Child Item

How to make post pretty again?

Hi everyone

We have a timber post at the front of our home that we wish to restore to its former glory. We're not sure what it would have looked like when the house was built (we aren't the first owners) around 10 years ago but from the look of the way it has weathered it likely looked more impressive than it does now.

We have no idea what sort of timber the post is made from nor do we have any idea how to restore it. Any suggestions of techniques, products, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Anthony & Sarah

Find more posts tagged with

Tools and Materials

Repairing

Painting

Comments

EricL

Hello @ketland

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your question about making your front post pretty again.

You can see from the photos you posted the darker original stain of the post. The good news is that the stain has not faded and there is some of it left still protecting it. Getting the original finish will be extremely difficult due to age and weathering. My recommendation is to sand down the post and choose a new colour. I recommend that you visit your local store and have a look at the stain display board so that you'll see the actual finish.

Before you start sanding, I suggest picking out the stain that you like first. You will need drop sheets to prevent your front area from getting accidental splashes of paint. You'll need masking tape and plastic drop sheets to mask off the bottom and top of the post. Sanding the post will produce a lot of dust so I suggest getting a Bear Disposable P2 Respirator Dust Mask With Valve - 3 Pack in conjunction with Protector Wide Vision Safety Goggles. This will protect you from the dust that will be generated from sanding.

The most important part is to test the stain on a small part of your post to make sure that you like the finish.

Here is a link to a handy guide: How to choose decking oil, paint, or stain

Here is a guide on staining: How to stain a deck

Let me tag our experienced members @diy_hausdesigns and @tom_builds for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

tom_builds

Hi @ketland and thanks for the tag @EricL,

As @EricL suggested a good, hard sand and a recoat of stain will do that post wonders. If you find that there are still visible scratches or gouges in the post after sanding you can fill with a wood filler, and then stain after lightly sanding the filler. There are a heap of different tinted fillers to choose from so you should be able to find something that matches the natural colour of the post.

Best of luck and keep us updated with the restoration results!

ketland

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/16589#Comment_16589

Thank you for your great advice @EricL and @tom_builds. Are you able to suggest which grit papers I should be using for sanding? Just worried about destroying the post with my inexperience!

Cheers!

MitchellMc

Hi @ketland,

That post doesn't look particularly weathered and likely appears very similar to what it did ten years ago.

You might like to consider a high gloss exterior varnish/stain instead of an oil/stain (which it currently has). Your post will undoubtedly end up looking more impressive with a gloss varnish on it than an oil/stain. An oil/stain will only nourish the timber and return some colour to it, though it doesn't look like it's lost much colour to begin with. However, applying varnish will draw attention to it and make a feature out of the post.

Mitchell

ketland

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/16593#Comment_16593

Hi @MitchellMc

I love this idea, cheers!

Child Item