When you build a DIY slide for the outdoor playground, the kids and their friends can entertain themselves.
For added fun, you may want an indoor slide, as well.
If you have a staircase, you have an indoor slide waiting to be created.
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All it takes is a sheet of 3/4-inch melamine-facedMDFboard, foam pipe insulation, and optional mending plates.
you could adapt this project to a straight or curved slide.
Plastic slides alone start at about $130.
The DIY slide structure is 16 square feet, measuring 4 feet by 4 feet.
This slide is high enough that you’ll need to build balusters and hand railings to keep everyone safe.
Check for Utilities
Contact yourlocal utility locationservice.
They will visit your yard and mark off vital services with water-soluble paint.
This service is usually free.
Once the turf is gone, use a two-by-four with the bubble level to check for evenness.
Scrape away high areas and add extra dirt to low areas.
Check for square by measuring one diagonal against the other.
Dig Holes
Use the post-hole digger or a power auger to dig four post holes.
The holes should be below your area’s frost line, typically between 36 and 42 inches.
Dig another 4 inches down to accommodate the gravel.
Pour Gravel
Each post hole receives about 4 inches of gravel to promote drainage.
Plumb Posts
Set the 8-foot four-by-fours in the post holes.
Addconcrete, filling the holes to about 3 inches below ground level.
Stabilize each post by staking it to the ground.
Use the bubble level to plumb each post.
To stake a post, use two scrap two-by-fours, each about 7 to 8 feet long.
Screw one to the side of the four-by-four, about 4 to 5 feet high.
Screw in another two-by-four on the adjacent side of the four-by-four.
Stake the loose ends of the braces into the ground with improvised stakes.
Cut 1-foot scraps of wood into stakes.
Attach Floor Bracing
Cut two of the two-by-sixes in half.
Use these four pieces to create a square-shaped brace around the four-by-fours.
verify that the top of this brace is at the 5-foot level and that it is level all around.
Add Water to Concrete
Use the garden hose to fill each hole with water.
The water will drain through the dry concrete.
When each hole is full of water, stop adding water.
Wait a day or two for the concrete to harden.
Add Flooring
Cut four of the two-by-sixes in half.
roll out the resulting eight pieces of two-by-sixes flat across the top of the platform.
Firmly screw each side into place with three deck screws.
Use screws to construct the ladder.
Attach the ladder to the side of the slide structure.
Balusters should be no more than 4 inches apart from each other.
Leave a cut-out area for the slide and for the ladder.
Build the handrail and balusters from two-by-fours.
For a slide longer than 8 feet, cut additional 18-inch sheets.
Attach Sheets
Attach the sheets end-to-end with mending plates.
Screw the mending plates in place from below.
Attach the stair fillers to the slide from the inside with L-shaped metal corner braces.
Attach Pipe Insulation Foam
Separate the pipe insulation on the perforation.
Fit it over the edge of the slide.
Screw it into place from the side.
And that’s it.
Now that your DIY slide is complete, what’s the next epic addition to your backyard play area?
If you needsuggestions on the best trampolines, we’ve got you covered.
Getting the right angle for a DIY outdoor slide is tricky.
This project calls for a 90-inch long slide to be attached to a 5-foot high deck.
A longer slide will reduce the slope.
To make a plastic slide slippery, clean it andsand deep grooves.
Then either polish the surface with wax paper or lightly coat the surface withautomotive wax spray.
The cost of a plastic slide piece itself can vary depending on its length and design.
