I am so excited to share the first before/after of our new house! You can catch up on why we moved plus an update post and an entire before tour of the empty house is coming soon – hopefully next week.
I don’t know about you, but when I am in the midst of major chaos (aka: boxes and stuff everywhere and the question your husband and you ask each other multiple times is “do you know where ‘X’ is or might be packed?”), I need SOMETHING/ANYTHING pretty to look at. Whether that be that I get the bed set up and make it pretty with pillows and a throw on the end while the rest of the room is still in boxes and not a thing on the wall or whether it be a pretty wreath on the front door before you enter to a runner made of cardboard boxes and more piles of boxes everywhere.
So when my project this month for DecoArt was to tackle an outdoor project, there was no shortage of things to choose from to tackle. Our yard/porches/exterior of the home need a lot of work and love. But my very pregnant self needed something somewhat small that I could successfully update from start to finish without hours of work.
Enter the mailbox. If you have read my blog for quite a while you know that I did an easy makeover on our mailbox at our last house that made a huge difference. It was a project I wished I had tackled much sooner, so I wanted to be sure to not wait to tackle this mailbox.
Here’s what it looked like…
I mean at least there was some flowers growing there!
So first I needed to start with a blank slate. I removed all the old pavers and we will reuse those for a project in the backyard. Then I removed the weeds and added some simple gray scalloped paver stones.
Next was to tackle the mailbox and pole. I removed the mailbox, scrubbed the bird droppings off, and let it dry while I started to work on the pole. I then used my Ryobi sander to sand the pole to remove the mildew and get it back to the bare wood to prepare it for stain.
DecoArt has a new outdoor line of paints and stains and I was anxious to try them out. These little cans of paint are perfect for small projects like this when you don’t need a gallon of paint to complete a project. I chose to use DecoAart Americana Decor Color Stain in White and this little pot of paint did my entire mailbox pole with a little bit leftover. You can find this line of DecoArt Color stains at select Joann Fabric stores.
You can apply the stain with just one coat or several coats depending on the level of coverage/opacity you want. I wanted a pretty solid finish on the wood but also wanted something that was going to seal/stain the wood instead of just paint it. DecoArt Color stain is self-sealing so it will help protect the wood from further damage. Iapplied 2-3 coats with a brush (it’s even water-based so easy cleanup and safe for me to use while pregnant).
And here’s the after!
I split a few hostas from our old house and brought them with us to bring a part of our old home to our new home. So I added a few of those, plus a daylily plant, 2 brightly colored annuals, and finished it off with dark mulch. But seriously, that mailbox?? I mean doesn’t even look like the same one. I need to pick up some house numbers to add to the pole and this little 2 foot section of our yard will be pretty and COMPLETE!
Here’s a closer picture of the pole –you can still see e some of the wood grain of the post through the stain which I really like. But yet it does look solid white from a distance too.
Just for fun here’s another before/after comparison…
So who just added a project to their to-do list? This was a much enjoyed break from unpacking boxes and organizing – but I hear another stack and another room calling my name.
What would you tackle with DecoArt Color Stain? It comes in tons of fun colors and I can’t wait to try some of those out soon too.
looks great Christina! Congrats on the new house…can’t wait to see the tour and all the great projects that are sure to come!!
It looks sooo much better! I like how that stain looks. Yay for the new house!
I just hit my mailbox with Rustoleum’s oil rubbed bronze and the flag with fresh red enamel myself. What a difference! Now for new numbers…
So funny that you posted this project! My mailbox desperately needs an update and I had pulled up your project from the last house to follow (I need to paint the mailbox, too). Your refreshed mailbox corner looks great! Looking forward to seeing your “before” house tour!
Love the mailbox. You are amazing at the energy you have and the drive to get things done. Looking forward to the tour. Nice that you mentioned the paint is water base as there are others out there that have to be careful too.
Congrats on the new house, this small improvement looks wonderful!!! Your energy is amazing!!! Looking forward to the house tour you mentioned!
Love the mailbox and planter around it. You can truly revive a old drab looking mailbox into a fresh new look. Keep up the greaqt work!
Hi Christina,
The mailbox looks great. You definitely have a knack for home makeover projects.
Thanks for the post,
Dennis
I have been wondering how your projects were going..
Congrats on that sweet baby girl!
I know your neighbors are LOVING your awesome changes.
Love the makeover. However, dyed mulch is bad for the environment and unhealthy for plants and humans, especially around veggies and things you might want to eat. Not many people are aware that red/black mulch is full of chemicals. Natural bark mulch is a much healthier option.