How to make a freestanding sandpit
Kids love sand and making a basic frame allows you to provide children with a clean, safe environment to play in. This sandpit frame is very light, making it easy to move around. Plus, the added shade cloth ensures your child stays out of the sun during play.
Although not shown in this project, we recommend adding a cover to the sandpit, to prevent contamination by pets.
The sandpit area is made using tongue & groove planks. These are reasonable affordable and allow you to join strips of wood without too much effort. You can buy pine tongue & groove planks at your local Builders Warehouse. The planks we used are 1200mm in length.
Slot together 3 planks and lightly tap them with a rubber mallet or wood block to ensure a nice snug fit. Use a cut strip of tongue & groove and attach this to the back of the planks with 20mm wood screws, making sure to drill a screw into each plank. Mount three strips per section; one at each end and one in the centre.
The uprights consist of 4 of 44 x 44 x 1800mm PAR pine. Place the panels to intersect at the corners and drive 3,5 x 45mm wood screws through the front of the panels into the uprights. Stagger the arrangement of screws on the two sides.
The top beams are 20 x 45mm PAR pine cut to length. Attach these by drilling pilot holes through the uprights and driving in 3,5 x 45mm wood screws.
Note: If the sandpit is going to remain outdoors it is recommended that you apply Woodoc 30/35 or Woodoc 50/55 exterior sealer to all timber parts. This will protect the sandpit and extend the life.
Place shade netting over the top of the frame. Fold under on all sides and attach with a staple gun. The fabric should be pulled as tightly as possible for a nice looking finish. A 90% shade net is the ideal one for a sandpit. You can also purchase this at your local Builders Warehouse or Garden Centre. This is what the shade net looks like on the inside of the sandpit frame.
Use a striped shade net for around the outside of the sandpit frame. This will provide additional shade. You can make this longer if you wish. Cut the fabric to the correct width and use a staple gun to attach to the frame, stapling the side down one upright to secure. Finish off by stapling the end at the same point. To prevent the netting from fraying, use a lighter to ever-so slightly burn along the cut edge. If you apply too much heat the netting will melt. Use a staple gun to attach a heavy-duty dropcloth or landscape fabric on the inside of the sandpit frame for containing the playpit sand. It is important to only use properly treated sandpit sand for young children and to ensure that it is covered when not in use.
