Mailbox Ideas

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I love a good spray paint project.  It is the cheapest way to give something a new look, so, when Krylon contacted me and asked if I'd be interested in trying some of their new spray paint, I was thrilled at the opportunity.  I chose their new Rust Protector quick drying spray paint in Copper Metallic and Aged Brass Metallic and I loved it.


The timing couldn't have been more perfect as I had picked up one of these copper post caps at Lowe's on clearance not too long ago and thought it would be perfect for something, 
I just wasn't sure what yet.



Then inspiration hit.  Our cheap basic mailbox has been looking pretty sad for the last few years so why not give it a facelift.  The spray paint I chose was perfect as it is a rust protector and of course, a mailbox is exposed to all kinds of weather so that's what it needed.  I was also pretty happy that I selected copper and aged brass for my choice of colors.  The mailbox would also tie in nicely with my copper porch curtain rods.

Here's a before shot of the sad looking mailbox.


Pretty dull, huh?  You might be wondering why anyone would care about sprucing up something as simple and basic as a mailbox and the answer is, I would.  I'm just that kinda gal.  I like to think that simple mundane objects, like mailboxes, as part of a home, 
deserve to look good, too.  
So here's what I did......

As usual, I wanted this project to be as cheap as possible, so we went hunting for some rustic wood, as in, beside the road, free.  No problem.  
We found a 4 x 4 and a 2 x 4, both dirty and old, just like I wanted.


First I prepared the wood by hosing it off, letting it dry and then sanding it with 180 grit sandpaper.  I wasn't going for perfection here, after all, it was going to be outside.  Next, I brushed on some special walnut stain and set them aside to dry.


Next up, the mailbox.  After cleaning and removing the old number stickers, I spray painted the flag first with the aged brass metallic.


While that dried, I grabbed a package of these.


They are foam letter and number stickers available in any craft store.  I wanted to personalize our mailbox and also create an embossed metal look.  I added our name to one side and our address to the other side.  Then I taped off the already painted flag and spray painted the mailbox with the copper metallic paint.  I gave it a good 4 or 5 coats.  
It is a fast drying spray paint and it certainly lives up to that.  
It was almost dry before I got around to the other side of the box.  

Mailbox done.  
The next part, building the post, was a bit difficult and I didn't take photos.  It took two pairs of hands, which required hubby's help and stopping for photos isn't his thing.  :)  

After the entire thing was complete, I added the copper end cap to the top of the 4 x 4 post with a little glue and here's how it looks now.


We are pretty happy with how it turned out.  And we finished just in time as about 10 minutes after this photo, a huge storm hit.  But the spray paint held up great!


I can't wait to add some mums and pumpkins to the base 
of it for a little Autumn decoration.  :)

Here's a closeup of the foam stickers.  


The adhesive on the back is pretty strong so I'm confident they aren't going anywhere.


This was a pretty fun way to spruce up a cheapo mailbox and I loved how fast the paint dried! 
 Thanks Krylon!

I am certainly no expert, but here are a few spray painting tips that have helped make spray painting easier for me.

* Always keep your spray paint back about a foot from whatever your painting.  
If you're too close, your paint will go on too thick.

* If you're spraying, your arm should be moving.  If it isn't, 
this will also cause too much paint in a single area which causes the paint to run.

* It's always better to do several light coats instead of one heavy coat in an 
attempt to hurry and get it done.  I learned my lesson on that one over and over.

* If you have to stop to make dinner or do a load of laundry like me, wipe the excess paint off the spray valve.  That way it won't get a weird clog and spray out the side, 
painting your face when you resume working on your project. :)


If any of you have any other helpful tips, please feel free to leave them in the comment section and I can add them to this post.  :)

Have a great day!
Diana

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