Ready for the next chapter of our sandbox project? If you weren’t, there was one person who definitely was: a little girl whose name rhymes with “Clara.”
Here’s where we left off: the box was built (more on that in Part 1) and waiting for sand, but the sandbox needed a proper cover first.
We looked at a lot of DIY sandbox covers for inspiration and made a short list of what we wanted (and didn’t want) from our design:
- Keep out natural debris (leaves, acorns) and animal mess (from neighborhood cats and birds).
- Help keep water out, without needing to be completely airtight.
- Be sturdy—no tarps that blow away or plastic that warps; wood felt right.
- Not be too heavy—if it’s a struggle to lift, we’ll avoid using it.
We settled on a wooden cover built from plywood with a surrounding frame. Plywood was the most cost-effective way to cover a roughly 5 x 5 ft opening, but since plywood can warp outdoors we reinforced it with a frame of 1 x 8s. We also split the cover into two interlocking pieces so each half would be lighter and easier to handle.
One side’s frame got attached with pocket screws using a Kreg jig. After fastening the plywood from underneath, we stained both halves with Behr waterproof deck stain in a “Natural” color to match the sandbox. The finish wasn’t perfectly even, but it looked good enough for a play area.
To avoid carrying the entire cover every time Clara wanted to play, we attached the panels to the sandbox with hinges so each side could swing open. That also let the open panels rest against the fence instead of taking up space on the patio.
We added matching handles to each half for easy grabbing, which also made the cover look finished and more “legit.”
With the cover attached, it looked tidy next to the patio. In direct sunlight the finish shows differently, so we photographed it at different times of day to give a clear idea of how it looks in varying light.
We were mindful of rain. The panels have seams and small gaps where water can drain; after some light rains it’s worked fine so far. If heavy storms cause pooling we’ll add drainage holes and report back.
Each side swings open to reveal the sandbox below.
When open, the panels rest against the fence and are secured with a safety hook-and-chain system to prevent them from falling forward. The chain attaches to an eye-screw under the cover and can be hung on a fence hook when the cover is propped back. The hardware is heavier-duty than it looks and we tested it thoroughly.
We also made sure nearby features are child-safe. For example, our rain barrel has a fused plastic lid with small mesh inlets for water, so there’s no open top for a child to climb into.
After the cover was finished we filled the box with play sand. I had a few bags left from last year and picked up about 15 more to reach the depth we wanted. I ceremonially dumped the first bag—the “inaugural sand”—and kept adding until the box had plenty of volume for digging and building.
After about 20 bags of sand we gave Clara the green light, and she dove right in.
She loved it—and so did we. The sandbox sits in a fenced, shaded part of the patio where she can play in a contained area while we sit nearby. It’s convenient and shaded for much of the day, which makes it perfect for long play sessions.
Building the cover turned out a bit more complex and a little more expensive than we first anticipated. Wood and sand add up, but compared to buying many pre-made wooden sandboxes (often $180 or more and usually sold without sand), our total still felt reasonable. Our rough budget was:
- Wood for 5 x 5′ box: $17
- Wood for 5 x 5′ cover: $38
- Stain: $22
- Weed block: $0 (leftover)
- Hinges, handles & safety hardware: $21
- Sand: $48 (some leftover from last year)
- TOTAL: $146
Clara digging for hours: priceless. And that wrapped up Part 2 of the sandbox project—though the story wasn’t quite finished. We ended up doing a little sandbox remix after discovering an issue that needed addressing, so there’s one more post to come with the follow-up and final adjustments.
