How to Build a Vintage Inspired White Toybox | Free Plans!
Hi friends! Honestly, I don’t know the last time I’ve been so excited to share a post. I’ve been working on building this gorgeous white toybox for a while now. And guess what? She’s all done!
This DIY woodworking project was really easy to make. And even better, I’m really excited to give you the downloadable PDF plans for free! So if you’ve ever wanted to build a vintage-inspired wooden or white toybox, then keep on reading! Enjoy!
How to Build a Vintage Inspired White Toybox | Free Plans!
This post was generously sponsored by Rockler Woodworking. As always, all opinions are my own and I’ll be super honest about my reviews and recommendations. #forreallyreal
If you’ve been reading along for a while, you know I’ve worked with Rockler before to build my multi-tool stand and set up my dust collection system. I continue to love the quality of their products and am thrilled to work with them again to bring you these free plans for this white toybox. (Thank you, Rockler!)
Before you get started, make sure to download your free plans by subscribing below. Then, keep on reading this post to:
- See the equipment you need to build your toybox with recommendations for tools I use and love (tagged with some affiliate links)
- View detailed photos of how the assembly to peek over my shoulder during the build
- Learn why using the right hinges will keep tiny fingers safe
- Get my tips on for how to acheive a high gloss finish without brush strokes
- Nab some ideas for how to style your toybox in your baby’s room
You ready? Let’s do this!
Download your Free Vintage White Toybox Plans
Subscribe below to download your free printable plans! The plans show you step by step what to buy, how to cut your wood, and how to assemble your toybox.
The ten-page printable PDF will walk you through exactly what you need to create your own toybox.
Materials You’ll Need to Build Your Toybox
Lumber (I specified the exact lengths and dimensions you need in the plans)
Wood glue
Miter saw
Band saw or jigsaw
Brad Nailer
Carpenters square
Optional: band clamp and band clamp accessory kit — this made the face frame so easy!
Toybox hinges (get good ones like the Lid Stay Torsion Hinges —- those little fingers will thank you!!)
Drill
Driver
Kreg Jig
Paintbrush
Paint
Floetrol
Sander
120 grit sandpaper
220 grit sandpaper
Mixing mate for mixing the paint and thinner — no brush strokes, horray!
Clamps
Wood filler
Safety glasses
Assemble Your Toy Box Sides, Front, and Back
First, you’ll want to assemble the sides of the toybox and the front and back. Using my miter saw, I first cut all the trim boards to length. I cut all the trim boards to the length of the plywood.
I actually had the guys at my local Home Depot rip down the plywood for me since it’s incredibly entertaining for my toddler. (And honestly, anything that keeps him entertained for more than ten minutes? Total win.) If you don’t have a table saw, you can use a Kreg rip cut and a circular saw to cut down your plywood if you make the big cuts at the box store.
Before I attached the trim to the sides and front, I free handed a curve along the bottom pieces. I first cut one half of each side, turned it around, and traced it to make sure the curve was symmetrical.
Once I had the pretty curves cut, I used my Kreg Jig to drill holes and attach the sides, inseting the plywood to give it some visual jazziness.
I attached the trim to the plywood sides, front, and back, using wood glue between all the joints. See the plans for specific depths and screw lengths.
Fit the Sides, Top, and Bottom Together
Once your sides, front, and back are done, attach them to the toybox legs. Honestly, this step would’ve been a wee bit easier if I just had the patience to wait for my husband to come home from work.
…But I am NOT a patient person. At all!
Thankfully, these ah-mazing sure foot aluminum bar clamps from Rockler saved the day. And I was able, with some not some graceful effort, to get all four sides assembled thanks to these bad boys.
With the sides, legs, front, and back connected, the toybox is looking boxier.
I added bottom supports and a plywood piece on the bottom. It should withstand the weight of a two-year-old wanting a new hide and seek spot now.
Attach the Top and Hinges
For the top, I used my bandsaw to add a few more curved pieces on the trim. I love the vintage look the curves give the white toybox! I added the trim with woodscrews from the underside of the top.
Before I screwed the trim onto the top, I predrilled and countersunk the screws so that they wouldn’t stick out of the bottom of the underside.
When you’re attaching the top of the toybox, you’ll definitely want to invest in good hinges. Honestly, one of my earliest memories is getting my fingers slammed in a door. Ouch! The thought still gives me the heebie jeebies, seriously. Eugh.
These suh-weet Lid-Stay Torsion Hinges from Rockler Woodworking are awesome. When you lift the lid of the toybox, it just stays up. Like magic! (I’m sure there’s actually torsion-y science behind how the toybox hinges work, but it sure does feel like magic to me.)
No smooshed little fingers. These Lid-Stay Torsion Hinges are worth every penny.
Add Face Trim and Finish
I wanted this white toybox to have a very vintage feel and decorative face trim was just the ticket.
I used decorative molding from Home Depot for this. And, um, it was kind of expensive. It was only like 80 cents per linear foot, but I ended up needing about 24 linear feet. In the end, it added up. If I were to do this project again, I would probably just use furring strips or even screen door molding, which would be WAY WAY cheaper.
But gosh, the trim ended up being pretty though. I used this really cool band clamp with the Clamp It Assembly Squares to make sure that my face frames were square. You could easily use a carpenters square, but honestly, if you think you might end up making lots of square or boxes, I’d totally recommend the band clamp.
Particularly because I kinda stink at mitered corners, this band clamp really does make it easier to get nice looking squares. I always cut my pieces to fit.
To finish the project, I filled the edge of the plywood top with spackle so that it would take paint. Then I filled it aaaaall the holes (there were A LOT) with DAP wood filler.
My genius buddy Emily – who is a total PRO at painting furniture – recommended that I use high gloss interior paint. Not only would it be super sturdy (as a toybox should be!), but I wouldn’t need to use a poly over top. She was so right! It looks lovely!
I used Floetrol paint thinner and mixed it up in my Rockler Mixing Mate to ensure that my paint and thinner were well mixed. With the Floetrol, I got a super SUPER smooth finish with absolutely no brush strokes. (Otherwise, high gloss paint can be tricky to work with!)
The toybox easily took two coats of paint and I needed to buy two quarts. This is the custom Behr color I got, thanks to the wisdom of the One Little Project blog, who color matched Behr paint to IKEA furniture. Now baby girl’s toybox blends in beautifully with her IKEA crib and dresser!
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Glamor Shots of the Vintage White Toybox!
I named these free downloadable plans after my gorgeous daughter, Adelina. If you’d like to build your own version of the Adelina toybox, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can show ya off.
And thank you again to Rockler — I appreciate your support so much! I hope you all enjoy building this toybox as much I did. Have fun! Be safe! (Gosh, do I sound like a mom or what?)
Vintage White Toybox Wrap Up
Alright friends, in conclusion, I hope this post inspired you to make your own gorgeous white toybox! This is the first project I’ve provided with free DIY woodworking plans so I’d love to hear from you!
Pop a comment below to let me know how you like the plans and what other projects you’d like to see. I’m excited to bring you more easy, beginner-friendly tutorials so that you can transform your home into a place you love, regardless of the size of your wallet.