Overview

Here’s a before picture taken of the columns outside our house. See how they needed a little help? And when you looked at the house, these metal columns were almost invisible on the carport. We needed to change them up a little. I’m sharing the step-by-step of what we did below.

Before

After

Cut plywood boards

Our metal columns were 21″ x 1″ x 8′. We cut two treated plywood boards for each column—one for each side. Our plywood boards were cut 24″ x 1″ x 8′ to fit the metal columns. We also cut a 1″ x 1″ pine board and glued it to each side of the larger plywood boards.

Step 1

Attach a foundation to top and bottom of the columns

We then attached 1″ x 1″ boards on either side of the column at the top. This was a foundation for the larger boards to attach around the columns.

For the foundation at the base of the columns, we drilled holes into the concrete and attached these metal brackets.

We repeated these steps for each of the columns. Then we primed the plywood boards.

Step 2

Attach the plywood boards

The next step was to attach the plywood boards to either side of the column. We added one side to the top and the bottom using our foundation pieces.

Next, we reinforced the middle (as shown in the top picture) with some additional braces. Then we attached the other side of the plywood with finish nails. Then add the sides to the columns.

Step 3

Attach molding and caulk and fill in with wood putty

Add molding to the top and bottom of the columns. Make sure your boards are primed and caulk all around the edges where the boards connect. Use wood putty to fill in the small nail holes. Sand smooth.

Step 4

Grab your sprayer

Now you’re ready to paint. I used the Wagner FLEXiO 5000 Paint Sprayer. I cannot recommend it ENOUGH! It saves you so much time (especially on a project like this) and the results are so professional and it’s SO EASY to use.

Step 5

Add paint and begin

All you do is remove the base, fill with paint (we used exterior white paint for this project) and reattach it. No messy tubes or trying to connect with paint cans. Just add paint and go.

Then all you have to do is plug it in. Turn it on, pull the trigger and spray. That’s it! We painted all the columns, and the project was finished.

Step 6

Enjoy the new look!

It’s seriously one of my favorite DIY’s EVER and it’s such an easy, affordable solution to transforming those metal columns in a weekend.
This sponsored post was created by Thistlewood Farms. Head to the blog for the full post and details.

Step 7