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Wooden sandbox is an excellent, natural alternative to small plastic sandboxes. It is made independently from broken boards not used in the construction of a house or recycled fragments of roof purlins, it can be an interesting element of small architecture and a perfect gift for our children.
How to make a wooden sandbox ?.
The wooden garden sandbox will please children first of all, providing them with long hours of interesting activities during the beautiful spring and summer weather.Made of natural material, it will fit perfectly into the garden architecture, without disturbing the harmony of the place like plastic. But how to make a wooden sandbox yourself? Even an inexperienced DIY enthusiast can make the simplest model. It is enough to knock together the boards at the corners, about 120 cm long and 40-50 cm wide, and the cube obtained in this way, devoid of the floor, is placed in its final place. Before the final location, it is worth protecting the substrate with garden fleece. It will make it impossible for the moles to get into the sandbox and it will prevent the sand in the sandbox from mixing with the layer of soil underneath. A more advanced version of this simplest model is a sandbox with a bottom that can be made of wood or chipboard. In this case, however, it is worth hiding the sandbox in an airy place in the winter, where it will not be exposed to weather conditions.Where to put a sandbox in the garden?Sandboxes for children should be placed in places that are under constant observation of adults.A lawn in the garden under a large, terraced window will be a better solution than a secluded, though shaded place under a plum tree at the other end of the plot. If the safety of the child allows you to locate the sandbox under a shady maple or other deciduous tree that provides shade on hot days, it is worth placing the sandbox in such a place. However, you need to consider how to protect the sand from falling autumn leaves. A perfect solution is an ecological wooden sandbox, perfectly matching the frame in terms of the material used, closed with a two-part hinged flap to its sides. The flap protects the sand not only from leaves, but also from animals, especially cats, who often treat the children's sandbox as their own toilet.Wooden sandbox - which sand is the best?Regardless of whether our garden has a charming sandbox with a roof that protects a child from the hot sun, or a simple and raw one, made of solid, unedged boards, each one should be filled with sand.Soft and pleasant, fine sea sand is best suited for children's sandboxes. Here, however, the question arises, where to buy sand for the sandbox? It turns out that most DIY stores offer sand for sandboxes packed in small-capacity bags, usually 20 kg. Sand sold in large stores is certified by the National Institute of Hygiene and costs about PLN 2 per kg.How much sand is needed for a sandbox?Before we start filling our new sandbox with sea sand, it is worth considering preserving it. What to paint the sandbox with to make it look nice and durable? Depending on your preferences, you can leave it in a natural color, protect it with oil or other colorless substance, or color it with a colored stain or a coloring varnish intended for wood and outdoor use.The last stage before our kids start playing in the sandbox is to fill it with sand.But how to count how much sand for a sandbox 120x120x40 will be sufficient volume? When filling the sandbox with sand, leave 10-15 cm of free space at the top in order to limit excessive spill of material outside the sandbox area. It should be assumed that 1.5 tons of sand are needed to fill the space of 1 m3. Therefore, it is easy to calculate from the proportion that for a capacity of 1.2x1.2x0.3 cm, i.e. 0.432 m3, we need 0.65 tons of sand, i.e. 33 bags with a capacity of 20 kg.
