Square Columns Style Front Porches

A front porch is often the first part of a home that greets visitors. As such, porches provide an excellent opportunity to add visual interest and personality to your home's exterior facade. Square porch columns offer a versatile design option to stylishly accent your entryway.

With their straight lines and angular shape, square columns contrast nicely against the typical rectangular shapes of most houses. The squared edges also pop against curved or rounded features elsewhere on the home. Square porch posts frame doorways and pathways elegantly while complementing traditional architecture.

What Are Square Columns for Front Porches

Square columns, also referred to as porch posts, are vertical structures placed on either side of steps leading up to a front door or porch. They offer decorative appeal and sometimes provide physical support for the porch roof and overhang.

Square porch columns typically range from 4 inches up to 12 inches wide on each side. Thicker 8-12 inch posts made of strong materials like wood or fiberglass may assist with bearing porch weight. Meanwhile, narrower 4-6 inch columns often serve mainly cosmetic purposes.

Materials for Square Porch Columns

Square porch columns come in a variety of different building materials to fit diverse budgets and home design aesthetics:

• Wood - Classic material for square columns; can be painted or stained
• Fiberglass - Mimics wood look with added durability
• Polyurethane - Lightweight synthetic that resembles wood
• Vinyl - Budget option for low-maintenance and customized looks
• Metal - Modern material for clean lines and sleek visuals

Additionally, square columns may be constructed from brick, stone, concrete, stucco, iron, and other materials to match home exteriors. Scroll down for an in-depth exploration of common porch post building materials to determine what works best for your home!

Popular Styles of Square Columns

Beyond the actual construction medium, square columns also come in a variety of architectural styles. Choosing columns to match your home can create a cohesive curb appeal. Here are some of the most popular square column look options:

• Corinthian - Ornate style with decorative scrolls, fluted shafts, and intricate details on top
• Doric - Thick, sturdy shafts without fluting; less decorative accents
• Egyptian - Tapers toward top with organic shapes and symbols engraved
• Ionic - Features scrolling designs; less ornamental than Corinthian style
• Romanesque - Boxy overall shape with decorative elements toward the top

You can also customize square porch posts with your own millwork, molding, or trim for a custom built look. This offers creative license to match any home architecture or design scheme imaginable!

Reasons to Use Square Porch Columns

Installing square columns on your front porch or entryway offers several aesthetic and functional benefits:

1. Complement Rectangle Houses

The angular edges and straight lines of square columns contrast nicely against the typical rectangular shapes of most homes. The squared corners help frame doorways and pathways for a clean, symmetrical look.

2. Contrast Curved Architecture

Meanwhile, square porch posts also pop visually against curved or rounded features that may be found on Craftsman, Victorian, or other architectural styles. The juxtaposition of shapes adds appealing dynamic contrast.

3. Accent Straight Lines

For traditionally boxy home styles like Colonials or saltboxes, square columns tie into existing straight lines and continue exterior visual flow. Their right angles match cleanly with doors, windows, and rooflines.

4. Offer Visual Interest

Square pillars break up flat, uniform facades with needed contrast and visual appeal. They attract the eye naturally to highlight and frame focal points like doorways or house numbers.

5. Frame Doorways

Speaking of doorways, square porch columns do an excellent job drawing attention to and properly framing entry points. They outline walkways to elegantly guide visitors to primary access routes.

Square Column Material Options

Choosing the right construction material for square porch columns involves balancing aesthetics, durability, and budget. Fortunately, today's manufacturing innovations provide attractive options across the spectrum. Let's explore some of the most popular materials used to build stylish square columns:

Wood Square Columns

Wood remains a classic porch column material for its natural beauty, customization potential, and relative affordability. Painted or stained square wood posts stand the test of time while matching diverse home exterior palettes.

Cedar, redwood, and pressure-treated pine tend to hold up best against outdoor elements. Meanwhile, oak and maple provide attractive grain patterns when stained. Hollow poplar or rubberwood columns with laminate exteriors offer budget-friendly alternatives.

The main downside of wood square columns lies in potential upkeep requirements. Regular repainting or restaining may be needed to maintain appearances and prevent insect or water damage over time. Thus, wood works best in covered locations.

Fiberglass Square Columns

For the natural wood look without the maintenance, fiberglass square columns provide a fantastic option. Fiberglass mimics the visual appeal and texture of wood but resists rotting, splitting, insects, and other damage risks.

Fiberglass porch posts contain glass fibers reinforced by an epoxy resin binder. This makes them incredibly durable and longer-lasting than wood, especially when supporting structural loads outdoors. The material won't warp or crack under weather fluctuations either.

From a design standpoint, fiberglass offers extensive customization flexibility too. Columns can be molded into virtually any shape in diverse sizes and styles. Smooth surfaces accept paints nicely as well.

Polyurethane Square Columns

For another wood-mimicking alternative, polyurethane deserves consideration. The synthetic polymeric resin makes incredibly lightweight but durable building materials--great for decorative square columns.

Polyurethane porch posts won't rot, warp, or splinter like wood. The waterproof material also resists weathering and insects thanks to a protective gel coat barrier. This makes polyurethane columns ideal for wet, high-humidity locations.

Design-wise, polyurethane square columns promote versatility too. Smooth surfaces and custom molds allow for endless painted or faux finishes. Columns can even incorporate molded details to mimic wood grains, fluted shafts, decorative capitals, and more!

Vinyl Square Columns

Speaking of synthetic alternatives, don't overlook vinyl square columns! The PVC-based material offers an extremely budget-friendly option for low-maintenance porches. Lightweight hollow designs keep installations simple as well.

While vinyl doesn't mimic natural wood, the vinyl's weatherproof and impact-resistant properties prove useful outdoors. Expect exterior-grade pigments to maintain appearances for decades without repainting too! Just don't overload weight-bearing capacity.

From a style perspective, vinyl promotes nearly endless custom painted or faux finishes from artisan vendors. Fluted details, column capitals, trim, and millwork suit traditional preferences. Smooth surfaces also welcome creative DIY paint jobs.

Metal Square Columns

Finally, don't overlook metal when designing a porch! Aluminum, steel, and iron deliver contemporary, industrial options with slim profiles and clean lines. Durable metals withstand weathering while conveying modern edge.

Look for corrosion-resistant aluminum or galvanized steel columns to prevent rust damage, especially in seaside or winter climates. Wrought iron offers charming vintage flair as well. Just note that metal feels colder than other materials physically.

From a styling perspective, metal's sleek sheen allows home exteriors to take center stage. But creative combinations, like iron columns on Victorian homes, make dynamic design statements. Just ensure paints and protective finishes stand the test of time.