Sacre bleu! Your letterbox doesn't have to be boring.
Installing a letterbox is probably not something many of us think we will ever have to do, but if you live in a particularly old home and you have to rely on an outdoor mailbox, or your front door was built without a pre-installed letterbox, the thought must have crossed your mind at least once. Trudging out into the cold in little more than a dressing gown to fetch the morning paper and the latest batch of bills can not only be undignified, but unnecessarily uncomfortable.
If you want to take the DIY approach and fit your very own letter box, we've devised this handy, step-by-step guide. Simply follow the numbered steps and make sure you have all the tools listed and the job should take you no more than an hour or two.
Tools
Who knows what you'll get through your letterbox...although letters probably
- The letterbox itself
- Pencil
- Tape measure
- Drill
- Drill bits
- Jigsaw blade
- Sandpaper
- Spirit level
- Ruler
- Safety glasses
- Choose your letterbox. Make sure that it suits the colour and material of the door you'll be installing it in and that it comes with all of the necessary attachments.
- Clear your work area (which in this case is your front door). You won't need to remove the door and as you'll mainly be working outside you probably won't need a dust sheet.
- Ascertain exactly where on your door you want the letterbox to go. There is no solid rule that it has to sit in the dead centre of the door, but if your door is panelled in a traditional way, the centre of the door, just beneath the handle is probably the most logical location.
- Assuming you choose the 'traditional' location, measure the door to make sure the letterbox is properly centred, and from the outside, mark the height you've chosen in pencil. Next, measure the width of the door and place a mark at the centre point at your chosen height.
- Use your ruler to draw a straight line through the point you've marked and use the spirit level to make sure it's as flat and level as possible.
- Measure the width of the actual letterbox and mark its centre point. Line it up at the door by its top edge, using the line you drew in the last step as a guide. Make sure the centre points on the door and letter box are aligned and draw around the letterbox.
- Don't cut out the entire area you've just marked. Instead, measure the opening on the inside of the letter box (the mail slot), make a (physical) note of these measurements and then transfer them to the door. Be sure to make the hole at least a couple of millimetres larger than the specific measurements to allow a little 'wiggle room' and always use the spirit level to check your accuracy as mistakes can be costly.
- Don your safety glasses and draw out the inner rectangle on the door and drill 4 holes in each corner of the inner rectangle. The holes should be large enough for the jigsaw blade to pass through. A 16mm drill bit should suffice. Remember to stop drilling once the drill bit reaches to the other side of the door or the wood will split. Drill from the other side to finish the holes.
- Using the jigsaw blade, cut out the inner rectangle, cutting inside the lines slowly and with care.
- Use the sandpaper or electric sander (depending on your preference) to sand the edges of the opening.
- Take the letterbox and use it as a guide to mark where you'll need to affix bolts and screws and then drill these holes using the same method as earlier. In terms of the drill bit size you should use, the literature that comes with your letterbox should give you some idea. If lug-holes are used with your letterbox, don't drill all the way through to the other side, only drill through as deep as the lug-holes themselves are.
- Attach the letterbox. This should be quite straightforward as long as you have completed all prior 11 steps with care and caution. Fasten all the screws, bolts, nuts and lug-holes tightly and then step back and admire your handy work.