Best Material To Wrap Porch Posts

What is a Porch Column Wrap?

Porch post wraps are installations you can add to your front porch to improve the look of your porch posts. Front porch post wraps are purely ornamental and aren’t load-bearing. They usually come as sections glued together around the existing porch column and secured with nails and screws.

Porch post wraps are available in many different materials and styles to help you achieve the exterior aesthetic you desire for your front porch. When installing front porch post wraps, you also protect your existing porch posts from weather, rot, and bug infestations that could cause severe damage.

Best Material To Wrap Porch Posts

To help you to decide which material to use when wrapping your front porch posts, we have provided a list of all of the materials available for your porch column wraps and the benefits and disadvantages of each.

Some main things to look for when deciding which material to use for your front porch posts are durability, life expectancy, and the level of maintenance they require. You can wrap your entire column or completely cover the existing posts with your new columns.

Vinyl

Vinyl is one of the most commonly used materials for front porch post wraps. Some of the benefits of using vinyl porch column wraps include:

• Viny does not expand or contract with temperature changes.
• Vinyl column wraps are available in a wide variety of styles and colors.
• Vinyl column wrap is relatively cost-effective when compared to other options.
• You can keep your vinyl wrap looking fresh with regular cleaning.

Some of the disadvantages to using vinyl front porch column wraps include:

• Quality matters – some cheaper low-quality options for vinyl porch wraps can look unattractive.
• Vinyl is susceptible to rot.
• Vinyl porch wraps can require regular painting to maintain the desired color.

PVC

PVC is a highly used material to cover existing columns on front porches. Some of the reasons for this include:

• PVC is a relatively low-maintenance material as it is easy to clean.
• PVC looks excellent and can come in a wide range of styles to suit your home’s aesthetic.
• PVC is also highly water-resistant and can protect your posts from elemental damage.
• PVC is durable – it will not rot, it is resistant to insect burrowing, and it will not split or warp.

However, there is a disadvantage to using PVC porch wraps to cover existing columns, which is that PVC wrapping is vulnerable to yellowing due to sun exposure. But, this can be remedied using treatments and by painting your PVC column wraps to maintain the visual interest of your porch.

stone

Stone column wraps come in four separate sections that interlock to create a wrap surrounding porch columns. You can choose to cover the whole column with stone or wrap half or just the bottom portion of the posts. Some of the advantages to using stone include:

• Stone is highly durable and will not rot.
• Stone does not require much maintenance – perhaps only removing moss or weeds.
• Stone is weatherproof.

Some of the disadvantages of using stone for your porch column wraps include:

• Stone is much more expensive than other post materials.
• Stone does not come in a variety of styles or colors.
• If you only cover the bottom portion of your columns, the rest will still be exposed to moisture and weather.

wood

Wood is a classic material used for porch posts and porch post wraps. Some of the advantages to using wood for porch posts include:

• Stained wood can be quite attractive, and can be tailored to your preference.
• You can also paint wood to match your home’s exterior.

However, there are numerous disadvantages to using wood for your porch column wraps:

• Wood is highly susceptible to rot and bug infestations – you would have to replace them.
• Wood does not have a long lifespan as it is susceptible to water damage.
• Wood requires varnishing and cannot be cleaned effectively, making it quite high-maintenance.

Aluminum

Aluminum is one of the less frequently used materials when it comes to porch posts, though it does have quite a few advantages:

• Aluminum has a long lifespan, making it a lasting investment.
• Aluminum is lightweight, making it easy to install yourself.
• Aluminum can be cleaned and requires little maintenance.
• Aluminum porch posts are rust-resistant.

Faux Wood

Faux wood column wraps are PVC wraps that have the appearance of wood. Faux wood porch column wraps come in various colors and wood styles, which makes it easy to match them to your home’s exterior. The benefits of faux wood wraps are similar to PVC column wraps:

• Faux wood wraps are more affordable than wood column wraps.
• Faux wood wraps are durable and weatherproof.
• Faux wood wraps are easily cleaned and require little maintenance.
• Faux wood wraps are more affordable than natural wood.

Like PVC column wraps, faux wood column wraps in lighter colors can be vulnerable to staining due to sun exposure.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass is known for its ability to emulate the appearance of stone when wrapping porch posts. Some of the advantages to using fiberglass porch wraps include:

• Fiberglass column wraps are much more durable than wood column wraps.
• Fiberglass column wraps are weather-resistant and do not rot.
• Fiberglass column wraps are impervious to bug infestations and moisture.

Fiberglass column wraps do have some disadvantages, though, including:

• Health hazards – installing fiberglass can cause the inhalation of small fibers that have.
• been known to cause lung disease.
• Fiberglass is carcinogenic and can cause cancer in some cases.
• Fiberglass is quite high-maintenance – it requires an extra gel coat every few years.
• You may not get a seamless join on your fiberglass column wraps as it is difficult to join them seamlessly.
• Fiberglass is susceptible to cracking – when this happens, you may need to replace the whole column.

Cedar

Cedar is one of the more affordable options when using wood to wrap your original post. Some of the advantages of using this type of wood include:

• Cedar column wraps are relatively weather-resistant.
• Cedar can be stained to create the desired effect of your choosing.

However, as with any wood column wrap materials, there are some disadvantages to using cedar on your porch posts:

• Cedar is vulnerable to bug infestations.
• Using cedar on your porch posts could result in rot.
• Cedar does not have a long shelf-life, it can split, crack, and be damaged by weather.
• Cedar is more expensive than faux wood alternatives that last longer and requires proper maintenance.