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Here’s How to Build a Sandbox Picnic Table

A sandbox is a great addition to any home with children. It makes for hours of fun and creativity and keeps your kids where you can see them. This picnic table design offers some unique benefits, including an overhead canopy anchored with sturdy support beams. The shelter acts as a visor to protect against harmful UV rays, allowing for safe play even in the midday sun. The raised bench his high enough for kids to get elbow-deep in the sand, and also provides a comfortable perch for adults to join in the fun. Follow DIY expert Chantelle Lourens’ easy steps to build your own sandbox picnic table.

finished product

Here’s What You Need*:

*Lumber may vary depending on your location. To see all your options, use our Store Locator to find the Home Hardware Building Centre or Home Building Centre closest to you.

Here’s How to Make It

Summer is finally here and this year we decided it would be fun to build our daughter a sandbox. We decided on an elevated picnic table style design because it would provide enough seating for multiple kids and adults. We also chose to put a roof on the sandbox to help block out the hot afternoon sun. With our design settled, we headed over to our local Home Hardware where we picked up all of the supplies we needed.

building sandbox
building sandbox

Step 1: Building the Sandbox

We used a mitre saw to cut two 4-foot lengths and two 21-inch lengths from our 2”x6” boards. These are the walls of our sandbox. To join them into a frame we used a countersink bit to pre-drill three holes in each corner, and then screwed the boards together with 3” screws. For the base we used a circular saw to cut a 2’x4’ piece out of our 5/8” plywood. To attach the base to the frame we pre-drilled along the edge of the plywood, added wood glue, and countersunk 1 1/2” screws at 6" intervals.

bench supports 1
bench supports 2

Step 2: Building the Sandbox & Bench Supports

For the sandbox supports we cut two 2-foot lengths of 2”x6” board. These will rest on top of the bench supports to hold up the sandbox. Note these photos show the ends of each support as angled but we changed these to square cuts later, which are visible in the finished project photos. For the bench supports, we cut two 5-foot lengths of 2”x6” board, with 30-degree angles at each end. Then we attached the sandbox supports to the bottom of the sandbox, countersinking 3” screws from the inside. Finally, we placed the bench support on top of the sandbox support, marked the centre to keep them aligned, and countersunk in 3” screws to attach the pieces.

building brace 1
building brace 2

Step 3: Building the Brace for the Supports

To give the table strength, it needed a brace between the supports. We cut a 45” length from one of our 2”x4” boards, then marked out the centre on each of the supports. Then we countersunk holes on the bottom and side of the brace and secured it with 3” screws.

attaching posts
attached posts

Step 4: Attaching the Roof Posts

To build the roof frame we first had to flip the table over. We cut two 56 1/2” lengths from our 2”x6” boards for the roof posts and cut peaks at one end of each post (28-degree angle on either side of the peak). Then we used a scrap piece of 2”x6” board to trace outlines of where the posts will pass through the plywood base. We used a hole saw to make the initial cuts, then inserted a reciprocating saw in the round holes, and cut out our rectangular holes for the roof posts. We slid the posts through the holes and rested them on top of the support braces. Once in place we attached the roof posts to the sandbox supports and frame with 3” screws.

building roof frame
building frame

Step 5: Building the Roof Frame

For the roof frame we cut a 42” length from one of our 2”x4” boards to act as the ridge brace for the roof peak. We attached the ridge brace to the peak by countersinking 3” screws to the posts. For the roof trusses we cut six 28” lengths of 2”x4” boards. Both ends of each truss had to be angle-cut at 28” to properly fit the ridge brace and eaves. With the angle-cuts complete, we attached the trusses to the ridge brace by countersinking 3” screws (three trusses per side: one on each end and one in the middle).

attaching panels
attaching roof panels

Step 6: Attaching the Roof Panels

We need 16 panels for the roof (7 per side plus 2 for the dropdown eaves). We used our 1”x4” boards for these, cutting each to 45" in length. We secured the panels to the trusses by countersinking 1 1/2” screws. We left 3/4” gaps between each panel to allow strong winds to pass through without blowing the roof off. We found it easier to start on the eaves end and work our way to the top.

building legs
building benches

Step 7: Building the Legs & Benches

For the sandbox legs we cut four 24” lengths from our 2”x6” boards, and angle-cut each end at 28-degrees. To attach the legs to the supports we had to tilt the table for access before countersinking the legs in with 3” screws. Then we cut the benches out of our 2”x4” boards (three 4-foot lengths for each seat). The bench boards were secured to the bench supports by countersinking 3” screws.

sanding
painting

Step 8: Sanding & Painting

We used a power sander to smooth out any rough spots on our table. Then we got busy painting. We used BeautiTone Signature Exterior Flat Paint in the shade Shiplap.

It took a bit of trial and error, but I absolutely love how our sandbox table turned out. The white colour is bright and cheery, and we enjoy being able to sit next to our daughter and join in on the playtime. As usual, the staff at our local Home Hardware were super friendly and extremely helpful.

Inspiration is always handy

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