Call me basic, but I finally hopped on the blanket ladder train to store blankets in my living room. Previously, I had a basket that held everything, but it wasn’t super visually appealing so I decided to try my hand and doing a blanket ladder DIY.
Overall, I’d give the experience a 8/10.
Materials Needed:
- 2 – 2×4 wood cut to ~6 feet
- a table saw (or miter box and saw, but the table saw will be easier)
- a t square (or similar)
- a drill with a 1 1/4″ drill bit (similar)
- 4 – 1 1/4″dowels cut to 22-24″
- wood glue
- clamps
- sand paper (80 grit)
- electric sander with 200 grit sand paper
How to DIY a blanket ladder:
Step #1: Cut all of your wood to the appropriate length, including the dowels. I wanted my ladder to be a little bigger so I went for a 6 foot sides and 24″ dowels.
Step #2: Measure out where your holes should go and mark where you want your dowels to be. On a 6 foot long ladder, I did them at 20″, 36″, 52″, and 68″.
Step #3: Use clamps to connect your wood pieces to a table, one on top of the other. You’ll drill into your wood using the 1 1/4″ drill bit until you’re about 3/4 way through the top piece. The 1 1/4″ drill bit will have a sharp tip on the end that marks your second piece of wood Drilling a pilot hole may help reduce splintering here but I didn’t do that. once you’ve drilled your holes, flip your wood over and drill through the rest of the way.
Step #4: Sand the holes down to make them a little smoother, I did this with 80 grit sand paper.
Step #5: Put wood glue on the end of your dowel and insert dowel into the 1 1/4″ hole. You may find that it’s a tight squeeze, but you can use a rubber mallet to get the dowel into the hole (or if you’re me, a hammer against a apiece of scrap wood). Your end product will look like a ladder!
You can sand it down and paint it (I chose white for mine since my walls are a gray/beige color). Check out Erica’s post on paint type recommendations for the specific type of paint you might want to buy. Be sure to let the paint cure for the amount of time necessary before putting it in your desired location and hanging blankets on it.
Post on Instagram and tag us if you do this DIY! Let us know if you have any comments in the comments.