A sandbox is the favorite “toy” for many children. Whether one year old or eight, digging, baking sand cakes, building castles, digging or just muddling, for many children there is nothing nicer. So if you have the space for it, you should definitely set up a sandpit. You can of course buy it, usually as a kit, in a wide variety of designs and price ranges. These sandboxes still have to be assembled and filled with sand. Pre-assembled playground equipment is mostly made of plastic and is very flat. They often consist of two parts that can be folded together. The shell shape is a popular choice. However, this sandbox is only for very small children.
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DIY
With a little skill and time, you can also easily build a sandbox yourself. This has the advantage that you can choose the size, shape and material yourself. If possible, build a roof for the sandbox. This is important for the simple reason that it is to prevent cats from doing their “business” in the sand, which they love to do. When not in use, you put the roof on the box and everything is safe. However, you always have to wet the sand with a watering can, otherwise it will soon be too dry for the molding shop. However, it must not be too wet either, as algae will quickly form and bacteria will colonize it. That would be counterproductive.
Building material wood
The best material for building a sandbox is wood. Which one you then choose is a matter of taste and a question of price. One should not overshoot the target.
- Wooden planks are quite inexpensive.
- Up to four meters long, which is usually sufficient for a sandpit as a side length, they are quite inexpensive. Most builds are smaller. 2 x 2 meters are enough for a child, so you can even divide a wooden plank. Usually one takes 1.50 m side length
- The wooden boards should not be thinner than 2 cm, 4 cm is better.
- A width of 20 or 30 cm is a common measurement.
- No matter which wood you use, it must not be impregnated. Rain or running water can wash out the substances. They get into the sand and thus onto the child.
- A protruding roof is favorable for a sandbox. This protects the wood of the box from moisture. This way the sand can stay dry and the whole frame is not as prone to rotting. The roof absorbs a lot and can take it off.
- A sandbox does not usually have a bottom.
- Douglas fir, robinia or larch are good wood that can withstand moisture for a long time, but they are quite expensive.
Tips for building a sandbox
- If there is no roof to protect the sandbox from rain, a drainage layer must be placed under the sand. You use gravel. A thick, water-permeable fleece is placed over it so that the sand does not slip in between. That should be stapled.
- As an alternative, there are cobblestones that may be left over from building a house or laying out the paths.
- The edges of the wooden planks and battens should be rounded. You can use a router, a grinder or just sandpaper.
- There must be no protruding sharp or pointed edges.
First you dig the hole where you want to set up the sandpit. You have to excavate about 15 cm deep. The size of the area depends on the dimensions of the sandbox. The reason is laid out with gravel. There should be a flat surface. It is best to walk over it a few times with sturdy shoes so that the stones move into their place.
List of materials for a sandpit with frame and bench – all round
- gravel for drainage
- sand, at least 350 kg
- Water-permeable foil 2 x 2 m
- 12 planks, 40 mm thick, 200 x 20 cm
- countersunk screws
- Tacker
- wood drill
- cordless drill
The frame for the sandbox
Countersunk screws are used to connect the walls and the seat. As the name suggests, these can be completely sunk into the wood. Nothing remains that could injure a child.
- The planks described above are used for the frame. Four planks simply have to be screwed together.
- You can determine the height of the side parts yourself. However, 40 cm are usually completely sufficient with a sand layer of 20 cm.
- Two square frames are placed on top of each other for the border, because our planks are only 20 cm wide. Then the two frames have to be connected to each other. It is best to use a strip for this, of course for each side.
- The strips are of course attached to the inside of the box.
- The frame is already done.
- If you use boards with a width of 40 cm, you save yourself the assembly. One frame is enough.
Benches for the sandbox
A seat is really comfortable for the kids. Even an adult can sit down there if they want to play along or just keep an eye out. You don’t have to let the seat run all the way around, but it’s nicer, purely visually and for sitting.
- Wooden planks can also be used for the seat. A width of 20 cm is actually sufficient, at least for children.
- The simpler way is to only attach a seat on two sides, opposite one another. You can simply take the two boards and screw them onto the frame, left and right and lengthwise.
- If the bench is all the way around, you have to adjust the corners
- The corners have to be chamfered so that they fit together, simply dividing a 90 degree angle to fit. The seat can thus run harmoniously all around.
- Here, too, the parts must be screwed tight
- Actually, the sandbox is already finished.
- It is turned over again so that the foil can be chugged on. It is attached to the inside.
Materials list for a sandpit with two frames (inner and outer frame) and a surrounding bench
This sandpit is a little more solid, built more to last. Nothing will kill him that easily.
- gravel for drainage
- sand, at least 250 kg
- 4 outer boards 2 cm thick, 150 x 30 cm
- 4 inner boards 2 cm thick, 114 x 30 cm
- 4 seat boards 2 cm thick, 132 x 20 cm
- Water-permeable foil 150 x 150 cm
- tools as above
assemble construction
- You start with the inner boards. These are screwed together to create a frame. Three screws per assembled side panel should be enough.
- The foil is now stapled to the inside of the construction.
- The interior construction can now be placed on the prepared gravel bed.
- The outer frame is assembled and then set up in the same way.
- Now the seat is missing. The boards planned for this must fit exactly into the gap between the outer and inner construction.
- You start in a corner, attach the first bench. A piece is missing below, bank two begins there. That’s the way it goes, very simple.
- It is important that the screws are completely countersunk so that no child can injure themselves.
- In the end, of course, the sand has to go into the sandbox.
A roof for the sandbox
A roof just makes sense so that you can cover the sandpit. This prevents it from getting soaking wet when it rains and there are puddles in it and the neighbor’s cat from using the sand as a toilet. So everything stays nice and clean and you can let your children play in the sandbox without hesitation. Of course you can also use a tarpaulin as a cover.
A permanently mounted roof is nice, but it doesn’t help against cats. For this variant, it is recommended to hammer in four posts including post sleeves as a framework for the roof and as outer edges for the sandpit. That is why the construction is built. There are sandboxes where the roof can be turned up and down with a crank. This is of course optimal, but it is not so easy to build.
In my opinion, the sandpit does not need to have a roof made entirely of sun protection, a parasol is sufficient. It still has the advantage that it can always be set up as required by the position of the sun. You can’t do that with a solid roof.
In principle, you build another frame that has to be sized so that it either stands on the bench or is larger than the sandpit with bench so that it lies above it. Four boards are used again. They don’t have to be wide, 10 to 20 cm are enough. A frame is built. Boards are then screwed onto it as a roof. These boards can easily be a few centimeters apart. Rainwater can still get through, which is not bad for the sand.
Conclusion
If you have the space, you should tackle the project. Children like sand to play with. They can keep you busy for hours so often. It is important that you can always keep an eye on them. The location must therefore be well selected so that you don’t always have to sit next to it.
