Installing Wellington Column Wraps with Column Caps onto an Existing support post

1. Before you start, make sure the surfaces of posts, the columns, and the column cap is clean and dry. Acclimatize the Faux Columns, the post, the plywood and the lumber to roughly the same temperature and humidity for about 24 hours prior to installation. Avoid having any of these materials stored in direct sunlight, or close to heat sources.

2. In order to provide a secure and well anchored base for the column wraps a sub frame has to be constructed. Make sure to construct this structure (including the plywood) to fit the inside dimensions of the Faux Column Wrap. This frame had to be centered on the existing support post and securely shimmed to maintain a solid and plumb connection to the existing wood column.

3. Then apply the exterior grade plywood to the wood sub frame to serve as the surface for attaching the Faux Column Wrap panels. Dry fit the Faux Column Wrap panels onto the structure to ensure proper sizing.
Hint: leave a small amount of extra room for the thickness added by the adhesive that will be used between the panels and the plywood.

4. Apply a bead of glue/adhesive to the perimeter of the back of one of the Faux Column Panels. Roughly an inch from the edge. Apply additional glue/adhesive to the rest of the back of the panel in a zigzag pattern. With beads of glue/adhesive not more than 4" apart or so. Add a small amount of glue to the inside of the interlocking "fingers" of the Faux Column Wrap. Then add a small amount of the
color matched textured caulk to the edges of the "fingers" where they will join with the next section of the Faux Column Wrap.

5. Apply the Faux Column Wrap to the plywood. Use a slight twisting motion to help insure a good contact with the glue/adhesive, and the plywood. The PL® Premium Advanced 4X Construction Adhesive will help to hold the individual panels in place on the plywood and give you some working time to put the other panels up.

6. Repeat steps 4 & 5 for each of the other sections of the Faux Column Wrap. Fit the interlocking "fingers" together.

7. Make sure the column wrap is level and the fingers all fit together nicely. Begin fastening the panels to the plywood with screws all around the perimeter at roughly one foot apart or less. Additional screws are needed to be in the middle of each section of Column Wrap panel at a rate of about 1 screw per square foot. All screws should be very slightly recessed below the surface of the panels. Do not over tighten the screws. Hint: Placing screws under protruding rocks, in crevices, or grout lines, to help conceal them will give a cleaner/more realistic look.

8. Before the texture caulk dries be sure to use a damp rag to wipe off any excess caulk that may have squeezed out for between the joint between the two panels. Click here for more details on caulking panels. Use the textured caulk to conceal the screw heads as well.

9. Now you can start the next row up if you are installing multiple rows of Faux Column Wraps. Repeat steps 4-9 for the next row of panels to be installed. Note: The panels were designed to butt up to each other bottom to top. This joint should also be caulked to insure a tight seal that has a seamless look.

10. Cut the Column Cap into two halves. The cut is made along the diagonal in order to help hide the seam by following the original creases of the cap. Then make a cut out in each of the two cap halves to allow them to fit around the existing porch support post.

11. Prepare the Faux Column Wrap to accept the Column Cap over it. To obtain a good tight fit of the two halves of the column cap some of the top 1.5" - 2" of the panels had to have some of the stone protrusions shaved down slightly.

12. Apply glue to the tops of the tops of the Column Wraps and to the wood sub-structure to secure the Column Cap in place. Glue the two halves of the cap together and set it in place, pressing down firmly. Use screws to hold the two halves of the cap together and also to hold the cap to the panels and sub-structure.