Week 3 of the One Room Challenge went faster than I thought. Now I wonder if eight weeks is really enough time to finish one project.
If you are new here, welcome to my little corner of the internet.
I'm April and I'm a guest participant in the Spring 2021 One Room Challenge. If you are not familiar with a One Room Challenge, you can read more about it here.
If you are catching up on these projects, here is what we've done so far
Week 1. The before photos and design plans
Week 2. Demo and installing siding panels.
I've been thrown off track in the last week since I got sick and couldn't continue working on the project for most of the week. But thankfully I recovered and was able to add trim to the screened-in-porch.
Challenges of the week
Besides me being sick most of the time, I've had a few issues with the renovation. One of them was the disposal of garbage. After our last week of the demo, we've had a lot of remains of the walls (the old beadboard). I left a few boards next to our garbage bin last week and it was taken with the rest of the garbage.
I got so excited but clearly, it was too early to do a happy dance. When I tried to get rid of the rest of the walls this week, it was left behind by people who do garbage. Clearly, now I need to either dispose of it in small batches or drive it somewhere. Any suggestions?
Progress check
Clear the space
Demo the walls
Put side paneling
Add trim
Power wash the floors
Paint screened-in porch
Change screens
Add a new door
Install new fan light
Source credenza from Facebook marketplace
Build outdoor chairs
Make tile coffee table
Get accessories
Decorate the space
Add lights
How to add trim to siding panels
For our trim, I chose the PVC Royal molding trim. It's square and neat and when added to siding panels it elevates the walls. I think it made a huge difference in the overall look of the screened-in-porch.
To attach the trim to siding panels I used liquid nails and 2" galvanized brad nails. It's super important to use galvanized brad nails outdoors! Galvanized brad nails won't rust if exposed to wet elements.
To add trim to siding panels was a fairly quick process. The only challenge that occurred was the amount of custom-beveled cuts that had to be made. Literally, every cut had to be taken one by one. It slowed down the process a bit but resulted in very accurate and seamless connections. Especially in the corners!
Adding shoe trim
Flat PVC trim on the top and the bottom looks very impressive but adding shoe trim in the bottom and in the corners made all the difference, in my humble opinion.
It's amazing what a little trim can do to your space! To attach it I also used liquid nails and brad nails. Now it's not going anywhere but looks absolutely fabulous!
Finishing touches
When all the trim was up I used fast cure adhesive sealant that meant to be outdoors. This not only made the walls look nice but also added protection from the natural conditions. It sealed all the cracks and holes and the water won't get inside the walls when it rains.
It was so satisfying to patch all the cracks! The only thing I wish I did differently is to wait for the sealant to cure before sweeping the dust from the floor. Well, I'm not too stressed since I'll be painting it all over but it would be nice to have it clean and intact.
To change the walls from a bead board that we previously had was such a great decision. These walls can stay intact for many years to come!
Here is how the porch looks as of this moment. I still have a lot of work to do. The next step is to use a power washer and paint the walls. My neighbor said he will land me a power washer, so I'll have to wait for that, or I might rent it. But this will happen next week. As of now, I'll go and enjoy the beautiful new walls of our screened-in-porch!
In case you forgot where we started, here is a before photo.
Huge difference, right?
I still haven't decided on the furniture but I still have time, right? Haha or maybe in a couple of weeks, I'll be running like a headless chicken in search of suitable furniture for this screened-in-porch. Will see!
I'm posting sneak peeks of the progress to Instagram, so make sure you're following along. You can also sign up for email updates below so that you don't miss any of the action!
xoxo,
April
