How to Build a DIY Toy Box with Faux Slats
*This post was sponsored by Build Something. This post also contains affiliate links. See disclosure policy for details.
For some reason, I’ve become really infatuated with faux things in my builds lately. I mean, we’ve been over the fact I don’t have a very big appreciation for fake things. BUT, I’ve discovered that “faking it” in woodworking has some pretty cool advantages sometimes.
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Like with this faux slat DIY toy box.
I mean, you could totally build this with ACTUAL slats. BUT, that would be a ton of screws and joinery and then you have to make sure your boards are perfectly straight or your slats may have gaps. It’s just a WHOLE lot easier to fake it in this case.
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And if anyone judges you for faking it, you just smile and wave and show them your gorgeous new toy box. You don’t have time for that kind of negativity 😉 You have pretty things to build.
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I’m sharing the full how to with plans and step by step pictures over on Build Something. But I’ve also got the YouTube tutorial video for you here:
It’s a super easy build only requiring a little plywood and a 2×2 board…and the plywood sides make it pretty quick, too. Of course, you can build the exact same thing without the slats, if you wanted. But that’s a lot less fun 😉 And I think the slats gave it a cool look. If you wanted, you could use the same concept and make a boho or tribal type design instead of horizontal slats.
But I built this for my nephew and I didn’t want to go too wild with the design. But stay tuned because when I set this by my front door to take these photos, I realized I would LOVE a storage box here and I’ll probably be building one soon with a modern boho kind of vibe. (I need to stop doing that…we live in a tiny house now and I don’t have room for more stuff…)
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For this build, I only used a few of my favorite tools like:
Miter Saw
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To cut the slats, I did use my table saw BUT, I’ve done faux slats before on this faux drawer dresser and used a circular saw and my Kreg AccuCut. It’s actually easier to use the AccuCut instead of the table saw if you are doing any kind of design that isn’t horizontal or vertical. So don’t be turned away if you don’t have a table saw. The AccuCut with a circ saw is just as quick and just as easy.
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You can get all the details in the tutorial over on Build Something.
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And I also added in soft close hinges since this was for my 1 year old nephew and I didn’t want him to smash his fingers on a heavy lid. These are actually not really “hinges”, but more like gas filled springs. I used a 30″ piano hinge for the actual hinge, but added these to each side for the soft close feature. I used them once before on another toy box and they worked great!
And if you like the idea of faux slats, you may also like these other “faux” projects as well 😉
OR, if you’d like more toy chest ideas, check these out:
So if you’re ready to get building, head over to Build Something for the free plans for this toy box and for hundreds of other free plans and designs to build for every room in the house.
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Until next time, happy building!! 🙂
Kathleen Conery
December 18, 2018 at 3:29 pmA place to sit, or to put on shoes, and attractive hidden storage? I think a small place needs this!
Shara, Woodshop Diaries
February 8, 2019 at 5:43 amI agree!! 🙂