What Can Porch Posts Be Used For?

Patio Posts

• Posts work well to support patio roofing. While the posts can simply add style versus strength, they can do both. Ensure you are using posts constructed to support a specific amount of weight, however. You shouldn't assume that any large post is designed to hold up thousands of pounds of patio roofing. Discuss how you will use the post with your retail store experts.

Deck Options

• Outdoor rooms and deck space with covered porch areas can incoprorate porch posts. Large square porch posts can support a roof on a standard backyard deck. But, you want to design the posts to fit well with the overhead ceiling structure. You don't want to include certain post designs if they will clash with other materials in place. For example, a painted white beadboard ceiling looks appropriate with white wooden posts on a standard redwood deck. A redwood stained ceiling and floor decking will most likely not look appropriate with white wooden posts.

Shed Porch Idea

• Porch posts can support small roof awnings for a garden shed. A 6-foot deep wooden awning extending from a garden storage building can look appropriate with porch posts in place. The posts can give the shed a cottage-style look. You will need to pour a small concrete porch under the awning to support the posts appropriately. Ensure the concrete slab is sloped away from the building, so the wooden posts will not decay over time.

Carport Designing

• Use posts to create semi-privacy for carport areas. Think of 8-foot tall posts as creating a see-through enclosure around a carport. The posts will keep the carport from looking too plain, and they can provide strength to the carport. The posts you select should fit well with the home's overall design, especially if the carport is right next to the house.

Indoor Uses

• Formal wooden porch posts can be used inside a large sunroom or enclosed porch. Large posts, such as round, smooth posts used on the front of two-story colonial houses, can work well to give visual design to a glass room or three-season porch. Ideally, the ceiling will be 10 feet or higher, so the column becomes somewhat of a focal point of the space.