First impressions matter. Give your place a facelift with these easy ideas.
Plain old front porch getting you down? Transform it! You can set the scene by calling in the pros to resurface the concrete, then follow up with DIY touches. Make mobile timber planters, and use battens to cover an ugly ceiling and install a privacy screen. Then it’s down to an oversized mirror to create the illusion of more space and a bit of styling. Done!
1. Work with what you have
Resurface, paint, clad and add greenery for stunning results! Simple screen timber battens screwed to the posts shields your space from the street.
2. Style it beautiful
Without spending big. Refinish your outdoor setting to match the new scheme, then cosy up with a rug. And when it comes to plants, don’t hold back – even hanging them from on high!
3. Paint
Don’t replace your front door! Use a bold colour so it pops – try Dulux Sealegs.
How to make an oversized mirror for your porch
Adding a mirror is an age-old space enhancer, and if you mount it in a decorative frame it’s a work of art – with your handiwork as the subject.
For you to note
If your mirror will be exposed to the weather, use compressed fibre cement as the backing board. And it is advisable to use construction adhesive to hold the first timbers in place.
Gather your supplies
1220 x 2400 x 15mm plywood
92 x 18mm x 5.4m primed treated pine (2)
31 x 31mm x 5.4m primed treated pine (1)
30 x 30mm x 5.4m treated pine scotia moulding (1)
1500 x 900mm mirror
You’ll also need
Measuring tape
Circular saw
Mitre saw
PVA glue
Nail gun and nails
Acrylic gap filler
Caulking gun
Exterior wood putty
Fine sandpaper
Painting equipment
Exterior undercoat
Exterior paint in Woodland Grey and Sealegs
Neutral cure silicone
Here’s how
Step 1
Use circular saw to cut plywood so it is 184mm longer and wider than the mirror.
Step 2
Cut 92 x 1mm pine to fit around the edges of the plywood. Use a mitre saw to cut ends of pine on a 45 degree angle to mitre joins at corners. Spread PVA glue on back and nail top plywood.
Step 3
Cut 31 x 31mm pine to sit on top of 82mm pine, flush with the outside. Mite joins in corners. Glue and nail to 92mm pine.
Step 4
Cut 30 x 30mm scotia moulding to go around frame on inside of 31mm pine. Glue and nail in place.
Step 5
Cut 92mm pine to fit around the sides of the frame, mitring joins in corners. Sit plywood on blocks then glue and nail pine pieces in place so they sit 5mm above the timber around the frame and overhang at the back.
Step 6
Fill the gaps between primed timber using acrylic gap filler. Fill nail holes with exterior wood putty, let dry and sand smooth. Remove dust then paint with undercoat. Let dry then follow with a coat of exterior paint in Woodland Grey.
Step 7
Use a paintbrush to lightly brush and dab a contrasting colour, here Dulux Sealegs, onto the frame around the plywood.
Step 8
Apply a generous bead of neutral cure silicone around the edges and down the centre of the plywood. Sit the mirror on top and press it into silicone. Leave to set.
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