Do-it-yourself wooden and concrete porch repair

Do-it-yourself wooden and concrete porch repair

Nothing lasts forever... And even if they built to last, and chose the best and highest quality materials, sooner or later the question of restoring the house arises, and the first thing you will have to face is repairing the porch.
It is this architectural element of the building that during operation undergoes the greatest physical, chemical, biological and mechanical loads, and over time the extension deteriorates. Restoring the porch is a priority task, because the impression of the house as a whole, of its owners, begins from the entrance. The porch is a kind of portal that connects the site and the home, and this transition should be aesthetic, comfortable, safe, and reliably protect the entrance from gusts of wind, dust and precipitation. In this article we will tell you how to repair a porch with your own hands, how to properly reconstruct the steps, and the best way to paint the structure.

When the entrance lobby has fallen into disrepair, the question arises: how to repair and how to paint the porch so that it lasts a long time

Tools and materials for painting wood and concrete porches

Before painting an outdoor porch made of wood, you need to purchase the following tools:

• Chisel. To remove knots and other wood defects;
• Metal brush. Helps clean up rough surfaces. The rigidity of the tool depends on the type of wood and the presence of old paint;
• Rollers with large pile;
• Brushes of different sizes;
• Paint bath;
• A brush for sweeping away debris.

To paint a wooden porch you will need:

• Wood putty;
• Primer;
• Porch paint.

To properly paint a concrete porch, railings and steps you will need:

• High pressure washing machine;
• Composition for cleaning concrete surfaces;
• Stiff brush or broom;
• Sealant for concrete;
• Roller;
• Paint brushes;
• Concrete paint;
• Vacuum cleaner;
• Mild solution of hydrochloric acid.

How to paint a porch: choice of material and stages of work

Painting the porch gives the structure an aesthetic appearance and protects it from harmful factors. This process must be performed immediately after construction or repair of the structure is completed. The article will tell you how and how to paint the porch of your house correctly.

Why paint?

Practical, beautifully designed and functional, the porch is welcoming and comfortable.

The porch consists of several elements:

• A canopy or canopy that protects the building from precipitation;
• Railings to ensure human safety;
• Platforms - additional functional space outside the front door of the house;
• Stairs to the landing for easy entry.

All these components should ultimately create a single beautiful composition so that it echoes the design style of the main building and harmoniously fits into the landscape of the site, decorating the house and creating a feeling of comfort. Various paint and varnish compositions help to do this.

In addition, it is necessary to paint a wooden structure in order to:

• Prevent moisture from penetrating into the wood structure. The water-repellent layer formed by dyes helps to avoid the occurrence of rot or fungus, which impairs the strength of the material and causes premature destruction of the structure;
• Provide protection from mechanical damage. Painted surfaces are more resistant to cracks and chips, which spoil the appearance and increase the vulnerability of the tree to the influence of external conditions;
• Scare away wood-boring insects that can significantly damage the strength of wood;
• Emphasize the beauty of wooden elements and hide the imperfections of old boards.

Tools and materials for painting wood and concrete porches

Tools for painting
Before painting an outdoor porch made of wood, you need to purchase the following tools:

• Chisel. To remove knots and other wood defects;
• Metal brush. Helps clean up rough surfaces. The rigidity of the tool depends on the type of wood and the presence of old paint;
• Rollers with large pile;
• Brushes of different sizes;
• Paint bath;
• A brush for sweeping away debris.

To paint a wooden porch you will need:

• Wood putty;
• Primer;
• Porch paint.

To properly paint a concrete porch, railings and steps you will need:

• High pressure washing machine;
• Composition for cleaning concrete surfaces;
• Stiff brush or broom;
• Sealant for concrete;
• Roller;
• Paint brushes;
• Concrete paint;
• Vacuum cleaner;
• Mild solution of hydrochloric acid.

Preparing the surfaces of a wooden porch

For an even and durable paint coating, the wooden elements of the porch should first be properly prepared for painting.

For this:

• All surfaces of the porch are carefully inspected;
• Knots and other defects are removed with a chisel;
• All treated surfaces are degreased to remove excess gloss and dirt;
• All cracks are filled with putty, which will reduce paint consumption;

Tip: To prevent putty stains from showing through, after painting the porch with your own hands, the shade of the composition should be selected closer to the color of the wood.

• The applied putty is cleaned with sandpaper or a grinding machine to create a perfectly smooth surface of the parts.

Advice: To obtain the most complete polymerization of the putty mixture, after the first grinding it is necessary to take a break from work for two to three days, and then repeat the operation.

• A brush removes debris and dust.
• To protect the wood from mold, it is worth applying an antiseptic.
• All elements of the porch are primed 2 times with a roller or brush. The interval between applying new coatings should be 24 hours.

Preparing a concrete porch

To keep the price of work and materials for painting concrete surfaces to a minimum, the porch must be properly prepared.

For this:

• Garbage is removed. In this case, loose debris is removed from the landing and flight of stairs with a vacuum cleaner or broom, and the railings are cleaned with a brush. It is very important. Using a high pressure washer, approximately 300 ps, ​​thoroughly wash the concrete surfaces. Particular attention should be paid to those areas where there are stains;
• Use of chemicals. After cleaning the surfaces, a special cleaning agent is used. A regular detergent spread over the surface with a stiff bristle brush can handle this task. If there are difficult stains on the surface, the detergent is directly applied to them and left for 20 minutes, then scrubbed thoroughly. Again, the washing machine thoroughly removes chemical residues;
• The use of hydrochloric acid. After a careful inspection of the concrete surfaces, if they are well cleaned, this product does not need to be used. If there are some stains, a mild composition of hydrochloric acid is used, which is highly toxic;

Tip: To protect your skin and lungs when working with acid, you should use safety glasses, gloves and a respirator.

Residues of hydrochloric acid are removed from the concrete surface using a high-pressure machine;

• Drying. All concrete porch surfaces must be thoroughly dry. Usually, about 24 hours is enough, but it all depends on the specific area;
• Concrete sealant is poured into the roller tray, which is then rolled out over all concrete surfaces. It is better to apply a thin layer of sealant. In this case, bubbles will not appear;
• The porch is left to dry.

Choosing paint for a wooden porch

To paint a wooden porch, preference should be given to the paints presented in the table:

When choosing what to paint a wooden porch at your dacha, you need to consider the following factors:

• Will it be exposed to rain or moisture when the snow melts;
• Exposure of painted surfaces to direct sunlight;
• From which side does the wind blow more often?
• Intensity of use of the porch;
• Seasonal temperature fluctuations;
• The location of the porch: it faces a garden or a busy street.

To choose the right paint for your porch, you should watch the video in this article.

Requirements for paint for a concrete porch

A concrete porch is much easier to finish. In this case, you can use a fairly wide range of different finishing materials. Many manufacturers produce paints that have a high degree of wear resistance. Despite different manufacturing technologies, the basic requirements for them are the same.

Varieties of paints can be: one- or two-component. The first option is better to use - it is completely ready for use.

The positive properties of such paints include:

• High wear resistance and impact resistance;
• Resistance to chemicals and oils;
• The porch surface does not slip;
• The paint on the concrete surface becomes dull;
• Application can be carried out in mild frosts, up to (-10ºС);
• Operating mode at temperatures from (-60ºС) to (+100ºС);
• These paints are odorless.

Features of painting a wooden porch

A beautifully painted porch is pleasing to the eye.
When painting a wooden porch, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• Painting the structure should begin with small decorative details.
• Small elements and butt seams of boards are painted with a brush.
• The porch is painted with a roller.
• The paint will lie smoother if it is applied along the grain of the material.
• Coating a painted surface with varnish will significantly increase its service life.
• The application of varnish should be carried out immediately after the paint has dried.

The white color of the fences harmonizes perfectly with the brown stairs

Painting a concrete porch

Painted concrete porch
Features of applying paint on a concrete porch are as follows:

• The selected concrete paint is poured into the roller tray;
• The paint is applied to concrete surfaces with a roller;
• After the first layer of paint has completely dried, apply a second, and if necessary, a third;
• To apply an even layer of paint, you need to use forward/backward, even movements;
• A brush is used to paint extreme areas and hard-to-reach places;
• A second layer of sealant is applied over the paint. This will create an additional barrier against moisture penetration and increases the paint’s resistance to mechanical damage;
• After applying a new coating, it must dry for at least a day;
• Finally, the concrete steps of the porch are covered with matte parquet varnish.

What, how and what color to paint the porch, each owner decides for himself. But it is always worth remembering that when applying a high-quality protective coating and following the technology of painting surfaces made of any material, the service life of the structure increases.

Preparing for work

At the initial stage, material and tools are purchased for applying paint and varnish. When calculating the required amount of paint, it is recommended to take into account the fact that the coating should be applied in at least three layers.

This number of layers will ensure a sufficiently long service life of the protective coating.

Tools

In addition to a sufficient amount of paint, you should prepare:

• metal brush;
• painting tools;
• putty knife;
• containers in which the paint will be diluted. When doing work in the country, you can use old, thoroughly washed buckets;
• primer for concrete;
• special putty for concrete;
• colors.

Removing contaminants

If you are going to paint outdoor paths in the form of tiles, you must remove all the grass between the seams. This can be done using a shovel or any other tool. In this case, it is advisable to remove all plants along with their roots to prevent their germination in the future.

Warnings

It is clear that when carrying out renovation work in a house, the porch is left for the last minute. Therefore, the remains of all the paints that were used in the repair process are mixed and the porch is painted with this composition. Be careful when mixing different types of paints. A chemical reaction may occur that will reduce the technical characteristics of the resulting mixture to a minimum. So it’s better not to skimp on painting the porch.

Some ordinary people often add gasoline, rather than solvent, to enamels. In principle, there is nothing bad here, it’s just that the applied coating will not be as shiny as if a solvent had been added to the paint. This must be kept in mind, and not blame the manufacturer for the low quality of the material.

You should not buy cans of paint that are damaged; pay attention to the expiration date so that it does not expire.

Experts recommend buying a large can of paint rather than two or three small ones. There is always a chance that paint with shades lower or higher will be packaged in different cans. In addition, the price of a large can is always less than the cost of several small ones.

How to find paint for cladding concrete stairs

In the retail chain you can find paint for painting any surface, including those that are ideal for cladding concrete steps. Finding such paint is not difficult, since the manufacturer indicates the fact of use for processing reinforced concrete on the packaging. In addition to the fact that there are special paints, when purchasing, you should also pay attention to the composition, where the type of binder, which may also be suitable for concrete, deserves special attention.

We repair and paint a concrete porch

Concrete porches have two main problems: the destruction of the edges of the steps and the appearance of cracks and cavities in the monolith of the site. Next, we will tell you how to repair a concrete porch.

Preparing surfaces for repair

First of all, we need to clear the working area from pieces of broken concrete. We remove everything that can be loosened and slightly modify the damage with a hammer drill.

The figure below shows an example of proper preparation of a damaged reinforced concrete slab for repair:

• We bevel the edges of the pit inward at 10-15 degrees.
• If the reinforcement is bare, then we go under it at least 2 cm.

Preparation for repairs
After the concrete chips have been removed, the areas of future repairs will need to be dust-free. If the reinforcement is exposed, but is in good condition, then we simply clean it of rust. Next, we treat the reinforcement with an anti-corrosion compound.

Repair of damage of varying complexity

If the damage is no deeper than 2-3 cm and covers no more than 30% of the surface of the porch, then they can be repaired immediately after cleaning. For this, an ordinary sand-concrete mixture (3/1) is prepared.

Concrete porch repair. Concreting defects on the surface

The easiest way to repair cracks is with a polyurethane foam cord. We lay the cord tightly along the entire length of the seam. Coat the top with an acrylic-based waterproofing compound. Narrow cracks can be repaired with sealant alone, without a cord. In this case, it is better to choose the composition in a syringe bottle, this will facilitate repair work.

Repairing cracks in concrete

Extensive damage requires major repairs. If reinforcement is destroyed deep in the slab:

• We dismantle areas that have lost strength due to corrosion.
• We clean the remaining rods from rust.
• We replace the lost elements with reinforcing mesh, which we tie with wire.
• We complete the repair by filling the defect with a cement mixture.

We are renovating the porch of a house.
Restoring the reinforcement frame A large number of “patches” on the surface of the concrete makes it fragile, and after some time the repair will have to be repeated. And this is especially true for repairing concrete porch steps. To avoid this problem, you need to make a fresh screed on the landing and steps.

Preparing a concrete porch

To keep the price of work and materials for painting concrete surfaces to a minimum, the porch must be properly prepared.

For this:

• Garbage is removed. In this case, loose debris is removed from the landing and flight of stairs with a vacuum cleaner or broom, and the railings are cleaned with a brush. It is very important. Using a high pressure washer, approximately 300 ps, ​​thoroughly wash the concrete surfaces. Particular attention should be paid to those areas where there are stains;
• Use of chemicals . After cleaning the surfaces, a special cleaning agent is used. A regular detergent spread over the surface with a stiff bristle brush can handle this task. If there are difficult stains on the surface, the detergent is directly applied to them and left for 20 minutes, then scrubbed thoroughly. Again, the washing machine thoroughly removes chemical residues;
• Use of hydrochloric acid . After a careful inspection of the concrete surfaces, if they are well cleaned, this product does not need to be used. If there are some stains, a mild composition of hydrochloric acid is used, which is highly toxic;

Tip: To protect your skin and lungs when working with acid, you should use safety glasses, gloves and a respirator.

Residues of hydrochloric acid are removed from the concrete surface using a high-pressure machine;

• Drying . All concrete porch surfaces must be thoroughly dry. Usually, about 24 hours is enough, but it all depends on the specific area;
• Concrete sealant is poured into the roller tray , which is then rolled out over all concrete surfaces. It is better to apply a thin layer of sealant. In this case, bubbles will not appear;
• The porch is left to dry.

Advice from professionals

Every job has its own tricks, and there are some when painting a porch. Experienced professionals share their experience:

1. Coloring always begins with small decorative details. First, small elements and joints of boards are painted with a brush, and then the porch is painted with a roller.
2. The dye will apply more evenly if it is applied along the grain of the wood.
3. Applying varnish over paint will significantly extend the life of the coating. The varnish is applied immediately after the dye has dried.
4. When choosing paint and varnish compositions, you need to pay attention to the name of the manufacturer. You may have to overpay a little for the brand, but you will be guaranteed that you are purchasing a quality product. The desire to save can result in additional costs: purchased cheap paint will lose its appearance within a season or will begin to peel off, and you will have to repeat the finishing work.

A wooden porch is not just an entrance to a house, but also a decorative element, and its appearance creates the first impression of the people living in the house. A well-painted porch is the dream of every owner, and it takes very little effort to make the dream come true for many years.

Tips from the professionals

Professionals advise: when choosing varnish for stairs, beware of fakes, low-quality products, and expired goods. Before applying the composition to the product, it is recommended to check how the coating will look. To do this, some insignificant fragment or unnecessary detail is processed, and only then, if the result is not disappointing, they begin painting the entire structure. It is important to remember that layers of paint must be applied along the grain (not across), using smooth, sweeping movements, and the brush must be held evenly in your hand, working with the very end of the bristles.

Before applying to the wood, excess composition is lightly squeezed out on the edge of a jar or special container into which the paint is poured. You should not try to paint the entire product at once; it would be more correct to divide the process into several (at least 2) approaches with drying each layer. First, choose how you want the varnished steps and staircase to look, draw up your sketch, and then start combining compositions and brands, layers and application methods.