Easy DIY Lego Tray
What child, or even adult, doesn’t love Legos? Although I complained about being the only girl in a house full of boys; I loved the constant surplus of Legos! I always made the most detailed house possible making sure to include furniture and household accessories.
As my nieces and nephews got to the age of “Legohood” I was super excited to go pick something out. Little did I know how hard it would be to just buy a “pack of Legos”. Most everything is packaged to make one or two specific things, which makes it hard to pick.
When our family got my nephews name for the kid’s gift exchange, I knew I wanted to make something versus buying another box of Legos. But what on earth could I make? At first, I was envisioning this huge playset (you know kind of like a doll house except for Legos and cooler), but… budget. Then I started to wonder what kind of Lego storage ideas were out there.
Good ole Google had several ideas come up: Lego trays, figurine display cases, Lego tables, etc. Since I hadn’t done that many wood projects to date; I decided to try the Lego tray. User-friendly, budget friendly, not bulky, and I could still personalize it. Here’s how I did it!
note on sizing
The size of your Lego tray is totally dependent on preference. I opted to use just one Lego base (measures 15″ by 15″); however, many examples I found use more. Some made their tray look like a playground; i.e.: section of blue for water, green for grass, and brown for dirt/sand.
If you want to use more than one, adjust your measurements accordingly. The bases are easy to cut down to the desired size using an Exacto knife. You can find them at select stores or just order online.
tools used
Table Saw, Miter Saw, Orbital Sander, 120 Grit Sanding Disc, Kreg Jig, 1.25″ Course Pocket Screws, Heavy Duty/Construction Adhesive, Exacto Knife, Handles, Screwdriver, Ruler, Pencil
Wood Needed
- Frame: 1″ x 2″ boards – 2 @ 15″ long and 2 @ 17″ long
- Bottom: 1/2″ thick plywood cut to 15″ x 15″
Note: If you don’t have access to a Table Saw or Miter Saw, many large chain hardware stores will cut boards to size for you. There may be a small additional charge.
Simple DIY Lego Tray Steps
Step 1.) Cut your frame boards to size using the miter saw. Sand until smooth using the orbital sander.
Step 2.) Cut your bottom plywood to size using the table saw. Sand until smooth using the orbital sander. If your bottom piece has some imperfections like ours did, make sure that side faces up. It will be covered with the Lego base!
Step 3.) Make 2 pocket holes, spaced evenly apart, on each side of the bottom using the Kreg Jig. This was our first time using one. It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite tools! It comes with a handy chart that tells you what settings and screws to use based on thickness and type of wood.
Note: If you don’t have a Kreg Jig you could screw it together by going through the frame sides into the bottom. This will leave visible screws, but you could always paint the screw heads to match the frame.
Step 4.) Attach the bottom to the frame using the course pocket screws.
Step 5.) Place Lego base inside the Lego tray frame to ensure fit. If needed, use an Exacto knife to shave/cut off any excess.
Optional Step: Paint frame and bottom. I also stenciled/painted (a Cricut works too!) the words Lego Mania and my nephew’s name on the sides of the Lego tray without handles. Doing this step now will be much easier since you don’t have to worry about getting it all over the Lego base. Leave adequate time to dry before proceeding.
Step 6.) Seal the frame and bottom using some type of polyacrylic topcoat. Again, leave adequate time to dry.
Step 7.) Place a few strips of the adhesive to the bottom. Stay 1 inch away from the sides to avoid having it squeeze up.
Step 8.) Insert Lego base in the frame and onto the bottom. If able, use a small floor roller (ours was 2″ wide) and roll over the base a few times to help distribute adhesive. Place something heavy on top to ensure a strong adhesion. We put a layer of newspaper on top of the Lego base and then put a couple full paint cans on top.
Step 9.) Install handles to 2 sides of the Lego tray for easy carrying!
And there you have it! Even though it was our first time using the Kreg Jig this project didn’t really take that much time. Most of it was spent waiting for the paint and adhesive to dry! I’ll definitely be keeping this one in my stash of future gift ideas!!!
