How to Build a Sandbox

By: Chrystle Fiedler, This Old House magazine

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. Four 8-foot pressure-treated 2x12s

2. Two 8-foot pressure-treated ½x6 decking boards

3. One 6-foot pressure-treated 2x4

4. 2 square feet of ½-inch pressure-treated plywood

5. Steering-wheel cover

6. 3-inch deck screws

7. ¼x1-inch zinc fender washer

8. Two drawer handles

9. Two sets of 2½-inch stainless-steel butt hinges

10. Latex exterior stain

11. Latex exterior paint

12. Landscape fabric

13. 20 bags of play sand

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Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Tape measure
- Triangular layout square
- Jigsaw with coarse, wood-cutting blade
- 4-foot bar clamps
- Drill/driver fitted with 1/8-inch bit
- Safety glasses
- Paintbrushes
- Shovel
- Steel rake
- 4-foot level
- Utility scissors
- Staple gun
- Compass
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Product selections for this project
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race car shaped sandbox for kids and adults to build

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14

2 days
$150 to $200

Difficulty: Moderate Moderate. There are many heavy parts, but the cuts are easy and the assembly straightforward.

Age Range: 10 and up

A sandbox brings a little bit of the beach into your backyard, and playtime is even more fun when the box itself has an imaginative shape. Kids can "drive" at the playground for hours of fun in this red car. It even has special storage under the hood for when you’re ready to make a pit stop.

This project is a bit challenging, so older kids may want to help build it with the younger ones. You can construct the basic box in your garage, then park it on a level spot outside. With the whole family pitching in, it will take just one weekend to get this car roadworthy, so you’ll soon be ready to roll.