Ideas on Making a Mail Box Post

Scrapped Treasures

• Unsightly and worn-out items ready for the trash heap, such as an old bicycle or wheelbarrow, can find new life as an attractive mailbox post. Secure the wheels of a rusted bicycle to concrete footings and spray the bike with a can of rust-inhibiting paint. Mount a mailbox between the handle-bars, add a basket just below to hold potted flowers or serve as the newspaper drop. Plant flowers around the wheels and let ivy climb the spokes. Paint a rusted-out wheelbarrow with rust-inhibiting paint. Tip the wheelbarrow up on the front of the bucket and secure the nose to a concrete footing. Mount a mailbox on the edge of the bucket between the handles with brackets. Dump potting soil around the wheelbarrow to give the illusion of dirt pouring from the bucket. Plant colorful flowers in the soil to complete the scene.

Local Identity

• Design a mail post to reflect a personal career path or something of local interest. A mailbox inserted into an over-sized molar lets everybody know where the local dentist lives. The larger-than-life tooth is easily crafted from auto body filler shaped over a wire-mesh frame. If living near the sea, a mailbox within a gently tapering post topped with a working lantern serves as a lighthouse guiding visitors both day and night.

Wood Works

• Secure an interestingly shaped tree trunk or drift wood to a concrete base. Carve out a space for the mailbox or mount to the top or branch. Finish by brushing on a protective sealant that is clear or includes a stain.

Metal Mania

• Whimsical mailbox posts from scrap metal are no longer only for those with welding tools thanks to metal bonding adhesives. Shape chains, wire and other metal parts into the skeleton of a T-Rex chomping down on back of the mailbox. Secure old musical instruments in a graceful curve that lifts the mailbox within reach of the curb.

Traditional Flair

• An interesting mail post doesn't always require extreme out-of-the-box design. A traditional post style may be preferred, especially if living in a deed-restricted neighborhood. Even when faced with limitations, decorative options are available. On a wooden post include a second arm to hold a flower box. Detail the underside of each post arm with ornamental iron or wooden brackets and top the post with a finial. For a masonry column, inset intricate medallions into the stone, brick or stucco. Or build the column base wider than the body to accommodate planters for flowers or ivy. Sometimes less is more, especially in designing an attractive mail post.