time you need to repaint.

    • I just may do that! I read online where one guy said he caulked all the way around them to keep any insects out. I primed and painted the underneath part, too…so I’m not really worried about that. I’m not sure why he was worried about it. There’s not enough space for a carpenter bee to get under there, plus they are pressure treated.

  13. Your porch is gorgeous! I love the soft white with pops of green! Thank you for hosting today! 😉

  14. Oh, Susan, you really do inspire to get some “refreshing” down around the house! Will you have to worry about fumes from the marine varnish? Our front door needs varnishing and I worry about having to be away from the house when it is done. Rosie

    • I’m not sure, I hope I don’t have to leave since it’s on the outside. I’ll may tape off the doors to the outside to just try and block the smell as much as possible. When I’ve had a room done inside, it was awful, how strong it was. I’m hoping since this is outside, it will dry much faster and hopefully not run me out of the house. Will let you know after tomorrow.

  15. Susan, thanks for hosting on Mondays. 🙂 It’s a lot of work to re-do floors, because everything has to come out… as you know… but oh so nice to get them all freshened up! It’ll be great!

  16. Thank you for all the tips, esp the marine varnish information. I plan to do some reasearch on that for a project we need to get done. Your blog is always an uplift! I THANK YOU for the April post about your friend who fell on the stairs – I shared that with my young daughter who was in the process of moving and, yes, wearing flip-flops as she ran up and down the stairs with arms loaded up. Ahhh! Controlled fall is a good phrase. It stuck with her, she brought it up later. Again, thank you 🙂

  17. They look great now but I know you want to keep them up, Susan. When you get through I know it will look wonderful.

  18. It’s going to be nice to have it all fresh again. I adore your porch! Ours is a favorite place to spend time, but it isn’t nearly as large and spacious as yours. Have fun with the process!

    • Thanks so much, Sarah! Porches are the best, aren’t they? I don’t ever want to live in a house without one, if I can avoid it. Didn’t know how much I’d love it until I finally had one.

  19. Your non stop energy puts anyone to shame Susan! I’d have to rest for a week after an overseas trip! Thanks for sharing and inspiring every week-

  20. Weeellll…since you asked…instead of Mother’s Day brunch, etc…we painted doors. Our doors haven’t been painted in 8-9 years and when I painted them the first time…this paint really didn’t “stick.” So, down they came (4) and were “picked as clean as possible” and then primed and painted. Course…the mullions…they gave us a “fight” be we won..although, they left “sticky residue” everywhere *sigh* they got spray painted vintage metallic copper both sides and then the front I painted the flat part of the mullion black (some of the copper shows through…kinda burnished.) What a job…however, I can’t stop looking at the completed project…next… franki

  21. Susan, you have been really busy on your projects. The plant stand you redid look great.
    Donna

  22. Linda Page says

    My goodness, girl, you are wearing me out! You have been eating your Wheaties, haven’t you?? I know you will be so happy when the flooring is done and everything is back in place and your porch will look brand new!! Everything ready for a summer of enjoyment. Way to go!!

  23. Hi Susan

    Your home and porch is gorgeous! The marine varnish will protect them for years to come. Love the new caps for the railings really give the porch a finished look. Your home is so inviting. Sure wish I had a porch like yours. All we have is a patio cover, as it is so hot here in Texas we do not go outside much come summer.

    Thank you once again for all the photos of your trip. I look forward to one day when I can go one the river cruise.

  24. Fingers crossed for good weather and thanks for all the good tips!

  25. Julia Monroe says

    Love the green hutch so fresh and pretty. Can you share the name and brand of the paint please

  26. Phyllis says

    Love the fresh new white. I would paint the hutch white also then when you change the dishes with the seasons in that hutch it will dazzle. Take care. Love your blog. Glad you had a fun trip. Phyllis

  27. What a big project! I love seeing things like this happen but the getting ready part is no fun! I bet the floors will look fabulous and you’ll be surprised at how new they’ll look again. I think the caulk sounds smart on the the caps because if someone leaned on one it could startle them if it moved. You are so ambitious!

  28. Still too cold and rainy to enjoy porches here, so as anxious as you to get yours up and running 🙂 And really, where DO you get all that energy?!

  29. Our kitchen floor needs to be refinished again. Last time we rented a sander and put three coats on . I turned out better than the original finish. I hope to have time in June for a few projects.

  30. Susan i have always loved your porch.

  31. Porches are like everything else….they require maintenance, and it seems there is always something requiring attention.

  32. Cyndi Raines says

    Hi Susan! Don’t you love spring cleaning and all the projects! I do. I know it’s a lot of work, but when they’re done you can stand back and look at all of the accomplishments and smile! We have to get painting our garden trellis before the Robins build a nest!! ha

  33. bobbi duncan says

    Susan, are you sure you’ve tackled enough projects for one weekend? LOL! Seriously, everything will look so nice when completed. I just love your floor! We will install them when we build our next home. We’ve been sanding the chipped edge paint on the basement stairs, getting ready to paint them and the walls leading downstairs. Seems like it’s taken forever as there were so many nail pops to fix, fill, and sand smooth first due to sloppy workmanship –guess contractor didn’t care to put in much effort as this is a basement. When we return from our vacation, the carpenter will come out to look at our design idea for a new fireplace mantle and over-mantle that will hide that in-my-face big TV once and for all so my mantle décor can be enjoyed minus the interfering black screen. He will coffer the tall ceiling in that room as well and install other moldings throughout the house–saved $ for this for two years, and I can’t wait to see the improvement to our home–so excited! We’ve had more rain than usual in our neck of the woods this spring–hope your weather stays nice for your flooring redo. Thanks for the party. Hugs!

    • lol I know, I don’t what got into me!
      That’s a big job that you’ve taken on. It’s amazing how those things that we think won’t take that long, take much longer than we expected. I find any kind of prep work like sanding and caulking etc… always seems to drag out and take forever, and it’s usually the most important part of the job since it has such a big impact on how it looks in the end. You’ll be so glad you did all that once it’s painted.
      Bobbi, could you take some before and after photos? I would love to see what you do with hiding the TV and how that works. I know a lot of folks deal with issue so I’d love to see what you do.

  34. Having to refinish every 8 years is definitely something I could live with too! What a beautiful space and it’s smart to do everything in your power to keep it that way! Thanks for sharing!

    • Thanks so much, Joy…yeah, it’s def worth it since I use the porch so much. Have a wonderful weekend! It’s so pretty here today!

  35. Where did you purchase your outside cordless lamp on your porch?

  36. Hi there… I am now officially obsessed with your porch. I am having a contractor come out tomorrow to assess my back yard to see if I can replicate (as much as budget will allow) your porch. I see so much information on your screened in part but am curious as to the measurements of the two side porches? Any information you can provide on those? Also, you don’t have the same flooring on those inside the screened porch. Appreciate any information you’d be willing to share.

    • Thanks, Trish! The deck with the pergola above it is pretty small, just 12 x 12 foot. That’s the size that best fit on that side.

      On the other side, the part of the deck that has the table with the umbrella is around 12 ft x 12 ft, also. The section up near the house that holds the grill is around 8 foot wide and 14 feet deep.
      The porch is 14 feet deep by 18 ft wide.

      The size of the back of your home will somewhat dictate the size of the porch, although you can usually go out (in depth) as far as you need to or wish. I would never go shorter than 14 ft outfor the depth and 16 foot would be even better. Just try to imagine how you’ll use the porch and what kind of furniture you’ll want out there for the way you plan to use it. I knew I wanted an area for sitting and reading and another area for dining.

      Hope that helps! Take Before, During and After photos, I would love to see your porch when it’s finished! 🙂

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