Historic Post and Beam Porch Transformation

This magnificent 1920s Craftsman-style home in Old Mandeville's historic district featured a stunning wraparound porch supported by massive cypress posts and decorative beams that had endured nearly a century of Louisiana's punishing weather. The original old-growth cypress structure, measuring 12 feet in height with 10-inch square posts, had suffered from decades of UV exposure, humidity cycles, and storm damage, leaving the wood silvered and weathered with multiple layers of peeling paint and exposed grain.

The homeowners, who had recently purchased this historic property just blocks from the Lake Pontchartrain levee, were committed to preserving the architectural integrity while ensuring the structure could withstand another century of Louisiana weather. Our team conducted a comprehensive structural assessment, identifying areas where moisture had penetrated the wood and caused minor splitting, particularly around the decorative beam connections and post caps.

Our restoration process began with careful paint removal using eco-friendly gel strippers and carbide scrapers to preserve the cypress's natural texture and avoid damage to the century-old millwork. We hand-sanded each post and beam with progressive grits from 80 to 220, paying special attention to the intricate bracket details and beam chamfers. Critical structural repairs included consolidating loose wood fibers with penetrating epoxy consolidant and filling minor splits with marine-grade wood filler.

The painting system we selected specifically for this historic cypress structure included three coats of Sherwin-Williams ProClassic acrylic-alkyd paint in historically appropriate "Cottage White," chosen for its superior adhesion to old wood and resistance to Louisiana's extreme humidity fluctuations. We applied a specialized bonding primer designed for aged cypress, followed by two topcoats using brush and roller techniques to achieve the smooth, hand-painted finish appropriate for this architectural period.

The completed restoration not only preserves this important piece of Old Mandeville's architectural heritage but provides decades of protection against Louisiana's challenging climate, from summer temperatures exceeding 95°F to hurricane-force winds and constant humidity that can destroy improperly protected wood.