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Mastered in a Minute

Mitered Post Wrap

Use a lock miter joint and PVC boards to dress up pressure-treated posts.

By Fine Homebuilding Editors
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      Wrapping deck and porch posts in PVC board stock is a great way to them a long-lasting, low-maintenance finished look. The cleanest approach is to join the long edges of the stock with a miter joint, but getting the joints to fit tightly and evenly along the entire height of the post can be tricky. While setup takes a few minutes, a lock-miter bit used in a router table creates a self-aligning miter joint that is worth the effort. Lock-miter joints provide a lot of surface area for glue, and PVC glue is all that’s required to hold the pieces together. Assemble three sides of the wrap on a bench or on horses, slip it around the post, and glue the fourth side in place. A couple of screws or nails are all you need to secure the finished wrap to the pressure-treated post.

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      1. user-6800184 | Aug 07, 2017 05:52pm | #1

        PVC boards with the lock miter bit will work great but when using treated lumber, make sure you have enough clearance to allow for expansion and contraction because of moisture content.. If you want to use a lock miter joint with wood, be cautious of the moisture content difference between treated lumber and your finished lumber wrap.

      2. user-6554618 | Aug 07, 2017 06:48pm | #2

        +1 to the above comment. I'd add that when using wood, consider wrapping the post with a rain screen to allow moisture to escape.

      3. ToddMargo | Aug 17, 2017 06:43pm | #3

        I want to 2nd user-6554618's point and add: make sure there is an escape route at the bottom of the post -- that is, never "seal" whatever trim is at the bottom to the surface, or if you do, at least create weep holes.

      4. ToddMargo | Aug 17, 2017 06:47pm | #4

        The title of this post is wrong and doesn't match the accurate sub-title. There is nothing discussed about "bomb proofing" a post. Nothing in the article discusses post-to-structure attachment techniques to protect from a bomb blast or high winds, etc.

      5. ToddMargo | Aug 17, 2017 07:08pm | #5

        Oh, one final point. If you do the rain screen as suggested and ensure bottom drainage, you won't need to use pressure treated lumber. This is an advantage since so much PTL these days has excessive moisture content at the time of sale (in big box stores at least). Douglas fir 4x4 works great and can expected to last a long time in this particular application. It is not different from furring strips behind siding, whereby testing has shown that pressure-treated furring is not needed if you have proper drainage behind the siding.

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