Blanket Ladder Workshop
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Lowe’s. Although we were compensated to write this post, all opinions and content are our own, and we stand behind and use all brands and products we endorse on our site. You guys, we are SO excited to be working with The UpSkill Project again, but this time in our own workshop.
We love to entertain and love bringing good people and creatives together for a special treat. So we couldn’t have been more excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Lowe’s to do a make-and-take workshop at our home.
With inspiration from The UpSkill Project, we invited a group of local influencers over for dinner, drinks and to teach them how to build a blanket ladder. We wanted to make it into a make-and-take workshop and we couldn’t think of anything more fitting with the fall weather ahead; we have blankets and fall decor on our mind.
I love a good blanket ladder. We use them all the time for styling our client’s homes.
Not only are they awesome to hang blankets on in your living room but we’ve also used them in bathrooms to hang towels. Blanket ladders can get pretty spendy to buy, however, you can just DIY them for under $20.
Step-by-step we walked these guys through the process of how to build a blanket ladder and today we want to share all the fun and the full tutorial with you.
Although a lot of these guys are creatives and in the home industry, some of them still weren’t comfortable around power tools. So it was fun to get them comfortable and be able to show them the dos and don’ts behind these tools.
Throughout the night, we took smaller groups and walked them through the build while the rest of the group hung out and fondued.
So let’s get to the full tutorial on how to make a blanket ladder.
How to Make a Blanket Ladder
Step One: Figure out your Design
There are so many cool blanket ladder designs out there it was hard to decide on which one to do. Since we were going to have a handful of different people with different styles, we wanted to stick with something a little more classic and timeless.
The best part is with this design all we needed was 2 x 4’s and we had ourselves a nice chunky wooden ladder. Then we told the group they could finish off the ladders with their own style, either painting or staining.
A couple of the guys also did angle blanket ladders, so skinny up on top and larger width down at the bottom. Depending on how tall you want your blanket ladder will determine your measurements.
We went with 8′ long boards, so we had our group just cut down the ends a bit, as I like a little larger blanket ladder.
Step Two: Gather your Materials & Tools
The first step is getting together your material list and tools. The best part about this DIY project is that it is inexpensive to make.
We were able to create these ladders for under $20. We created our list and headed to our local Lowe’s store to grab all the materials.
One of the cool things about Lowe’s is that you can cut your wood in-store. We cut it at home so we could teach these guys how to make cuts, but if you don’t own a saw, no worries, you can cut all the boards down in your local Lowe’s store.
Materials:
- 3x: 8’x2”x4”
- 1x: 2.5” box of general construction screws
- Minwax Stain: Dark Walnut, Ebony, and Classic Grey
- Paint Brush
Tools:
- Miter saw
- Drill
- Electric Sander or Sandpaper
Step Three: Cut your Lumber
Once you’ve gathered your materials, you’ll cut your lumber down to the length that you want it. Start off with three boards: 2”x4”x8′. Cut two of the boards to their desired length based on how tall you’d like your blanket ladder to be and then for the middle rungs cut them each down to 15″.
Everyone at the party did a little bit of a different size and style, but this is what we advised to do.
Step Four: Sand
Once you cut down the boards, sand them all down before drilling holes and assembling them. We used electric sanders, but sandpaper works just as well too.
If you do use electricity, be careful not to put too much pressure in areas, or you’ll dig down into the wood.
Step Five: Mark & Drill
Next step you’ll want to measure and mark the layout of the horizontal boards. Keeping them all spaced the same is important so it all looks even once completed.
Step Six: Assemble
When the layout is done, assembling the ladder is the last step. Using the 2 1/2″ screws, run two screws through the vertical 2x4s of the ladder into the horizontal 2x4s.
Repeat until all the parts are together. We also did the rungs at 45-degree angles.
Step Seven: Stain
And lastly, stain to your liking! We got our top three favorite stains from Minwax: Dark Walnut, Ebony, and Classic Grey.
And there you have it; your very own blanket ladder! We had such a great time teaching these guys how to DIY, and they all loved that not only did they get to take home a piece of furniture but that they all learned some new DIY skills.
Thank you to Samantha Cater for capturing the moments of the night.
And of course, some of the highlights we came across on Instagram that these awesome creatives captured from the fun night too that we wanted to share…
