DIY Sandbox for around $40 (or less)

Happy spring everybody!! Too bad it’s being dampered by a global pandemic. The only thing keeping us sane at the moment is being able to enjoy the outdoors. We have over three acres so social distancing isn’t difficult, but I know not everyone is as fortunate. My 17 month old loves being outside, and apparently likes playing in the dirt…so I figured it was time for this kid to have her very own DIY Sandbox.

You can go to Target/Walmart/Amazon and pay $50+ to get one of those plastic turtle sandboxes (no hate, I had one as a kid and loved it just the same)… Or you could head on over to your local big box hardware store and (safely) buy some supplies for half that and use your own to hands to make a box that will last forever and be a little friendlier for the environment. Let’s get down to business.

Supplies

Tools you will be using:

Drill

Staple gun

Saw

The Process

I opted to go with a 4 foot by 2 foot sandbox. This made it pretty simple, just one piece of 2x8x12 lumber was perfect. Make sure your cuts are even and you are good to get assembling. You don’t need a mitre saw, any saw will do.

I pre-drilled the three screw holes on both ends of the 4 ft pieces.. The screws specified they didn’t need to be pre-drilled, however it makes it easier to line things up and make sure you are drilling the holes in straight. As you can see I also measured and marked my board where the perpendicular 2 ft board would meet it to center my screws.

Use your wood glue and spread some on the end of the 2 foot piece, this is the part you are screwing into. The glue just gives it some extra bond. Line the pieces up, and maybe get a buddy to hold them tight together while you screw each of the three screws into place.

Repeat for all four corners. Don’t sweat it if each corner is not completely flush, lumber tends to be warped. Let glue bond, 1 hour should be enough but I was done for the day so I let it go overnight.

You can stop here as far as carpentry work. I had some extra materials and the tools needed to take this a step further so I did.

I had some scrap pressure treated 2×4’s left over from our basement reno so I had the idea to make two corner seats for tiny hiney’s. Just used the mitre saw to cut the lumber at a 45 degree angle so it would fit in each corner of the box. Use nails or screws from the outside to fasten it in place.

Painting or staining your box is not necessary if you used pressure treated lumber. I chose to stain for aesthetic reasons and because we have a gallon of exterior wood stain laying around that is the same color as our house/pool house.

Next you are going to want to cut a piece of landscaping fabric to fit inside your box, mounted on the inside walls. This allows moisture to exit if any gets in, but not the sand. You can measure or eyeball it; the edge doesn’t have to be beautifully straight, it will be covered by sand anyway. I used a staple gun and put in a lot of staples all around the inside edge. Don’t pull the fabric taut, it can rip. Best to keep it a little loose so it has some give when you fill it with sand.

After stapling liberally all the way around I also added a bead of wood glue all the way around above the staples for a second level of protection from sand escaping the box. Allow time to dry.

Congratulations, your box is done. Now it’s time to make it a lid, because we don’t want critters getting inside. Grab your piece of plywood and cut it with your saw to sit flush on the top of the DIY sandbox.

Cut your plywood to fit over the top of the box. Measure the width/length and cut it to fit flush. Feel free to stain or paint it if you are skipping the tarp. Otherwise just throw this tarp over the covered box when it’s going to rain. It probably wont stop all the moisture from getting in, especially if your box is on the ground in a yard. moisture will seep in from below in that case, but it’s not a huge deal. Open up you box on sunny days so it can dry out.

There you go, you are ready for tons of fun in the sun in your new DIY Sandbox!