Custom Finial

By Bryan James | Updated on 01/15/24

Forgive me but I wanted a little more curb appeal for my porch finial than a wooden ball or gothic post cap from a big box store could provide. You can get an extremely nice one on Etsy for around $130 or a moderately crappy one from a box store for $50. Enter Hobby Lobby, Goodwill...or wherever. Find something that you like for a newel post and turn it into one. Thankfully, Hobby Lobby was having one of it's sales on this resin knickknack making them $20 a piece and perfect for my porch newel posts.

What You'll Need

Tools

Finial worthy object
Drill
Drill Bits
Caulk Gun
(Optional) 1.5" Forstner Bit

Materials

Quick and Dirty Instructions

Not quite as robust a method but should get the job done.

Sand Top of Post and Bottom of the Finial

Sand the surfaces where you intend to put your newel post.

2. Caulk

Use your caulk gun to cover the bottom of your finial with caulk. Put the finial down on top of the post where you want it to stay.
Run a bead of caulk around the base of the finial.
- Wet your finger and use it to smooth the caulk out around the base, using a paper towel to wipe any excess collected on your finger.
- If you want more instruction here's a pretty good video on how to caulk.

Regular Instructions

Install Brad Hole Tee Nut in Finial

On the bottom of your finial locate the center or where ever you would like to attach it to the post.
- If you want the brad tee nut to be flush with the bottom of your finial then you will need to use a 1.5" Forstner to cut out 3 mm of material. If you're using caulk then you can also just use enough to hide the discrepancy.
- Take off a little material at a time and use the base of the brad tee nut to determine when it is flush with the bottom.
Using a 1/2" drill bit or 13mm if you've got it, drill a hole in the bottom of your finial about 3/4" deep.
- Wrap masking tap around your drill bit at the 3/4" mark if you want a way to mark your depth.
Install the brad hole tee into the finial.