whether damage a rot or just the desire
for a 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 whether in rot resistant
pressure treated wood or naturally
weather resistant wood species like
cedar are good choices before you put in
the 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 for bed of gravel you
can also use a post hole 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 to drain away from the bottom
of the post wet the edges of the hole
and the stones at the bottom to keep the
cement from setting too fast and
cracking insert the new mailbox post
into the hole and using a level check
both sides of the post to set the post
plumb
following the instructions mix a bag of
dry cement in a bucket until it's the
consistency of pancake batter pour the
cement evenly around the post and stir
this mint with a stick to release any
trapped pockets of air
check one more time with a level to make
sure that the post is plumb and then
temporarily clamp
two pieces of wood to the post while the
cement sets let the cement set for 24
hours or until it's completely hard
when the cement is completely set remove
the supports and fill the remaining
depth of the hole with dirt and lightly
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