Both of my children are obsessed with LEGO! I spent some time organizing the LEGO in my son's room (see post here), so it just felt right to do my daughter's room next. Her room is small, yet cozy. There was no way to fit a LEGO table or shelf without removing a piece of furniture, so we had to find a creative solution. The void beneath her bed was unused, so we decided to make a table that would roll out from underneath. We raised her bed as high as it would go, allowing her tallest LEGO houses to slide underneath. Now she would be able to leave everything set up, but it could also be put away nicely.
Required items for the construction of the table:
1) Plywood (don't use pressure-treated since it is full of harmful chemicals that you don't want in your kid’s bedroom).
2) 6-1x3 boards (find the straightest boards, with the fewest imperfections)
3) Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive
4) Finishing Nails
5) Brackets (4 corners, 2 flat)
6) 6 Wheels
7) Sanding Block (or for faster results, an electric sander)
Required items for the decoration of your table:
1) Two handles (to aid in pulling your table)
2) Primer - I always use Kilz
3) Acrylic Paint - get creative and use your imagination to experiment with colors
4) Paint Brushes
The construction of the table is fairly simple. First, measure how much room you have available under your bed. My daughter has a nightstand so the LEGO table wasn't able to be the full length of the mattress since you would be unable to pull it out without hitting the end table. Cut your plywood to the correct size, then cut your 1x3s that will serve as the structure (refer to picture of the bottom). I made the outside square first then the center cross structure.
For the outer edge I turned my 1x3s up and secured them to the frame. I intentionally made it flush on the bottom so that there would be a raised lip around the top to keep the LEGO on the table. I used adhesive and nails to attach everything, along with brackets on the bottom and the corners (corner bracket pictured). I chose shorter wheels so that her tallest houses would be able to fit.
My daughter calls it Heart Lake City. She was very involved in the design process and most of the painting. I always love to get my kids involved so they can see what awesome things they are capable of! After priming the top, I used a pencil to draw a rough design that we tweaked until we had it just how she wanted it. I traced the outside edge and she filled in the center. It took two coats for it to completely cover. The last thing to do was to put on the handles she had chosen.
Optional: Sandy Beach
1) Craft Sand
2) Elmers Glue
To create the sand for the beach area, we painted it yellow, then while doing a small section at a time I used a brush to apply a smooth layer of Elmer's Glue. Pour the sand over the glue, be careful to cover each part. I let it sit overnight to make sure it was completely dry. The next morning, I tipped the table on its side to let all the excess sand fall off. Aside from the drying time, I spent very little time on this portion of the project. It turned out to be our favorite addition to the project! Before bringing it into the house, I vacuumed it with my brush attachment to make sure that all of the loose sand was gone. I was incredibly pleased that even after several months of play the sand has stayed put.
She was able to easily pull the table out and put it back with no problem. What mom doesn't love when your kids don't complain about cleaning up? It's also great that it can be tucked away and you would never know it's there.
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