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Letter Tidy

Windows

Windows

Old Oak
Joined
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Cumbria & West Kent
Apparently the flaps on the inside of letterboxes are called letter tidies in the UK. I did not know this until about 5 minutes ago. Anyway, the letter box for our house is in the back door and does not have a letter tidy. The interior of the external flap is visible and shows some wear which is ugly and I’d like some more insulation here. So I want to tidy it up.

IMG_4349.jpeg

The aperture size is 204 mm x 46 mm (8” x something) and there are a couple of prominent bolts holding the exterior plate which extends the area I’d need to cover to 256 mm (if they stay).

So what to do? Make or buy? If buy, what am I buying & from where?

All suggestions welcomed.

The letterbox doesn’t get a lot of use, but we still get some letters that aren’t junk so I don’t think I can just get rid and close the hole.
 
Any diy or hardware shop will have something. B&Q have a bewildering selection here, for example:


I think that your first job will be to undo the domed nuts that hold the other side on, remove the outside flap, counterbore the holes wide enough to hold nuts + a box spanner or socket, deep enough to finish flush, then shorten the front bolts so they don't stick out and refix.
You'll need to make sure that the fixing holes on the flap you buy are further apart so they don't coincide.

And for an extra irritation, the old bolts are quite likely to have Whitworth threads, making it a bit harder to swap the nuts you have for slimmer ones. Good luck!
 
Thanks Andy. Sinking the bolts seems sensible.

The challenge I’m having when looking at commercial offerings is that it’s not very obvious to me which are or can be surface-mount only and which require a piece that extends into the opening. If I’d installed one of these before maybe it’s obvious that the sleeves? are always separate and optional? And I’m also not seeing ones that match the size - seeing a lot of 10” and 12” which might be suitable if surface-mount only is an option. Maybe there’s terminology that helps distinguish but I haven’t picked it up yet.
 
I think you need to go to a shop and have a look in person.
If you only have a Screwfix or Toolstation to choose from, I've found staff to be helpful with showing you inside the box before you buy. (They both have no-quibble exchange policies so it makes sense.)
 
Could be a good idea.

I’ve watched a couple of videos and am starting to get it:

If they come as a pair for both sides of the door, mention a sleeve, or provide aperture dimensions, it seems that the sleeve is probably integral and you do need to match aperture size.

If it’s only one side, described as a backplate, internal letterbox, or letter tidy, the package looks flat and doesn’t mention a sleeve or the aperture size, that should be surface mount so only need to ensure that external dimensions exceed the aperture. There are surface mount options that include brush insulation.
 
If you're happy to keep the existing external letter plate then just an inside cover is the best and cheapest option. The brush draught seal type are pretty flat and thin, usually plastic and fine but deform over time so draught proofing deteriorates. The other option is a flap type which can be metal with a plastic frame (I've recently thrown 2 of those in the bin :( ) Personally I think the flap type looks nicer. All are a simple fit with usually four screws provided.

You can recess the nuts as Andy said or make a thin spacer to set the plate out a bit further and cover them.
 
Thanks Lons. We like the external letter box, so hope to keep it. Definitely want a flap for the internal, but brushes behind the flap might be OK.

The alternative to buying something would be to make a very, very short wooden box with a nail-hinged lid and without a bottom and attach it to the door to act as the tidy. It could be sized to surround and hide the bolts so I wouldn’t have to sink them if I did that.
 
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