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Let your children play either in or on this portable sandbox: The lid can become a handy play surface. You can keep all of their favorite sand toys right below.

Portable Playtime

Skill Level: Intermediated/Advanced
 
 

Give your children hours of imaginative fun without making a sandbox a permanent fixture in your yard. Instead of sinking one into the ground, build it on four legs, and place it on casters. This allows you to slide it into the shade, move it into the garage during winter, or pass it along once your children outgrow it.

A necessity of any sandbox is a lid. The cover will keep animals and debris from getting into the sand. It can be made from a number of materials, including a plastic tarp, metal screen, or lattice. Here, the sturdy cedar lid provides the most protection, and with the lid on, the sandbox turns into a play surface or small picnic table. Lowe's is happy to provide this information as a service to you.

For detailed illustrations and instructions for building the sandbox, click here.

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Finish the sandbox with hardware to make it more user friendly. Exterior door pulls added to the lid allow for easy access. These pulls let a parent replace the lid when the kids have finished playing in the sand. Because the pulls are made for the outdoors, wet weather will not cause them to rust. Also, the four swivel casters with brakes allow for easy mobility.

Exterior pulls allow easy opening and closing of the lid to keep out unwanted debris and animals. A lower shelf holds pails and shovels. Casters make this sandbox easy to move out of the yard.
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Bring It Home From Lowe's

The paint department is a great place to look for sandbox supplies. Paint cans and paint buckets make perfect sand pails. First, treat the buckets with metal primer to prevent them from rusting. Once the primer is dry, spray paint them in the desired color, and then splatter paint the buckets. The bright pails will be a delight for digging and shoveling.

Brooke Hatten
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Materials

  • 2 cedar mailbox posts
  • 4 (2") casters with brakes
  • 3 (8-foot-long) 1 x 4 Western red cedar boards
  • 3 (8-foot-long) 1 x 6 Western red cedar boards
  • 5 (8-foot-long) 1 x 8 Western red cedar boards
  • 4 (8-foot-long) 1 x 2 Western red cedar boards
  • 3 (8-foot-long) 1 x 6 tongue-and-groove boards
  • silicone sealant
  • 1 1/4" screws
  • 16 (1/4" x 4") lag screws
  • 4- or 6-penny galvanized finishing nails
  • 3 (50-pound) bags play sand
  • 2 pulls

Tools

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Cut List
Part Material Size Quantity Notes
Legs mailbox posts 18 3/4" 4 with casters
Bottom skirt 1 x 4 40 1/2" 2 front and back
Bottom skirt 1 x 4 30" 2 sides
Bottom shelf 1 x 6 30" 8  
Sides 1 x 8 40 1/2" 1 front and back
Sides 1 x 8 30" 1 sides
Cleats 1 x 2 cut to fit 12  
Bottom 1 x 6 28 1/2" 9 tongue-and-groove
Edge band 1 x 2 44" 2 miter (front and back)
Edge band 1 x 2 32" 2 miter (sides)
Top boards 1 x 8 42 1/2" 3 cedar boards
Top braces 1 x 4 26" 3  
*Measurements from nominal lumber sizes.
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