Parents of boys know all about the required train phase that all little boys go through. Equivalent to little girls’ fascination with princesses is the male fascination with trains, generously helped by the Thomas the Tank Engine, Chuggington and Dinosaur Train series. My two preschool-age boys are drawn like magnets to trains, which means we’ve acquired a vast amount of wooden train tracks and numerous magnetic trains. When we recently inquired into the cost of a retail train table, though, we were shocked by the $150.00 price tag on such a simple wooden object.
Enter my creative vision and my somewhat handy husband, and we made a homemade wooden train table, for a small fraction of the retail price. For about ten dollars (the cost of the wood), and using items we already had around the house, we made our own homemade wooden train table which our two train enthusiasts adore. Here’s how to make your own:
Required materials:
– 2’x4′ plywood
– sandpaper
– green latex paint
– hot glue gun with sticks
– decorative paint or objects
– wooden train track set
– optional: saw (if needed), table legs
How to make your train table:
1. Though your train table can be made any size you like, we made ours 2’x4′. This size can fit numerous train tracks, while still being small and portable enough to maneuver indoors. If needed, trim your plywood to size with a saw, or have the wood pre-cut at the home improvement store.
2. Sand all of the trimmed wooden edges with sandpaper to remove sharp edges.
3. In a well-ventilated area, paint the top and sides of the wooden board with green latex paint, then let dry completely (if desired, you can also paint the bottom).
4. We chose not to add table legs to our board, because we wanted it to be able to slide under our son’s bed (which is another handy feature). If you desire to add legs, do so before attaching the train tracks.
5. Bring out your supply of wooden train tracks, and assemble them whichever way you choose on the board. For ours, we added two elevated bridges and multiple junctions, filling the space with as many tracks as we could.
6. Once your tracks are assembled, lift one piece at a time and add hot glue to the bottom, then put back in place. This way, all pieces fit together as planned.
7. Lastly, hot glue any decorative pieces, railroad crossings, figurines, trees or buildings to the board. If desired, paint decorations on the board, such as lakes and roads, then let dry.
Your homemade wooden train table (or board) is now complete and ready to be enjoyed by your little train enthusiasts – all for a tiny fraction of the retail price.
More from this contributor:
– DIY fire truck decorations for kids rooms
– Create easy, car-themed kids wall art
– How to make a child’s tool belt from felt
