Home Improvement: Entry Railing


I didn't get a craft done this weekend because I was working on a little home improvement project, so I thought I'd share it with you. 

Our front steps have this sturdy, but fairly ugly railing (picture on the left is the before photo). This spring, hubby took the power washer to it and cleaned it up, but even though it looked better, it was rougher feeling than ever (and not very protected from the elements). 

So on a lovely fall day, I decided to sand the darn thing to death and then spread on some deck sealer that had been in our garage for a decade.


I went through about 10 sanding pads on our cheap old sander. The grain was really raised and the wood was really rough. But since it's a very sturdy railing, I just needed to get it smoother and sealed up.


After an unreasonable amount of sanding, I cleaned the railing off (brushed and then wiped down with a damp rag), I opened up a can of tinted waterproof sealant that was left in our garage by the previous homeowners (we've lived here for about a decade, but I'm guessing the deck sealant was from when they were getting ready to sell the house). I filled up a paper cup full of the stuff and brushed it on. I used exactly one paper cup full of the stuff to put a liberal coat on the railing, so I have plenty of sealant leftover if it needs another coat, but I'm hoping I don't have to mess with it for a good long while (the can said to apply one coat--who am I to argue with the can?!).

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