House numbers are more than a convenience for pizza delivery. They are important to your family’s safety.

Emergency services need to see your house numbers to find you. That is why the City of Albuquerque passed an ordinance requiring all buildings, both residential and commercial, to have easy-to-find numbers on the property. 

If you don’t have house numbers on your property, one of the easiest DIY solution is to paint them on your curb.

For this beginner DIY project, you will need; 

• Painters tape
• Number stencils
• White spray paint
• Black spray paint
• Paint brush and paint remover (for touch ups/overspray)

Step 1: Sweep and clean the curb. Once dry, tape off a rectangle at the same height and slightly wider than your numbers stencils.

Step 2: Spray paint the rectangle white and let dry.

Step 3: Position and tape the stencils over the white rectangle. Be sure to tape over the width of the white box not covered by stencils to avoid overspray. (Note: if you’re feeling especially artistic, you can leave a couple inches at the end of the numbers for a stenciled or free-hand design.)

Step 4: Spray paint the stencils black.

Step 5: If you are a novice (like me), you might need to touch up overspray areas using a small brush and the white spray paint. Clean up any mess with a paint remover like Goof Off. 

Or you can skip Steps 1-5 and pay the neighborhood teen next time they ask if they can paint numbers for you. 

By Eva Medcroft, Editor of NewMexicoHomeSearch.com.