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How to Install a New Mailbox Post

Replacing a mailbox post is an easy way to spruce up the curbside appeal of the home.

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How to Install a New Mailbox Post

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" Whether damage or rot or just the desire for new look can drive the need to replace an existing mailbox post. Here's how to do it. Choose a mailbox post you like. You can build one from scratch if you wish. Make sure that the material that the post is made out of is weather and rot resistant, pressure-treated wood or naturally weather-resistant wood species like cedar are good choices. Before you put in new mailbox post, check with your local post office for current regulations. Find out how high from the road your mailbox must be as well as how far back the mailbox must be from the road. If there's an existing post to be removed, first try wiggling it. If you can wiggle it loose, you may be able to pull it straight up out of the ground. Protect your back by bending your legs or get help to share the load. You might find that the old post was set in concrete. In which case, you'll have to dig it out. Use a spade to dig down around the cement and lift it out. To widen the old hole, use a long-handled shovel to make the hole about twice as wide as your old post and deep enough to place the mailbox at a regulation height plus four inches per bed of gravel. You can also use a posthole digger, which is very effective for digging a clean deep hole. Line the bottom of the hole with four inches of crushed stone to allow moisture"

" sprinkle with grass seed on top. Work the grass seed down into the soil and set the seed firmly in place with your foot. Lightly water the area surrounding the post to get the grass seed to begin to germinate. Do not disturb the post for 24 hours. When the cement hardens completely you can install the new mailbox."

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