I searched high and low for a modern toy box for my new son’s first Christmas present. Besides the high price tags, I quickly came to realize that shipping is about 20 per cent of the cost of the toy box. Yikes! Also, the boxes I was finding were lack luster and not what I envisioned for the toy box. I kept coming across the same things over and over. The chick who was on Shark Tank who made those cool Mod Boxes – very cool but seriously I am not spending $500+ on a toy box. As I pinterested and pinterested I realized that I was never going to be able to buy the perfect toy box so my only choice was to suck it up and make one. I have never really DIY’ed when it comes to things like this so this is literally my first attempt. Also, I decided to do this 2 weeks before Christmas!
Inspiration: Here are the things that inspired my modern toy box
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| Photo by: The Marilyn Denis Show |
Truth is I am a clutz so I stay away from power tools for the sake of my children – they need a mother who doesn’t have an injury (see how easy it is to blame things on our kids ;). So, my husband built this perfect box. It’s pretty easy to watch someone do it, but I am not sure I will attempt it myself just yet.
Ok, let’s get building! You can build the box using whichever breed of wood you like and whichever size you like. Here is how I did it. You will need:
2 12″x6′ poplar wood boards (1 inch thick)
1 34″x5 1/2″ wood board (1 inch thick)… this is 1 part to the bottom base and will be joined with a cut piece to extend the depth of the box
Biscuit Joiner tool & 3 wood biscuits
Carpenters glue & Clamps
1 small box of 2 inch (6d) finishing nails
4 Castor wheels (2 should have brake mechanisms)
2 Cabinet handles (I got mine from Ikea)
Take your two 6′ wood boards and cut them for 5 pieces:
2 Long Sides – 35 1/2″ x 11 1/4″
2 Short Ends – 16 3/4″ x 11 1/4″
and 2nd part to the bottom base – 34″ x 11 1/4″
Use the biscuit joiner for the long edges of both bottom pieces and make 3 biscuit cuts equally spaced. Add carpenters glue and biscuits in holes and clamp two woods together then let dry to form your base (total size 34″ x 16 3/4″).
Square off side pieces with base and nail together. Raise the base slightly so when you attach the wheels they won’t stick out too much. Lightly sand the entire box to make sure you have a nice smooth finish on your box. Wipe with a damp cloth. Attach your wheels. Attach your handles. The castor wheels are from Home Depot and the handles are from Ikea (they are kitchen cabinet handles).
I used Benjamin Moore paint and I purchased sample cans – they are only $7.00 each and they contain more than enough paint.
The colours I used: (Cement grey (2112-60), Stone (2112-40), Vermilion (2002-10), Black (2132-10)
You will also need letter stencils, painters tape, and small paint brushes to complete the painting.
I asked a DIY expert from The Marilyn Denis Show, Tara Ballantyne, for advice on painting. she hacked that Ikea dresser pictured above and the full instructions for her dresser are here. Use your stencils and painters tape to paint the desired design. Do one coat of primer where your colours will be, let dry, then paint 2 coats of your colour on top. If you are using stencils, make sure to tape them on with painters tape and make sure the paint doesn’t bleed out of the edges. Once you are done with the design, use a clear coat of varnish to seal your box.
Voila! Your box is done! I hope you find this helpful. Good luck making your own modern toy box! If you have questions, feel free to contact me!
With Love,
Julie
Here are some progress photos:
