What you need:

• Standard mailbox
• (1) Roll of 3/4" doll house wood flooring (at least 32 feet)
• 1/8" thick plywood (approx 15" x 19")
• (1) piece of wood (approx 5" wide x 20" long x 3/4" thick)
• A few different kinds of wire
• (1) bolt and nut to attach flag
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Ruddy Brown Primer (Note: If painting a plastic mailbox, replace Indoor/Outdoor Primer with Krylon Fusion for Plastic Red Pepper or Burgundy.)
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss Banner Red Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gray Primer (Note: If painting a plastic mailbox, replace Indoor/Outdoor Primer with Krylon Fusion for Plastic White.)
• Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Semi-Gloss or Satin Black Krylon Indoor/Outdoor White Primer (Note: If painting a plastic mailbox, replace Indoor/Outdoor Primer with Krylon Fusion for Plastic White.)
• Krylon Spray Adhesive
• Hot Glue
• Drill

How and How Long:

1. Give mailbox a even coat of Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Ruddy Brown Primer. (Take off your flag first!).
2. Cut enough "wood flooring" to cover both sides of the mailbox, about 6 inches in height for the sides and enough to cover the whole front of the mailbox.
3. Using the Krylon Spray Adhesive, attach the flooring to the front and sides of your mailbox. Coat entire mailbox (with siding) again with Indoor/Outdoor Ruddy Brown Primer. Then once dry, spray with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gloss Banner Red.
4. Cut enough flooring to make a 7" x 5" outline of a barn door for the front. Then make an "X" to go in the middle of it (just like a real barn door!). Spray with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor White Primer and then use Krylon Spray Adhesive to attach.
5. Cut the following from the plywood sheet: two roof supports, two roof slats (2" x 19"), two 4" x 19" pieces, and one 3-1/2" x 19" piece.
6. Cut a 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" block out of the piece of 3/4" wood. Spray the roof supports and the block with Indoor/Outdoor Ruddy Brown Primer and the roofing slats with the Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Gray Primer.
7. Once everything is dry, attach the roof supports with hot glue to the top of the mailbox. Spray the roof slats with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Semi-Gloss or Satin Black.
8. Use hot glue to attach roof slats to roof supports. Attach wooden block to side of mailbox with hot glue with the center being right where the hole for the flag is.
9. Drill through the wooden block with a bit slightly bigger than the bolt for the flag.
10. Using the different kinds of wire, fashion a personal weather vane for your barn. Use whatever you can find to make it unique. (We used a fish button!).
11. Drill through the roof and use hot glue to affix the weathervane in place.

Tip: When spraying the mailbox with Indoor/Outdoor Banner Red and the roofing with Indoor/Outdoor Black, don't completely coat the whole thing. It gives it a more rustic feel if some of the primers show through. Not in patches mind you, just as if some of the top layer of paint has worn away.

Barn Mailbox by Michael Boothby

Approximate project time: 2-3 hours.

What it Costs: