Brick Mailbox Ideas

Each day as you head out to collect the day's delivery of bills, letters, magazines and junk mail, your mailbox stands guard against rain, wind, snow and errant drivers. By building or installing a brick mailbox, you give your mail a safe place to wait for your or your postal carrier's pick-up. When brainstorming design ideas for your home, don't forget ways you can enhance the appearance of your mailbox as well.

Whitewashing

If you've grown bored of the reddish brick color of your mailbox, consider whitewashing it into a new hue. Whitewashing is the process of mixing hydrated lime (available at hardware stores and concrete wholesalers), table salt and water (usually in a large quantity holding bucket or cauldron), creating a pale, beige color (the number of coats of whitewash determine how bright and opaque the color looks). After you've mixed the combination together, apply it with a brush (get a variety of sizes to reach both the large, flat sections of the bricks and the crevices of cement). Apply one coat, then let dry. With just one coat, the red of the bricks will show through slightly; to create a pattern, select only some of the bricks to paint another coat onto, such as a diagonal row or horizontal stripe.

Give your kids a sunny-day activity by asking them to transform your brick mailbox into a work of art. Standard children's chalk (available at dollar stores, toy shops and mass merchandisers) writes easily on brick, leaving bright marks. Let kids' imaginations run wild drawing self-portraits, family pictures, animals or smiley faces. Ask them to write a special message to your mail carrier or trace outlines of their hands all around the base of the mail box. Consider getting the thicker chalk pieces for younger children who can't yet grasp thin items such as pencils and pens. A benefit of this activity is that the "artwork" will wash off with the next rain or a quick hose-down, creating a fresh palette for another day.

If your home's address numbers are a long ways from the curb or hidden by tree foliage, consider using your streetside brick mailbox as a way to let visitors know where you live. Your mailbox itself may have the numbers on it with small decals; use the large brick post to advertise your street number. Individual street numbers (0 through 9) are available at hardware stores, craft shops and online. Consider getting numbers that glow in the dark through solar rechargers so guests or emergency medical professionals can find you even at night. Some numbers have peel and stick backs, but that may not hold very long on a brick surface. Use a super glue to attach the numbers to your brick post, horizontally if there is space, otherwise, position them vertically.