I love a good spray paint project. It is the cheapest way to give something a new look, so, when Krylon contacted me and asked if Id be interested in trying some of their new spray paint, I was thrilled at the opportunity. I chose their new Rust Protector quick drying spray paint in Copper Metallic and Aged Brass Metallic and I loved it.
The timing couldnt have been more perfect as I had picked up one of these copper post caps at Lowes on clearance not too long ago and thought it would be perfect for something,
I just wasnt sure what yet.
Then inspiration hit. Our cheap basic mailbox has been looking pretty sad for the last few years so why not give it a facelift. The spray paint I chose was perfect as it is a rust protector and of course, a mailbox is exposed to all kinds of weather so thats what it needed. I was also pretty happy that I selected copper and aged brass for my choice of colors. The mailbox would also tie in nicely with my copper porch curtain rods.
Heres a before shot of the sad looking mailbox.
Pretty dull, huh? You might be wondering why anyone would care about sprucing up something as simple and basic as a mailbox and the answer is, I would. Im just that kinda gal. I like to think that simple mundane objects, like mailboxes, as part of a home,
deserve to look good, too.
So heres what I did......
As usual, I wanted this project to be as cheap as possible, so we went hunting for some rustic wood, as in, beside the road, free. No problem.
We found a 4 x 4 and a 2 x 4, both dirty and old, just like I wanted.
First I prepared the wood by hosing it off, letting it dry and then sanding it with 180 grit sandpaper. I wasnt going for perfection here, after all, it was going to be outside. Next, I brushed on some special walnut stain and set them aside to dry.
Next up, the mailbox. After cleaning and removing the old number stickers, I spray painted the flag first with the aged brass metallic. 
While that dried, I grabbed a package of these.
They are foam letter and number stickers available in any craft store. I wanted to personalize our mailbox and also create an embossed metal look. I added our name to one side and our address to the other side. Then I taped off the already painted flag and spray painted the mailbox with the copper metallic paint. I gave it a good 4 or 5 coats.
It is a fast drying spray paint and it certainly lives up to that.
It was almost dry before I got around to the other side of the box.
Mailbox done.
The next part, building the post, was a bit difficult and I didnt take photos. It took two pairs of hands, which required hubbys help and stopping for photos isnt his thing. :)
After the entire thing was complete, I added the copper end cap to the top of the 4 x 4 post with a little glue and heres how it looks now.
We are pretty happy with how it turned out. And we finished just in time as about 10 minutes after this photo, a huge storm hit. But the spray paint held up great!
I cant wait to add some mums and pumpkins to the base
of it for a little Autumn decoration. :)
Heres a closeup of the foam stickers. 
The adhesive on the back is pretty strong so Im confident they arent going anywhere.
This was a pretty fun way to spruce up a cheapo mailbox and I loved how fast the paint dried!
Thanks Krylon!
I am certainly no expert, but here are a few spray painting tips that have helped make spray painting easier for me.
* Always keep your spray paint back about a foot from whatever your painting.
If youre too close, your paint will go on too thick.
* If youre spraying, your arm should be moving. If it isnt,
this will also cause too much paint in a single area which causes the paint to run.
* Its always better to do several light coats instead of one heavy coat in an
attempt to hurry and get it done. I learned my lesson on that one over and over.
* If you have to stop to make dinner or do a load of laundry like me, wipe the excess paint off the spray valve. That way it wont get a weird clog and spray out the side,
painting your face when you resume working on your project. :)
If any of you have any other helpful tips, please feel free to leave them in the comment section and I can add them to this post. :)
Have a great day!
Diana
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