Learning tower step stool for a toddler

[ehill]

My Mum gave me this  IKEA step ladder yonks ago and I've been meaning to paint it... but I thought for my next DIY JULY TRICK; I would go NEXT LEVEL - literally! After huge success with both my Mum's herb planter and my House number planter box , I wanted to STEP IT UP (😅) and go for something outside the box (😂) 

So I made... *DRUM ROLL* ...  a LEARNING TOWER!!! And guess what? My 14 month old daughter absolutely loves it!! 

Mum and I made our own plans too- but us sewing girls like to work in inches

And even better, I found a YouTube of exactly how to put it together - IKEA hack | DIY toddler learning tower step stool

I basically followed If Only April's instructions  but here is how I did mine: 

1. CUTS and MEASUREMENTSDeans handiwork calculations - the bunnies may have chewed on it!

You can either cut them yourself orrrrr you can go see Dean at the Belmont Bunnings who helped me plan and calculate before cutting the pine for me!! I thought about doing it myself - but I want them to be perfect and I'm not quite there - yet! 

You will need:

2 x Sides measuring 4 x 100mm and 4 x 380mm and

2 x BACK pieces at 303mm

+ a DOWEL - I got a thick 30mm dowel and cut it myself 🤗

2. Make your sides

Glue and clamp your 100mm pieces between your 380mm pieces

Keep the clamps in while you drill, counter sink and screw otherwise your bits might move - whoops! like what happened to me! 

3. Attach your BACK

Glue and clamp (you'll need LONG CLAMPS!) your side pieces to the back 303mm. Lining them up to the sides and AVOIDING the screw that's already there. 

Mark where your screws are so you can avoid hitting themThe area I know to avoidIgnore the ModPodge experiment... I ruined it by not being patient enough... LUCKY I'm painting it!Attach your sides to the BACK piecesChecking out my square-nessnot too shabbySQUARE!I used 75mm and 100mm Timber Screws with a countersunk headI countersunk 1st so my drill bit could reach further in to accommodate for the long screws

4. ATTACH to the ladder top 

SCREWING in place from the BOTTOM of the top! Be sure to unscrew your top from the ladder first! 

clamp in place    my countersinking is getting much better!!!  this is the BOTTOM of the ladder top  The clear plugs in the centre there are where the rest of the ladder attaches to the top     

5. Screw it all back on to the ladder

Fits PERFECTLY under my Parents' kitchen bench! I hope same goes for mine! It will need a dowel first!     GrandMary supporting her granddaughter - I really need to put that dowel in...

6. ATTACH the DOWEL!!

Measure between the sides on the front - I got 300mm - cut your Dowel and sand it smooth (I forgot to do this so it was a bit rough but it fit!) Glue and screw it in place! I marked this first so I knew it would be straight! 

Cut the dowel to size...  check to see if it fits ....   I only had 1 of each screw left so I used one on each side *clever!  and mark where the dowel goes!  I'll take that as straight...  Keep it clamped to let that glue soak in nice and tight! Mummy's little helper already!

6. FILL those holes and gaps!!!!

Using TimberMate in Pine fill and a scraper to make as smooth a fill as possible! 

Fill those holes and cracks with old mate!

And HEY... PRESTO! 

It doesn't go UNDER... It doesn't go OVER ...  it must be PERFECT!!!  excuse the mess

But... It's still not quite finished though is it? 

I need to cover my Modpodge photo trial and I wanted to paint it anyway... I've not painted anything on my own before and Mum was busy babysitting the bub but I found this great article by The Spruce How to Paint Wood like a Pro - it spoke wonders to me! So I highly recommend checking it out - there's even a video!!! 

7. SAND it!

Sanding set up!I started with an 80 grit and worked my way up to150 consecutively. The medium grit gives the wood grain some tooth so the Primer has something to adhere to. 

TIP *CLEAN YOUR WORK SURFACE AFTER SANDING* - otherwise your effort to make the wood smooth could be tainted by small fibers of dust still sticking around! Use a Blower of some kind AND a tack cloth to wipe off any particles hanging around (I used Sugar Soap wipes).

8. PRIME IT 

I used Dulux 1 Step Prep Primer Sealer and Undercoat mixed with Antique Lace white.

9. SAND IT 

This time with a FINE 240 - just want to remove any brush or roller marks! 

10. REPEAT steps 8 and 9

11. PAINT IT 

I used Dulux in Antique White - a semi gloss oil paint - took forever to dry but worth it!  Mum & I had used this paint before to paint an old change table we found at a charity shop, as well as my daughters crib (which my Mum, Aunts, Brothers and I all slept in!) But I don't remember it taking so long to dry? I guess it was also summer when I did it? Usually I can rely on the sunny West Coast but we had a bit of rain come through... so undercover I was! 

I have my name down for a Dulux Workshop at the Womens Shed in August so I'm hoping to learn more! But obviously I need to paint it now for my #DIYJULY entry! Hopefully I'm not too far off track with my technique?! What do you think!? 

12. SAND IT (last time I promise!)

With a 240 grit again, focusing mainly just around any excess build up or drip marks - whoops!!  AND CLEAN! Otherwise all that beautiful sanding work will be all for nothing 😮

13. POP it! 

I loved the fresh white look but I felt for a little girl it needed a bit of a POP of Pink! The dowel seemed like the safest place to put paint without ruining my splendid paint job! Masking tape up the area and paint! I covered the area in some glad wrap as well just in case I have drips!!! I'm using the same pink that I used for her first birthday party, "Audrey's ONEderland" !

Use Glad Wrap and Masking Tape...  and cover underneath and around just in case of drips and spills!  2-3 coats should do the trick!

Once I've done a few coats of pink and it is dry, I remove the tape and glad wrap and using a fresh clean brush I lightly went over the rest of the tower [in the white - not the pink!]. Making sure I've covered all of my sanded bits! Then I let this dry before moving onto my next POP of colour....

Keeping with my stencil theme I thought I'd POP some Bunnies playing in grass AND for educational purposes threw in the alphabet! It's much more child friendly now! I followed the same process for my stencil as I did with Mum's herb planter.

I used Cricut Stencil Vinyl to cut my design  I used my Cricut Maker to draw a draft of my stencil so I could see how the placement works

Line up your Buns first  I'm definitely getting better with stencils

Line up your grass and alphabet ... 

   Line up the alphabet - looks pretty straight to me!

HOWZAAAAT! It's all about the GREEN!I should have put masking tape around my edges!cutting it very fine on those edges - masking tape would have made for an easier job!!!

And how's that!? I can use my GREEN chalkboard paint for the grass!!!

See there's always a reason for everything!

Getting better!I think the trick is to make sure that your stencil is fully adhered with no bubbles! I used a brayer this time and it definitely helped secure any bleed through

Once you're all HOPPY with your POP in colours: let it dry for at least 24 hours before applying your finish coat!

14. FINISH IT

Apply a protective polyurethane coat as a finish, because lets be honest children are MESSY and this tower will need as much protection as it can get! I used my Intergrain Exterior Ultra Clear in gloss again - to its very last drop! I've enjoyed using it as a finish, it's done me very well! My planter box is hearty strong out there in this winter weather... so surely it can withstand a toddler?!? 

My finishing brush is still looking pretty good too! But remember you always want to use a nice CLEAN bristle brush - if it's worn and dirty - chuck it! Don't ruin all your hard work by using an old cruddy brush!!! 

15. TA DAAAAA 

One happy little helper and one very proud Mama!!!! 

What have I started...Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?Birdseye view of our NEW SWANKY KITCHENDown...Up

Now I need one for the bathroom so she can brush her own teeth! They just don't stop growing! 

So much nicer than MickeyNB***Cheeky Mickey Mouse has done his dash in this kitchen!!!!We even gave the kitchen a bit of a DIY spruce up! I found this aluminum vinyl at Bunnings and thought it would make for a nice splash back on the stove... Much cleaner than cheeky Mickey Mouse! 

And I finally got to put up my Chubby Bunny that I painted myself 👩‍🎨! Using 3M picture hanging strips as opposed to permanently fixing it to the wall made for a quick and easy solution! I'm still not quite ready to go drilling into my inside walls 😯 

I grabbed 2 options and they're dependent on weight. Even though it's a big canvas it's very very light, falling under the specified 1.8kg of the small so I went with that one [the white pack (left)]

My hubby and his little helper hung my artwork for me 😍

Strips make it easier to hang pretty much anything! Chubby Bunny by ME! It's not quite finished yet... but the beauty of the hanging strips is that I can take it down when I have time to finish it! But for now he can sit in the kitchen with us! Daddy's Little HelperHanging Mummy's Artwork

We celebrated our new kitchen with PIZZA!!! And Audrey got to help! 

Helping Mummy!Helping DaddyPIZZA NIGHT!!!

Then she got to clean up.... 😂

[tomkendall]

I love the new look kitchen and am a big fan of the learning tower.

Audrey is very lucky to have a mum to personalise hers.

Great job and entertaining read

Tom

[MitchellMc]

I love this project @ehill! Not just because of your extended foray into D.I.Y., but also because you've so lovingly created a project that allows your daughter to interact more. 

My daughter is older but constantly wants to get involved with what's going on at the bench level. Currently, I just use a rickety chair, but we tend to discourage interaction as I don't want to risk her falling off it. Something like this would give me a lot more confidence, and she'd be over the moon to have her own tower. She's also really keen on princesses at the moment, and it would be neat to actually make a tower-inspired version. She'd get a kick out of that.

Many thanks for sharing such thorough instructions, and well done.

Mitchell