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Blog entry by Education Attendant, Cindy Tunney

Legos are a challenge to keep contained! At the Garbage Garage Education Center, we needed a play table that could hold a lot of legos and make cleanup a cinch. I found a creative blog and was inspired to upcycle an old piece of furniture. I don’t have much experience as a carpenter, but I can handle some basic tools.

All I needed was to find the right unwanted table to start with. How lucky is this? This great little, 2-tiered, side table was a perfect find for this project. But since it didn’t provide any place to store the Legos, I had to add a shelf underneath made out of plywood, wood trim and glue. Now a tub or drawer fits right in. 

 

Supplies:
- plastic bin
- scrap cardboard with pencil
- Lego baseplates (self adhesive recommended)
- latex paint (free from Drop ’N’ Swap), paint brush(es)
- powdered grout (optional)
- spray adhesive (optional)

Tools: drill, electric jigsaw, electric sander

Optional but recommended (for shelf): plywood, wood trim, and glue

To add the “shoebox” sized bin to the upper tier, I traced the bin on a scrap of cardboard first and made a good, tight template before cutting it out. I drilled a few starter holes where I wanted to cut, then used an electric jigsaw.

A good sanding and few coats of paint and everything blended right in! I added some powdered grout to the semi-gloss white latex on the first few coats to help the paint fill in the cracks- just like chalk paint. The paint was free from the Drop 'N’ Swap Shop at the Larimer County Landfill. 

The green Lego base plates came with a self-adhesive back and very clear directions for applying. They are holding on amazingly tight.

The small plates are held on with a spray adhesive. The spray adhesive sticks better to the plastic bin than to the painted wood surface. Those base plates really make building easier and more fun, especially when connecting the upper tier to the lower surface. And both Duplos or regular Legos can fit on them!

The table is just the right size to store against the wall, but can also be turned to make room for extra Lego Lovers!

Make an appointment to visit the Garbage Garage Education Center at the Larimer County Landfill to learn ways you can be more environmentally conscious at your house. And you can check out the upcycled Lego table while you are there!