Mailbox Styles

Put your best mailbox face forward.

The first face that a visitor to your home usually sees isn't your own. It's your mailbox's. A mailbox face can make a lasting first impression, which is why choosing the right mailbox style for your home is so important. Custom made mailboxes, copper and cast aluminum mailboxes, or handcrafted and decorative mailboxes are all mailbox styles that could provide just a tantalizing hint of the home décor that awaits visitors inside.

Mailbox basics

All mailbox styles follow two general mounting positions:

post mount

wallmount

Post mount mailboxes are typically found at the curb in front of your home or near the end of a driveway. All post mount mailboxes need a post and mounting board for installation.

Wall mount mailboxes are usually located directly next to the front entryway of your home. This mailbox style generally requires mounting screws and anchors.

Mailbox styles fall into two basic camps:

traditional

contemporary

Custom made mailboxes can be made to suit either style. Different materials will often be used for one mailbox style or another:

Cast aluminum

Cast aluminum mailboxes are often appropriate for reproductions or vintage and period decors. Cast aluminum mailboxes are highly durable and rust resistant. A cast aluminum mailbox would be ideal for high humidity regions.

Copper

Copper mailboxes are also suitable for handcrafted or custom made traditional mailbox styles. Copper mailboxes will acquire a natural patina as they age, making them even more beautiful and traditional in appearance. The interior of some copper mailboxes is made of brass, and these can properly be referred to as copper and brass mailboxes.

Galvanized steel

Galvanized steel mailboxes offer a pleasing contemporary appearance. A galvanized steel mailbox will be heavy and durable and will stand up well to weather and rust.

Exterior decorating

A custom made or handcrafted mailbox can give your home's exterior a unique decorative ambience. Custom made mailboxes may feature detailed or simple designs. An image of a flower or a nature scene with your name stenciled beneath it is a simple but popular choice in custom made mailboxes. Others prefer even more individualized mailbox styles, such as cat mailboxes or handcrafted mailboxes shaped like trucks or dogs.

Handcrafted mailboxes will most often be designed to fit in with distinctive home decors. Victorian mailboxes are one such popular mailbox style. Victorian mailboxes often stand on a pedestal and feature ornately decorative exterior working, such as carved images and floral or scroll work on the pedestal and pillar.

Rustic mailboxes are another common style of handcrafted mailboxes. Rustic mailboxes are often made from cedar. Cedar mailboxes offer a rugged, organic appearance, and because cedar is a wood highly resistant to rot, decay, and insects, a cedar mailbox will last for many years.

Cedar mailboxes offer the added advantage of weathering as they age. If left unfinished, a cedar mailbox will turn a beautiful silver-gray color.

All mailboxes should be decorative mailboxes. To get the best use out of your home exterior, choose a mailbox that would fit with your home décor, inside or out.

More information on mailboxes