DIY Mailbox Upgrade

by Sara Bates

My hubby seriously loves golf. Apparently, so did the family who owned our home before us because when we moved in our mailbox looked a little like this.

diy mailbox upgrade, curb appeal, painting

After a few months of dealing with a bit too much wallpaper on the inside of our house, I decided to tackle a small project on the outside. With a few leftover cans of spray paint I transformed my mailbox from a bogey to a hole in one!

I'd been loving the ombre trend that's been circulating the fashion and home circuits for the past couple of months. Using ocean hues, I created my own ombre effect on my mailbox which is reminiscent of the ocean views from the course rather than the 18th green.

This project was completed in half a day, most of which was dry time. I first sprayed a few coats of gray primer over the mailbox until the golf scene was all but gone. Then I did two coats of the lightest blue over the entire mailbox. After that dried entirely I started about 2/3 of the way down on either side and very lightly layered in the mid-blue shade. Finally, I used the deep blue to blend in the colors at the bottom. After all three colors were applied I went back to spray a little touch up here and there to help the colors blend seamlessly together. Doing this before each color had a chance to dry made for a smooth application.

I love the look of the final product. This project cost me $0 because I used paint I already had in my garage! You can't beat free!

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1 question

Gay30034486 on Jan 15, 2018

Was there a specific type of paint you used? I know you said sprayed, so figure its the kind in a can, but can you be more specific. Love this and want to try it! Thanks

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2 comments

Hannah V on Mar 16, 2015
You definitely have the coolest mailbox on the block now!

2 Reply
BRAD8367028 on Jan 15, 2018

The law states that mailboxes are for postage-paid mail only and that "no part of a mail receptacle may be used to deliver any matter not bearing postage." So tucking something between the flag and the mailbox is not OK.
This goes for home improvement or landscaping solicitations, church brochures, school fundraiser notices, and so on. However, there are some exceptions to what counts as a mailbox: "Door slots and nonlockable bins or troughs used with apartment house mailboxes are not letterboxes within the meaning of [the law]." In addition, the law says, "the post or other support is not part of the receptacle."
So could you tape something to the post? If the post office wanted to get after you, it might be able to under this provision: "Any advertising on a mailbox or its support is prohibited."
The only non-mailed item that can be placed in a mailbox is a newspaper that is normally mailed but is hand-delivered on Sundays or national holidays when there's no mail delivery.all states..and true, the post office sees the mailbox, inside and out, as it's domain, not to be used for any other purpose. There is no other interpretation to it. JRB

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