Vintage Porch Columns: Get Inspired & Buy Here
Just how enduring is the look of grand porch columns? The style can be traced all the way back to the massive stone posts of ancient Greece and Rome. In American architecture, wooden columns are a fixture in several home styles, used to enhance front porches and entryways. In the 21st century, true vintage porch columns are a crucial component to updating historic properties and crafting authentic older styles.
At Turntech, we’re a custom wood turning shop that specializes in porch posts and columns. Due to our one-of-a-kind craftsmanship, we often build vintage porch columns that look identical to the originals made more than a hundred years ago. Discover the traits of these historic porch columns, see some examples of what we can build, and work with us today!
Key Traits of Historic Porch Columns
From sprawling antebellum country estates to stately city residences in historic districts, these grand columns are a hallmark of so many amazing old properties. There are a few unifying characteristics that the vast majority of historic porch columns have in common:
- Round and Thick Design – The signature look of a classic column is the rounded shape paired with a thick circumference. While this has a practical advantage of being able to support large porch roofs, it also contributes to the impressive grand style. These historic pillars typically start with a diameter of 8 inches yet are often far larger!
- Mostly Smooth – When it comes to the design on the actual face of the pieces themselves, most historic columns will be fully smooth. This creates the clean and formal look we often associate with historic properties. While smooth may be the primary style, fluting (straight indents running the length of the piece) adds an extra degree of complexity to the design and are always popular.
- Gently Tapered – Tapering is the design touch in which the top of a column is more slender than the base. As the column widens towards the bottom, it creates an elegant appearance that draws the eye. A gentle taper is a common trait in most of these historic porch columns.
- Made of Cedar or Mahogany – These wood species were a popular choice for building columns over a hundred years ago. Both of these hardwoods are strong enough to hold up huge porches and have natural resistance to rot, mold and wood boring insects. While matching the material isn’t necessary when replacing vintage porch columns, it is an option with Turntech!
- Painted White – Although traditional Victorian style porch posts often feature a wide range of bright colors or stains, vintage porch columns are almost always painted pure while. Contrasting the white of the columns against brick or colored siding looks absolutely stunning. On the other hand, pairing white columns against a white house creates a upscale feel that nothing else can match.
See and shop our most popular column designs right here!
Let us Match Your Current Columns
One of the advantages of working with Turntech is that we can exactly match most porch posts and columns – even hundred-year-old historic ones. The ability to create the identical matches can be vital when only replacing one column in a series or maintaining strict historical accuracy. In order to do this, just send us a few pictures from different angles of the column you want to mimic. We’ll take care of the rest!
Learn more about the custom matching process.
Shop Vintage Porch Columns Now
When you’re ready to learn more about what we can build for you or place your order, our experts are standing by. While we may be a custom woodshop that is dedicated to the classic architectural styles, we’re also a 21st century company that offers helpful modern convenience too. For example, we provide online shopping and ship our vintage porch columns all over the country!
Reach out right now to get started building with us!
