Back To The Porch Skirting — Two Options To Get The Look I Want
Now that the steps to the side door of my studio are finished, I’m going to start working on the front porch skirting again. I had started working on the porch skirting first, and then when my original idea for that fell through, I turned my attention to the studio steps. (I shared about the skirting DIY fail here.)
The main reason I did that is because, as I’ve mentioned several times, I want all of the areas with steps that show from the front of the house to coordinate. I don’t need them to match, but I want them to coordinate. So before I spent any more time on the porch skirting, I wanted to see if my idea for the studio steps would actually work, and I wanted to make sure they turned out looking like what I envisioned in my head.
That plan for the side steps worked out, so now I know that I’ll follow that same plan for the steps to the bedroom door so that those two areas actually do match.
If you missed that project, you can find all of those posts linked here: DIY Exterior Concrete Steps Archives
Or you can start with the first post in that series here: Studio Side Steps Progress (DIY Steps With Retaining Wall Blocks And Pavers)
With the side steps finished, and the plan in place for the bedroom steps, the goal now is to make the front porch coordinate with these other two areas. To do that, I’ll be using the same Porch & Patio paint in the same color to paint the wood on the front porch. That’s the easy part. The hard part is that I want the skirting on the front porch to match the risers on the studio and bedroom steps.
For those risers, I used retaining wall blocks. Obviously, I can’t simply stack retaining wall blocks to create the skirting for the front porch because the front porch is actually a concrete porch with a floating wood porch built over it. Right now, it looks like a complete mess, but here’s what I’m working with…
That’s where I left things when I stopped working on this project when my original idea (i.e., covering the skirting area with white PVC boards) didn’t work out. I had already painted the skirting area of the porch black because I wanted the black to show through the 1/4″ or 1/2″ spaces between the PVC boards, and then when I realized my idea wouldn’t work, I started removing the black paint using my handheld grinder. So again, it’s a complete mess at this point.
But you can see that I don’t really have a lot of area to cover. I think the whole porch is about 21 feet wide, so the front area that needs to be covered is maybe 15 feet wide and 13 inches high on the front, and then it will need to be carried around the side at the same height, and that’s right at five feet wide.
And then I have this annoyingly small area on the other side of the steps that will need to be covered as well.
And I want it to look like the retaining wall blocks that I used on the side steps, which look like this. These are 4 inches high and just under 12 inches wide.
I did a quick mockup of how I want it to look, although I couldn’t get the color just right. But you can get the idea…
So as I’ve thought through this, I can come up with two ways to achieve this look. Neither of them will be easy, so I’m already gearing up for the challenge. I just need to decide which way to go. The first way would be to use actual retaining wall blocks, use my handheld grinder to cut off the front portion of each block, and then adhere those to the concrete to create the facade.
It’s basically the same concept as using slices of reclaimed bricks to cover a concrete sidewalk or porch, except that slices of reclaimed bricks are commercially available, whereas these slices of retaining wall blocks aren’t commercially available so I’d have to create my own.
The second option would be to use mortar mix to cover the skirting area, and then use an actual retaining wall block to press into the wet mortar mix to create the texture and shape that I want. I’ve shared the mortar mix idea in a previous post and showed how this YouTuber, Michael Builds, used mortar mix to create three different looks.
So mine would probably be closer to the thickness of the bottom stone look except that I’d create the size and shape of the retaining wall blocks instead of stones, and then press the texture into the front of the wet mortar mix.
As I said, neither of these options is going to be easy, so I’ll have to start with some trial and error. I’ll start by seeing if I can even cut even slices off of the front of the retaining wall blocks with my handheld grinder. Working on the side steps, I got pretty good at using that grinder, but I’m not sure if my skills are quite that good yet. And once I test out that idea, I’ll have to determine if I’m willing to cut the number I need to cover the whole skirting area. I haven’t figured how many I need yet, but I already know it would be a messy and time-consuming job.
So those are the two ideas I have for achieving the look I want. But before I jump headlong into this, I’d love to know if you have any other ideas for achieving this look that I haven’t thought of yet. I’m open to suggestions for how to achieve this look, but at this point, I’m not really open to going with a completely different look. I want the retaining wall block look. Final answer. But I’m open to any other ideas about how to achieve this look if you can think of one that might be easier.
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Have the front of the blocks cut by someone with a concrete saw, or buy a concrete blade for your circular saw.
Can’t you use one of those retaining bricks to create a mould that you can then just make as many of the right sized blocks as you need?
I came to say this! I think you could easily sandcast with concrete to get the look you want with less trouble. Excited to see what you come up with
Ditto!
Yes! I was going to say the same, or even make a mold from the fronts of a few of the blocks that you can press into the mortar to get the right shape. I’ve seen a very simple silicone mold mix from 100% silicone caulking and corn starch.
Hello & greetings from Scotland
Not sure if brick slips are available in USA or where you are but perhaps a solution to your front porch area ? It’s a lot of work & dirty grinding down brick after brick …
also as I side note you could frame out your porch and attach the pvc cladding to that ? We did this at my home to cover old red brick just a thought
Hope you and Matt both well and also all your beautiful fur baby’s 😻
I know you said you had your mind set on a skirting look but if you are going to landscape in front of the porch, how about doing a 2 layer staggered look like your steps in front of of the porch and put perennial plants in both layers.
Love the steps and the idea for the remaining curb look you have envisioned. Maybe looking for a concrete mold that looks like the retaining wall stones and mold your on stones with your color of choice mixed into the concrete.
We had a lot of the same problems you are facing, and we went with a product called Evolve Stone, https://evolvestone.com/. Great stuff comes in all sorts of colors looks like real stone and best part; you can put it on yourself. With the front of the porch, we painted the cinderblock base black, and I had white PVC lattice, small square, over the black paint so it looked like a true southern front porch. Framed that out in grey Timber Tech and then the rest was the Evolve Stone. It turned out spectacular and I can send you pictures if you like. We also had our concrete sidewalk torn out and had a stamped one in a lovely grey put in its place. Very doable project. Some of our stone fell off the first winter, but it had been applied during a cold snap, once the weather warmed up, easy peasy. I love my no maintenance front porch that welcomes everyone to the farm. We have the wheelchair access to the house in the back, but everyone can roll right out on the front porch and take in the views.
Cheers to you, Matt and the Fur DIY Crew!
That looks like a great solution for her
I’ve seen people make molds from existing products using silicone. Not sure how many you’d have to make to make the process not onerous. One by one would be silly. Are there small companies near you that offer concrete stepping stones, etc? Perhaps they’d have an idea. Obviously, it’s not something that a big box store can offer. I can’t think of anything else but to cut all those stones. Ugh. Maybe you could find someone with better tools to complete than for you.
If this were me, I’d find something with dimension (brick) and paint it like the stone you’ve already done. It doesn’t have to match, just coordinate.
It’s very exciting to see your exterior get some attention. You’ll love it when you drive up.
Could you use a concrete stamp to create the look? I found several on Lowe’s website.
My first thought was to create a mold and pour your own concrete pieces. Another subject, but since you painted the concrete steps on your side door, is there an option to remove the wood on the porch and paint the concrete? Seems like it would be less maintenance?
Making a mold of block and using mortar mix seems like the way to go.
Just a side note. For the bedroom steps will you will need a small concrete slab as a solid base? If so you may want to pour that next so it can cure while you are working on the front porch. Or are you going to frame it and just have decorative front rows?
Can you live with a slightly thicker slice of the block? Cut at the dip. Rent a real concrete saw. No matter what, you’ll make it look great.
Have you thought about creating a raised flower bed in the front using those same stackable pavers? You could build out about 2′ from the porch. Make the 2′ or so high wall curvy or straight. Fill it in with dirt and you have an instant flower bed!
No painting no grinding. BOOM! 🙂
To consider:
*Raised beds as mentioned in comments
* Reconsider another type of outdoor stone product that you could paint to match the color of the two landings. I think the cohesive color and a stone would blend well. IMHO I don’t think it needs to match the pavers as long as the color matches and it will most likely be covered with plants after your landscape is completed.
You always make excellent decisions so whatever you decide , it will look great. I’m just thinking of your time. Can’t imagine the time it would take to mold pavers and then have it eventually covered with plants!
How about renting a tile saw table? That makes it easier to cut and you will save your knees.