How to Stake Mailboxes
- 1). Contact your local post office to find out local regulations for placing a mailbox. The distance a mailbox should be mounted from the road and the required height of the mailbox vary from city to city. Measure this distance from the road with a tape measure and mark the spot using one of the builder's stakes. Drive the stake lightly into the ground with a hammer.
- 2). Remove the builder's stake and dig a hole with post-hole diggers or an ordinary shovel. The depth of the hole will depend on how tall your post is and the post office's regulation height for a mailbox. Keep in mind you will be adding 2 inches of gravel to the bottom of the hole. Make the hole a few inches wider than the post on all sides.
- 3). Add 2 inches of gravel to the bottom of the hole. Gravel helps water drainage and will prevent your stake from rotting.
- 4). Drive the two wooden builder's stakes into the ground, one on each side of the hole across from the another, with a hammer. Place your mailbox post in the hole. Straighten the post using your level. Tie builder's string around each wooden stake and then to the post to hold it straight in place. Measure your post again to make sure it is regulation height with your mailbox on it.
- 5). Mix the quick-drying cement according to the manufacturer's instructions using the bucket, mixing stick and water. Pour the cement into the hole around the stake. Double-check that the stake is level before you allow the cement to dry.
- 6). Allow the cement to dry completely. Remove the string and builder's stakes.
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