Mounting a Mailbox to a Building With a Rock Face

Placement

• Half of the battle in placing a mailbox on a building with a rock face is determining exactly where you want to put it. Rock walls are typically not flat in the same way that brick walls and walls made out of other materials happen to be. Instead, you have to examine the face of the wall and the size of your mailbox to determine an ideal location. Ideally, you need to find a flat surface on your rock wall, whether it be one of the stones or a combination of stones and mortar. Find the flattest location with the least amount of erosion and deterioration.

Drilling

• Aside from finding the right spot, drilling the mounting holes is instrumental to mounting the mailbox so that it does not come tumbling down off of the wall. Buy or rent a roto-hammer drill for best results. Mark the spots on the wall where your mailbox will be screwed into the rock. Using a 1/4-inch masonry bit, drill down into the rock about 1 1/2 inches in the places designated by your markings. If possible, drill into the rock itself. As an alternative, you can drill into the mortar, but this may deteriorate over time and result in the need to rehang the mailbox.

Anchors

• The key to keeping your mailbox in place is anchoring the box in place using a special anchor designed specifically for these types of projects. Place lead 1 1/2-inch lead anchors into the holes you have drilled and pound them all the way into the stone with a hammer. A mailbox should not need more than two of these anchors to remain secured to the wall.

Screws

• The mounting screws are the last remaining obstacle to getting that mailbox up on the wall where you want it. Once you have the anchors in place, though, most of the battle is over. You only need to drive the screws into the masonry anchors, using either a screwdriver or a drill. Ensure that the screws you use are at least 1/2 inch longer than the hole you drilled. Leave this 1/2 inch protruding from the wall so that you can hang the mailbox on it, using the mounting holes located on the back.