Repurposed Thrift Store Mail Sorter

8 Materials
$5
1 Hour
Easy

One of my favorite ways to save money is repurposing thrift store items to use as part of my home décor. Old wood mail sorters are an easy DIY project and can be found for cheap! Like this one, I repurposed a few months back. You can see it HERE.


I found this one for $1.50. It was marked at $2.99 but it was the color of the day, so I scored it for 50% off. Even though it was outdated and had a few dings, it could still be saved! And what’s going on with those gold accents? Eeekk!

Mail Sorter Before

For this mail sorter, I decided to create a project for my Mom. She loves gardening especially planting flowers. I thought this would be perfect to hold her seed packs and gloves as well as a few small tools that she may need. And it could be attached right to her potting station.


I wanted the color of the mail sorter to be bright and reflect Springtime. Therefore, I chose to use Dixie Belle’s Mint Julep. It’s a beautiful pastel green. 

Dixie Belle Mint Julep

The first step was to remove the gold embellishments/tacks.  I used a flat head screwdriver to remove them by gently placing the head of the screwdriver under the tack.

Removing Outdated Tacks

Once I had all of the gold tacks removed, I decided to replace them with white upholstery tacks that I had in my craft box. This will be done after I paint the mail sorter.

White Upholstery Tacks

Next, I cleaned the mail sorter with my water and vinegar mixture. 

Cleaning

After allowing the mail sorter to completely dry I applied one coat of paint.

One Coat of Paint Applied

The second coat of paint was added an hour or so after the first one. It only took two coats of paint.

Adding Second Coat of Paint

Once it was completely dried, I gave it a light sanding with my 220-grit sandpaper just to smooth the surface. and to distress around the edges. I wiped the sanding dust away with a piece of my tack cloth. I applied one coat of Polycrylic Spray to seal.


Using a small hammer, I attached the white furniture tacks over the existing holes in each corner. I used a cloth over the tack so the hammer would not damage the finish.

White Upholstery Tack

To add a more Springtime feel, I painted small flower wood appliques with one coat of white spray paint. 

White Floral Wood Appliques

After they dried, I attached them with hot glue to the center of each slot, and one on the top.

Adding Appliques

For less than $5.00, I created a unique piece of décor. My mom loved it!

Resources for this project:
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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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