I redid my mailboxes last week and I LOVE how they look! I posted them on Facebook and some people asked how I did it, so here are the details. First, I pulled it all apart, cleaned it, and scrubbed off all the layers of stickers. I had eight years worth of names on there! It actually looked way worse than it does in this picture.
I realized that the cardboard pieces could be turned inside out. So I did that because the grayish side had glue on there that I couldn't get off. One of the custodians from my old school had glued it together for me so it was more sturdy. He also put a piece of wood diagonally across the back which has helped it stand up all these years!
I started by painting the outside with acrylic paint because I had it. Do NOT do this. I don't know what the outside is made of. Some sort of plastic maybe? The paint seemed fine. Until I was finished and rubbed or scratched on it...it all came off. So, then I spray painted it with black spray paint for plastic. I was originally avoiding spray paint because I'm awful with it, but it was much easier. I had to do both the inside and outside.
Then I spray painted all the cardboard pieces purple. It took two cans and I almost needed a third. After that, I put it all back together and lined the edges with washi tape. I added the clips like I have been seeing on Pinterest. This way names can easily be added or removed without ruining the mailboxes. I think I have a little label maker I can use for that.
Here's the finished product! SOOO much better! The bottom row (top picture) is black because it is part of the outside case. If I had thought about it, I probably would have painted it purple to match the other bottoms but oh well!
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Love your mailboxes Jessica! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteBrandi
Success in Second Grade
Follow me on Facebook!
Darn! Wish I had read your blog post before I threw out my boxes. Mine was so shabby that I couldn't stand it anymore. Yours looks super cute!
ReplyDeleteThe mailbox turned out great! I think I'm going to try putting binder clips on mine this year!
ReplyDeleteAlison
Rockin' and Lovin' Learnin'
This looks great, Jessica! You have me thinking about what I can do with mine now. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete~Holly
Fourth Grade Flipper
Wow! I love your mailboxes! Great job!
ReplyDeleteLaken
Whole Brain Teaching in the Ladybug Club
Your mailboxes look great!
ReplyDeleteSarah
MissKinBK
I had the same Monday Made It! :-) I love how you decided to spray paint the insides of the shelves though - wish I had seen that earlier. Looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteKristen
Sprinkled in Second
We're training for Leader in Me next week too. I hope it works well for our school. Good Luck!
ReplyDelete