The Upcycled DIY Sandbox

After the grand success of our scrap wood playhouse I thought I’d continue my upcycling challenge and try to create a sandbox for the kiddo once again using only what I could find in the attic:

Upcycled sandbox DIY

Another triumph!

Here’s what I did:

dresser to sandbox diy (2)

I went spelunking in the attic and discovered an old, squeaky dresser and a few random pieces of wood.

dresser to sandbox diy (3)

I removed the drawers and took them apart.

dresser to sandbox diy (4)

Nailed on a few extra MDF boards to cover the open back of the dresser.

dresser to sandbox diy (5)

Attached the side piece of an old desk to the bottom of the dresser to close it up and provide a back rest then used the back & sides from one of the drawers to create a mini bench inside of the sandbox.

dresser to sandbox diy (6)

The drawer fronts were attached together to form a (perfectly fitting) lid for the sandbox.

dresser to sandbox diy (1)

Everything got two coats of some leftover weather proof paint.

Upcycled sandbox DIY

Then I attached a couple of old drawer pulls to the lid & found the perfect corner to set it up!

Upcycled sandbox DIY

I added some of the (many) old vintage bricks that we discovered buried in the yard during our landscaping attempts for a fancy border detail.

Upcycled sandbox DIY

…and a mini paddling pool for splashy sandy feet rinsing fun!

Upcycled sandbox DIY

Jack (the Ripper) is pretty darn impressed with our little backyard beach too!

– and the kiddo and I are thrilled with our sparse but actually growing self-planted grass –

12 Comments

  1. very upscale sandbox – very nice job too

    1. Cheers Kathleen, the kiddo is getting loads of use out of it 😀

  2. Love this! 🙂

    1. Cheers Katherine! I’m pretty impressed with myself! 😉

  3. Alice W says:

    That’s so lovely! A little seat and everything!

    I know of people whose kids are a bit older, who have turned their wooden sandboxes into raised planters.

    (In a previous house which didn’t have outside space, I half filled one of those plastic under-bed storage boxes with sand and set it down on an old shower curtain. Was better than nothing)

    1. Great minds think alike Alice! Before we moved to our little house I created a sandbox on our apartment balcony the exact same way! The wheels on the storage box made it easy to push out of the way when neccessary! 😀

  4. Love the idea and the way it looks! I hope I can make something similar for my kid in the future.

    1. Having a munchkin to make for really allows your creativity to explode! (+ kiddos ALWAYS have wonderful ideas too!)

  5. So great! Such a useful idea. My kids would loooove this.

    1. Useful, fun and recycling = the perfect project!

  6. That’s pretty awesome! I wish we had a tiny bit of yard to put a sandbox in. It must be such fun! 🙂 Lisa

    1. The corner of a balcony would work for a smaller version (but I’d prefer having an actual beach to go to 😉 )

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