This spring I developed an idea to build a sandbox for our kids and wanted to get it done about as quickly as possible. It became a priority at times when it probably shouldn't have (like right before a roadtrip when I had other tasks to do), but unlike a lot of other projects, it was fun! It's done now and worth a share.
I spent a good deal of time figuring out what exactly I wanted to do. There are a number of sandbox how-to articles online, obviously, but many are more complex than I needed with built-in shade covers etc. The most important thing to figure out from the outset is where to put it and how much space you have. I wanted it to put it underneath our deck where it'd be surrounded by mulch and a concrete pad. There it's mostly out of sight (I'm not asking the HOA's permission, shh) and will get some shade too, though I'm realizing now this spot will have some issues to work through as well. When I finally measured the spot I learned it couldn't be more than 5 feet in one direction and it just made sense in my mind to make it a square. So that was the plan.
After some Googling I learned the best wood for this would be cedar, and to make sure to get raw wood instead of pressure treated to avoid chemicals and splinters. Cedar holds up well outside, it's what a lot of decks are made from (including ours), though it's more expensive than some of the other wood you'll see at the hardware store. I went to Home Depot and Menards to see what they had in stock and it took a couple visits, usually when I was there for another purpose, to get what I needed. One difficulty was that the HD store closest to me had the exact boards I wanted (10 foot 2x8 raw cedar) but their saw was broken. Another store had a working saw but I'd have to special order the wood. A week later the saw was fixed and I could get the two boards cut in half to fit in my car. On that trip I also picked up some heavy duty landscaping fabric and a dozen bags (600 lbs!) of play sand. It was time to get to work.
First I formed the box. None of the four boards were exactly 5' on getting home, with two barely longer and two barely shorter. I used my own miter saw to cut the longer ones to exactly 5' and the shorter ones to 4'9" (remember the actual width of a 2x8 or a 2x4 is 1.5"). This way when they were put together, the longer ones on the outside, forming all four corners, and the shorter ones inside of them it would be an exact 5' square. And it was. I used long (3¼") exterior screws, drilling pilot holes first, to hold everything together and doing my best to make right angles. Making the basic box was pretty easy.
This is when I started to get a little fancy. After my work last year (see here) the white fencing on the deck above is looking great. I wanted the sandbox to match. I needed to sand the box I'd constructed anyway, to get rid of rough patches and sharper corners, but then took it further than I probably needed to, starting by hand with some really rough grit (like 60) to wear down the corners and edges, then working up through 120 and 180 grits with a orbital sander. I already had the pads from last year so why not. When I was done it was more than ready for some waterproofing paint. It took two coats, a lot gets absorbed on the first go, but with a mini roller it was easy.
Next I decided to make some benches for the kids to sit on in the corners. I had some spare wood for this that'd been in the garage for a while with no other use in mind. This took some lining up and angled cutting on the mitre but once I had one I could trace it on the others and it went pretty quickly. Then a lot more sanding, and I went up through 220 grit to make them extra soft. They were looking great even before we really made them our own.
These benches became an art project for the kids. Three kids and me, four benches. Each of us could decorate one as we pleased. My wife picked up some real (not washable!) paint in bright colors and we have an art night. It was more than a little terrifying, especially to let the not yet two-year-old use these (she got it all over herself - it's fine), but we got some cool personalized seats. After they dried I picked up some clear exterior poly and did a couple coats to seal them up.
Finally it was time to install. After I cleared away the mulch and made as flat of a spot as possible under the deck, my wife and I carried the sandbox frame down from the garage. I took a little time to try and get it mostly level but didn't worry too much, it was close. Then I put down some cardboard I'd cut (and punched some holes in to let water escape) and covered it with the landscaping fabric, which was stapled to the sides (little staples from a staple gun) and the ground (big landscape staples I bought with the fabric). I needed to suppress my OCD here as the fabric didn't look perfect but we were about to dump a bunch of sand on it and I moved on. One of the final steps was the screw down the benches and I think this was done the following day during naps, with one final coat of poly to cover the screws.
I hesitated slightly to finish the job, as I didn't have a good cover solution figured out and I've heard an uncovered sandbox can be an invitation to stray or other nearby cats. But the kids wanted to play and I was ready too. We dumped in most of the sand (500+ lbs I believe), added a bunch of trucks and sand toys, and the kids got to work. For the moment I have a folded tarp covering the box when not in use, though I intend to make something a little more permanent and aesthetically pleasing. Still brainstorming that.
That's enough for today. This was a fun little project and the kids have a cool new play space. Now, keeping the sand out of the house will be the real challenge.
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