If you want to equip a children's sandbox at your own dacha or near your house within the city, then you must first read the detailed instructions that will allow you to cope with the work in just half a day. In this way, you can not only save a certain amount, but also keep the children busy while you yourself are passionate about gardening.
The design usually described is a fence or a box with a bottom that rises 25-40 cm above the ground. There may not be a bottom. In diameter, the product is usually limited to the following dimensions: 1.2-3 m. It will take about a cubic meter of sand to fill a space of 2x2 m. Before starting work, you must select a place.
Varieties of sandboxes
Considering the types of sandboxes, first you remember the traditional version, which is located on the street. Another solution is the desktop design. But the devicesuch a place to play can be problematic, since much more sand will be needed. If it is planned to locate it at home, then a separate room will be needed. Such an activity will be very useful for a child who has the makings of a sailor, strategist or geographer.
Determination of territory
The children's sandbox should be in the right place. You can prefer a site where the sandbox in the first half of the day will be under the rays of the sun, and in the second - in the shade. However, it is not recommended to place the structure under a tree. In this case, garbage will fall into the sand in the summer, insects and bird droppings will get there.
It is better to start construction at some distance from watering beds, ponds, bushes, fountains and other sources of moisture. Another choice factor concerns not the sandbox itself, but the house on the site. Sand is an excellent abrasive.
Its sharp points on shoes can ruin laminate or parquet flooring, as well as paved garden paths. In this regard, it is necessary to place about 2 m of blind area or lawn around the sandbox, which will remove sand from the sole. If the design will not be located on the lawn, then it is recommended to place hallway rugs around, but you can also use improvised materials.
Preparing the site
Children's sandbox is usually made stationary. In this case, it is better to protect the structure with a roof. Before starting construction, it will be necessary to prepare the site. On the site for this, turf and looselittered layer of soil. It is necessary to go deeper by about 20 cm. This depth is on average equal to half the bayonet of a shovel. The output on the sides should be about the same.
The site must be leveled and covered with sand. The thickness of this layer should be about 6 cm. It is necessary to walk along the surface with a rake. Next, geotextiles come into play, sand preparation is covered with them. Instead, you can use agrofibre or propylene matting. The removal along the contour should be 40 cm. Such isolation is necessary so that soil living creatures, as well as roots, do not penetrate into the sandbox. With such preparation, excess moisture will not come out of the ground.
Once the sandbox box is installed, the insulation flaps must be folded up and attached to the sides with tape. The trench, which is located in the form of a border, is covered with washed soil, which must be compacted. Excess insulation is cut and tucked. They need to be lined up. If the design is seasonal, then the insulation should be tucked in better. When autumn comes, the lapels should be taken out and straightened. The box will be removed when the sand can be taken out for winter storage.
Need to use lid
If you are planning to make a sandbox with your own hands, you may think about the need to supplement the design with a lid. Experts say that the mentioned part must be used, because otherwise the sandbox will attract animals that like to urinate in such conditions. And it is undesirable for children to play on wet sand. It molds better, but it's not far from a cold.
You can use the lid by laying boards, pipes and poles on the surface of the box, as well as covering everything with foil and pressing down with bricks. But in the summer, you will have other worries and troubles, so you will not have time to sandbox at all. This indicates the need to supplement the children's play area with a lid.
The easiest option would be plywood or a board shield. Another solution would be a lid that folds like a book. Considering the ideas of sandboxes, you can make one of them with your own hands. For example, a lid can be converted into a bench. You can make such an addition from a board with a cross section of 100x20 mm. You will also need square bars with a side of 50 mm.
Removal of the timber will help to adjust the tilt of the backrest. The lid will provide for the presence of barn and card loops. In the central part of the upper back board, it will be necessary to make cutouts in the form of grips. If the cover is deaf, then it will be possible to install door handles in it. Before you make a sandbox with your own hands, you must consider its features. One of the options for the cover is a hinged design, which is suitable for children of different ages. The lid can be based on painted plywood or chipboard. Such an addition can become a work or gaming table.
Preparing Parts
Sandboxes are best made of wood. They are environmentally friendly and less traumatic. Harmless processing you canto achieve durability in the open air, which will be more than enough for a sandbox. You can impregnate the material with a water-polymer emulsion. Silicone and oil water repellents are more expensive, and there is no point in using antiseptics, because there are few gaps that will retain moisture. In addition, they are well ventilated and are constantly in contact with sand, which absorbs moisture well.
Testing for application to wood can not be used in any way, because motor oils contain additives that can be harmful to children's he alth. When making a sandbox with your own hands, you will need to process its underground parts with boiling bitumen or bituminous mastic. The type of wood can be any. Quite often, even aspen or alder is used. They cost little, but have low resistance to mold and rot.
For a stationary structure, it is better to purchase pine. Birch under the influence of external factors will quickly become unusable and moldy. As for the type of lumber, it is better to buy tongue-and-groove or quarter boards that will prevent moisture from penetrating the sand through the walls. With the help of tongue-and-groove boards, you can arrange wide, durable benches. The folding cover should be made durable and reliable. To do this, you need to use 16 mm grooved boards.
When assembling the box, the tongue tongue comb is removed from the top board. It must be turned up, and the crest of the lower quarter outward. Otherwise, you will encounter the fact that moisture will stagnate in the joints.
Creating a sandbox
Quite often, home craftsmen make sandboxes with their own hands. You too can follow their example by using the technology described in the article. At the first stage, you will have to put together a box, the height of which will be approximately 3 boards. In this case, the width of the blanks is taken into account. At the corners, the elements are fastened with self-tapping screws driven into the beam segments. If you use a 100mm board, you will need two attachment points. When the first parameter is increased to 150 mm, the attachment points should be already 3.
If the walls are made of edged or quarter boards, and the length exceeds 1.8 m, then a piece of timber must be fixed in the center of each wall. Having created a sandbox drawing on your own, you definitely can’t go wrong when cutting the material. But for a successful result, it is also necessary to observe the subtleties of technology. At the next stage, it provides for additional fastening of the corners so that the box can be turned over without risking breaking it. The corner posts should be outside, but the cross posts will cut into the tree.
Work on the sides
The sides will be seats, and they are assembled from boards. These knots give the box rigidity. The ends of the boards are sawn at an angle of 45 degrees. Here it is important to observe the coincidence of the edges. The protrusion of the corner will be traumatic. This trouble can be prevented by cutting the outer corners of the bead and sanding them until roundness is achieved.
The board on the box is fixed to the corner and intermediate posts. mount inthe crown cannot be called reliable. A backing bar is also not an ideal solution. The best way to fasten the board is a piece of plinth. A 30 cm piece will suffice per meter of board, which should be installed in the center. It is necessary to use three attachment points, which should be 10 cm apart from each other. If such supports are located under the outer bead extension, then the attachment can be made hidden.
Roof work
A sandbox with a roof, as practice shows, is rarely truly functional. Fungus is the classic. But it is usually located in the center and is not suitable for active games. This node can only be installed if there are leftover building materials.
The most reliable option for the roof will be a canopy on four pillars. A safer solution would be a roof on two pillars. They are attached to the sides of the box. If the roof is quite heavy and has a steep slope, then the pillars are reinforced with struts. When it comes to a seasonal sandbox, it is better to supply it with a soft or captive roof. It can also be stretchy. This option reduces the cost of wood and allows you to get a good shelter. The material can be anything. The best option would be polycarbonate, which was left over from the construction of a porch, greenhouse, shed or gazebo.
Installation order
Before you start making a sandbox in the country with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the technology. Many at this stage are wondering how best to proceed - to implementassembly on site or where it is more convenient. For a sandbox, the first option is preferable, as it allows you to reduce the amount of earthwork. This factor is significant, since the sandbox is usually located on a developed area, and you don’t want to spoil the site with a lawn and plantings.
Assembling on site has another advantage, which is the need for fitting and leveling, as well as straightening the contour. In order to make the base of the sandbox, you first need to prepare a pit, but you do not need to deal with backfilling and laying insulation at this stage.
In those places where the pillars will go deep into the soil, it is necessary to make wells with a hand drill. The racks should be deepened by 40 cm. It will take you about 10 minutes for one well. In the process of filling sand under insulation, filling is carried out by half or more. The legs of the box must be sharpened and processed with an ax before processing with bitumen. Once the insulation is laid, it is cut with petals.
The box is installed in the wells with legs and leveled. In this case, it is necessary to act with a wooden sledgehammer. There is no need to be too hard. If there is no suitable hammer, then you can make it yourself from scraps of square-section timber with a side of 130 cm. This element is mounted on the handle.
Which sand to choose?
Before you choose the sand for the sandbox, you should read the recommendations. Experts believe that fine-grained, almost whitematerial is not suitable. It is difficult to sculpt, and also very dusty. If such sand is used, it will constantly get into the eyes and contribute to allergies and skin irritation.
Slightly grayish quartz and white sand is also not good. Although it does not produce dust, it cannot be molded, and it injures the skin to scratches. Quartz is a hard mineral, so its grains are not round. Red sand, which is sold as ravine sand, is perfectly molded. But it is also not suitable for the sandbox. This is due to the fact that it gets very dirty, as it contains a lot of clay.
Sand for sandboxes should be slightly yellowish and have a medium roundness. For fine modeling, there should be enough clay in the mass, but here it acts as a protection for the skin from injury. Such sand is sold as river sand and must be exploited in a special way. For example, in winter it is better to place it in an unheated room or cover it in the yard with a film.
The sandbox fills up again with the onset of spring, but this must be done only when the weather is warm. If the sand hibernated in a box, then for its complete drying it is necessary to provide ventilation. The sandbox is filled in layers, each should be about 10 cm thick.
Sand is poured into a box with ventilation, while it is necessary to create a jet as high as a person's height. The wind must be of medium strength. The filled layer is dried in the air for about a day before laying the next portion.
Making a sandbox in the form of a car
The sandbox car will not only become a place for permanentgames, but will also allow parents to go about their business while the child is carried away. It will be based on a box that will act as a body. The design provides for the presence of a cover, which consists of two halves. They are fixed to opposite sides with wooden loops.
When the lid is closed, the child can use the structure as a handrail. When opened, the two halves turn into tables or benches, and the bent tubes below will act as legs.
When making a sandbox with a lid with your own hands, you will need to cut halves of lids from OSB. As an alternative solution, shields are used, the thickness of which is 20 mm. At the ends of the tubes, which must first be bent in the shape of the letter P, flanges with mounting holes should be welded. They are screwed with bolts or self-tapping screws.
The do-it-yourself sandbox with a lid is made using a technology that involves assembling a square body. Its dimensions should be equal to 1.5x1.5 m. Such a machine is enough for three kids to play. Soddy land to a depth of 30 cm is removed with a sharp shovel. Under the box for this, it is necessary to mark a square on the site, the dimensions of which will be equal to 1.8x1.8 m.
A layer of gravel or sand is poured on the bottom. Geotextile or black agrofibre is covered from above. No matter how airtight the lid is, there will be gaps in it, where precipitation will fall, which will moisten the sand. The drainage layer will allow moisture to be diverted into the soil, and the covering material will prevent the germination of weeds.
From the boards you needassemble the box. At the end of the blanks, connecting grooves are cut. The height of the body will be equal to the limit from 30 to 35 cm. The number of boards to form the side will depend on their width. Ideally, you should receive a wooden box.
If you could not make your own scheme, you can use the sandbox sizes presented in the article. With your own hands, you can make a similar design quite simply. The main thing is to follow the technology. The next step is to attach the legs. For this, a square bar with a side of 50 cm is used. 70 cm blanks are cut out of it.
Supports are fixed at the corners at the same level with the edge of the sides. The pillars at the bottom are treated with bitumen to keep them in the ground for a long time. To install the legs, holes are dug, at the bottom of which 10 cm of crushed stone is poured. Now you can install the box in its place. The holes are filled with earth. There is no need to concrete them, since the sandbox will not experience any special loads. The wooden sandbox is ready when you put the two halves of the lid on the hinges that are fixed to the wooden sides.
