If you have been watching Instagram stories this week you know I started making my girls these stunning blanket ladders for their bedrooms. I have wanted to display their blankets for awhile, but I could never find what I was looking for. I decided to give it a shot and make my own....and they turned out great!! In fact, they are so good that I have now made about a dozen of them for other families in Calgary.
I have had so many questions about the steps, measurements, supplies, etc. and so I decided I would answer all of your questions in a blog post here. Happy building friends!
What you need:
Countersunk lag screws
Wood filler
Dowel rods (I used 1 5/16")
Wooden studs (2x3)
Sander
Saw
Drill
Paint and brushes or roller
Painters tape
Getting Started:
You will want to cut your wooden studs to the desired length. I wanted my ladders to be 5'6" tall, but I also did a few ladders that were 6' tall.
Next you need to cut the dowels. Mine were cut at 15" for the shorter ladders and 16" for the taller ladders.
Measure out where you want your ladder rungs to be. I chose to have mine evenly spaced along the height of the side rails. This was 12" apart for the 6' ladder and 11" apart for the 5'6" ladder.
Pre-drill holes where the rungs will go into the rails of the ladder and also into the ends of the dowels. Make sure you centre your pre-drilled holes.
Next you will want to screw the dowels into one side of the ladder rail. Make sure the screw are sunk into the rail so you can fill them afterwards. I used countersunk lag screws.
Turn the ladder with the attached dowels onto its side with the dowels facing up. You will then set the screws into the pre drilled holes on the other rail. Line up the screws to go into the pre-drilled holes on the exposed ends of the dowels. Finish drilling the screws all the way into the dowels. Your ladder will now be fully assembled.
This is the time you will fill any cracks, the crew holes, etc. If you want a more rustic look, leave the knots and if you don't, fill them.
Sand any rough or mudded areas on your ladder.
Now you are ready for painting! This is my favorite part! I chose to do most of my ladders in a two tone look, but a single color looks great too. If you are going for a color block look like I did, use painters tape to mark off the areas as you paint. Once you are finished, leave your ladder to dry. It's that easy!
