Pottery Barn Inspired Sand Box {tutorial}

WOW! The response to my Pottery Barn Inspired Sandbox was incredible. Thank you all so much for the love. I know that it has taken me quite a while to get this posted so I apologize. I have received at least one email a day which served as a great reminder. 

I'll admit, the main reason that I have not posted, it strictly because I do not know the measurements of wood. I might be crafty, but I don't measure anything. I strictly go into the store, "see" what I want and then eye the entire project. {eeeks}. 


Before I go any further, I'll just say this. You are going to have to look at the pictures to see the boards I use. I can tell you how long I cut them {and how wide they are}, but that's about it.  Yes, I'm that lame. 


WHAT YOU NEED: 
{1} 4x4 Sheet of Wood. They sell it just like this at Home Depot. 
{5} 7"x8' Boards. {It measures 7'' across and is 8ft long and is about 3/4" thick}
{5} 2x4 Boards 
{4} 3ft Spindles 
{4} "L" Support Brackets
{1} Box of 1 5/8" Fine Thread Screws
{1} 1/4"Drill Bit
{1} Sander {or piece of sandpaper}
{1} small can of Minwax Walnut Stain} 
{1} Foam Brush to apply stain
{6} Bags of Play Sand
{1} Staple Gun/Staples
{2 Yards} Outdoor Fabric -your choice of design

 Here are a few of the materials so that you have a visual. 

Start by taking your 4x4 sheet of wood. Place it up on something so that you can drill holes in it. These holes let the water drain out should it rain in the sand.  Drill as many as you want. You can see in the below photo that I stuck to a little pattern so that it was even. 

It will leave the wood split in a few areas so you will want to sand it down. You do not want splinters! Ouch!  

 Once the wood is nice and smooth you can lay it down on a flat surface.

Next. Get those 8ft Boards that are 7" across. Get your saw and make your cuts. You will want to have {4} 49" boards. These will be the sides of the base. VERY IMPORTANT: I suggest that you cut each side as you go. We found out the hard way that our board was a little off and our boards didn't line up. Learn from our lesson and cut as you go to make sure that all of your corners match up and do not leave gaps. 


Attach your boards to the base using your screws. Be careful not to have them come out of the bottom of your 4x4 board. Drill straight! 

Ahhh. So pretty! 


After you have all of your bottom base sides on, you will cut and attach your top support boards. Two of the edges are wider to allow for children to sit. The other two sides are cut using 2x4. 
Grab your 7" board and cut two pieces both measuring 46". 
Grab your 2x4 boards and cut two pieces measuring 55 1/2". 
BEFORE YOU ATTACH THE BOARDS TO THE BASE, READ BELOW. 

Next, you will attach your {4} 3ft spindles. Using your "L" Brackets to help secure the spindles
Here's another place that we learned the hard way. Before you attach your top support boards to the base, you might want to measure out and screw your spindles from below. We somehow managed to get the screwdriver under the boards and drill the spindles, however it would have been MUCH easier if we screwed them in prior. {I hope that this makes sense}. 

Once the spindles are in place, you will want to secure them with "L" brackets. We only did this because we know that kids will be kids and will want to swing on the spindles. 

Now we will work on the top. 
You will take your 2x4 boards and make cuts. 
You will cut {2} of them to measure 43". 
You will cut {2} pf them to measure 4ft. 

Attach them to the spindles using three screws on each side. 
You are almost done! 

This is what you will have so far. 


Grab your can of Stain {we used Dark Walnut from Minwax}. Give it a nice coat and let dry!

Be sure and stain the inside "sides". When the sand is in you will not see the bottom; however you will see the sides. 

Lastly, you will want to add your canopy. Using outdoor fabric, stretch across and secure with staples. I decided that I wanted to finish off the interior so I took a few scraps of the left over fabric and stapled to the inside of the 2x4 boards. I made sure to hem it just a bit as I stapled so that frays were not in sight. 

And VERY last, put your sandbox in the permanent location and fill with sand. There's no moving this bad boy once it's filled. 

 I SOOOO hope that this helps someone create one too.  I took pictures along the way hoping that I would create a tutorial. Not really knowing what all the tutorial would entail, I could have planned it out better. 


However, I do hope that you will enjoy it!