For those of us who like to refurbish or repurpose old furniture, it can be like a treasure hunt when trying to find the perfect source material.
But once you do find it — either on Craigslist, at a local flea market, or even sitting on the side of the road — the DIY possibilities can be seemingly endless.
In the case of Instructables user AnitaH25, she found what she thought was the perfect old desk online for only $20. Thinking she would refurbish it for her home, she made the bargain purchase.
But once she saw it up close, she realized that "it had been given a very deep, shabby chic look. There was no way [she] could restore it without spending many hours sanding." That's when inspiration struck.
Scroll through below to see how this clever DIY-er turned her $20 find into the perfect sandpit play area for her niece.
Would you want a piece like this in your home or your backyard? Let us know in the comments!
This Instructables user was struck by inspiration when she finally saw this $20 find up close.
She decided it would make a great sandpit play area for her 2-year-old niece.
She measured out the size of her sand container on the desktop and cut out the large rectangular hole using a jigsaw.
Knowing her young niece was far too short to reach the top of the desk as it stood, this DIY-er cut part of the bottom off of the desk.
She wanted to hide the plastic container from being seen from the front, so she added a small piece of wood and removed the entire top drawer.
She would later replace the top drawer's facing for cosmetic purposes.
She also wanted the bottom drawer to be fully functional so that it could store plenty of sandpit toys.
This amazing aunt then stained the entire piece with dark mahogany and added two coats of varnish to protect against any outdoor elements.
The sandpit container fit perfectly so it could be covered with a plastic lid when her niece was finished playing.
She took things one step further by making a chair, too, writing, "The chair was made from the offcuts from the desk, and the legs were from an old table I repurposed in a previous project."
In no time at all, this incredible DIY aunt had turned a boring old desk into the perfect sandpit play area for her 2-year-old niece!
What do you think of this simple but clever transformation? Do you know any kids who would enjoy playing in this sandpit? Let us know in the comments.
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