How to Wrap a Steel Post or Pipe with a Column

A lally column, a steel pipe, or a 4x4 is already holding the load. A decorative column only hides it. The shell is not the support.

Split columns

Decorative columns can be factory-cut lengthwise into two halves. The store option is “Cut in Half,” at $40 per column. On site the halves are glued back around the post with PL Premium adhesive for Spectis, part PLP100. That option is never available on structural columns.

Check the opening first

The hollow inside the column has to clear the post, including any base plate or top plate. Measure the post’s width, or the pipe’s outside diameter, and measure the plates. Then compare those numbers with the internal clearance on the model drawing. Decorative columns are the only shafts that can be ordered split.

Worked example: a 4⅝ inch steel pipe. A 6 inch box column in the SBC8120 family is likely too tight. An 8 inch box column, SBC1096 or SBC10120, has about a 5 inch square opening and is the usual choice. Confirm that 5 inch figure on the drawing for the SKU you order. The 8 in smooth box column is one listing in that family. More sizes are under decorative box columns and the wider box columns list.

Steps

1. Measure the post and both plates.
2. Choose a column whose interior clears them.
3. Order it with Cut in Half.
4. Dry-fit the halves around the post.
5. Glue the seam with PLP100 and clamp or tape it until the adhesive sets.
6. Add the cap and the base. They can also be cut in half to go around the existing post, and they are joined with PL Premium (PLP100) glue only.
7. Fill the seam, sand it, and paint.

The full install sequence is in the column installation instructions.