Old brick column mailbox needs flag. Easy makeover and solution to keep your mailbox looking nice and alerting the mail carrier of outgoing mail.
I can’t say I’m a fan of the type of mailbox our home came with. The entire neighborhood and town has these brick column mailboxes with the metal box cemented inside.
We’ve seen them knocked over by trash trucks, rusted, and cracked along the brick sides. But it did it’s job.
Mail came in. Mail went out. Everything was fine, until we got a new mail carrier in the neighborhood.
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We had a nice rapport with our old mail carrier. Every day we’d collect our mail and a few times a month he would see a couple of neatly stacked envelopes with stamps right at the front for him to collect. Even though our brick column mailbox didn’t come with a flag indicator, it was never a problem.
The new mail carrier wasn’t on board. Despite always collecting our mail or having a neat small pile, he refused to pick up the envelopes and would just stack new mail on top of it.
Reasons he doesn’t need to:
- No flag to indicated I wanted him to take it
- He doesn’t always stop at our home if we do not have incoming mail
- Not his job to guess if the envelopes were outgoing mail or mail from the day before.
I get it. It wasn’t his job to guess, but man did I miss our old mail carrier.
We had two options. Either we could drop off the letters ourselves at the blue collections boxes or makeover the mailbox and figure out the flag situation.
We chose to makeover the tired old brick mailbox. And we decided to do it on a budget.
This is our own personal experience. Be sure to seek professional guidance and follow tool and manufacture directions.
BRICK COLUMN MAILBOX NEEDS FLAG
Tools & Materials
- wire brush
- screw driver
- Rust-oleum Self Etching Primer
- Rust-oleum All Surface Paint + Primer spray paint
- Mailbox Flag for brick mailbox
- Hose
- newspaper
- masking tape
CLEAN THE MAILBOX
Using the jet setting on the garden hose, rinse off the mailbox of old dirt and buildup.
Allow to fully dry.
Take a wire brush and clean off any visible rust and debris.
PAINT AND PRIMER
Mask off the surrounding area using old newspaper and masking tape. Apply a coat of Rust-oleum Self Etching Primer. Allow to fully dry.
Apply a coat of Rust-oleum All Surface Paint and Primer. For this project we used a bronze color for the mailbox to match our dark bronze garage lighting.
Attach a wet paint sign to the brick column and allow to dry for at least an hour.
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ATTACH THE MAIL FLAG
Once the paint is fully cured discard newspaper and attach the front mounted Mailbox Flag.
WHY WE DECIDED NOT TO MOUNT A FLAG TO THE BRICK
Because our brick pillar mailbox was built in 2005, we decided it was best to not drill into the side of the cement. Given it’s age and our limited tools, we didn’t want to accidentally cause any damage to the bricks.
However you can attach a flag directly to the brick using the correct size masonry drill bit and concrete anchor.
REPLACEMENTS AND ACCESSORIES
Although we were able to save this mailbox door by brushing it clean and spray painting it, other doors might not be so lucky. If your brick column door has just had enough you can always purchase a replacement mailbox door.
Other Accessories:
This weekend project was simple but effective. With a bit of time, spray paint, and a new front mounted mailbox flag, this mailbox is ready for another few years of life. One where the outgoing mail actually goes out.
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Great idea. What creative ideas do you have for the old newspaper cubby hole that is no longer needed except as a place for spiders and dirt to gather?
You know, that’s a great question. Our kids like putting their sidewalk chalk inside there. It keeps it out of the rain and easily accessible for quick sidewalk art. If you have any other ideas for that area, let me know!