Blanket ladders are totally adorable! I love the concept of them and how cute, cozy, and functional they are for a space. I’ve wanted a blanket ladder for awhile, not sure why it took me so long to make one because they are one of the most simplest building projects I’ve ever done!
Today, I’m excited to share how we easily and quickly built this DIY blanket ladder for less than $15 in lumber!
Note, this post contains some affiliate links for convenience.
How to build a DIY blanket ladder:
Materials Needed:
- (2) 2×3 @ 8ft
- 1 1/4″ round wood dowels @ 6.5 feet (I used two of these dowels)
- Wood Glue
- Masking tape or Painter’s tape
Tools Needed:
- Drill
- 1 1/4″ spade drill bit
- Miter saw (or have your home improvement store make the cuts)
- Mallet hammer or hammer
1. Make the lumber cuts for the DIY blanket ladder
From your 2×3 lumber, cut two pieces at 76 inches long each. I chose to cut the bottoms of each piece at a 10 degree angle so the blanket ladder would sit and lean better on the ground. But, you can do them both at a regular 90 degree angle too.
Cut your round wood dowel rods into four 18.5 inch long pieces.
2. Mark drill holes on the blanket ladder
Now it’s time to mark where the holes will go on the two side pieces. Measure 13 5/8 inches down from the top of one of the 2×3 side pieces and mark a line. Then, measure 1 1/4 inches in from the side of the 2×3 piece to create a center point mark for your first hole.
From that first hole mark, measure 14 1/4 inches down and mark a line. Then, again measure 1 1/4 inches from the side to create a center point mark for where the second hole will be drilled. Continue this process two more times till all 4 holes are marked. The pole holes will be equally spaced 13 inches apart from each other once drilled. Repeat on the second blanket ladder side piece so the holes are marked at the exact same measurements on each side piece.
3. Drill the blanket ladder holes
Place a piece of painter’s tape or masking tape 3/4″ from the bottom of the wide part of the spade drill bit. This is to ensure you drill the holes at the correct depth.
Line up the center point of the spade drill bit with your hole mark and drill the hole until the blue tape is at the same level as the surface of the wood. Note, if you’ve never used a spade bit before, it helps to practice drilling a hole first on a scrap piece of wood. Also, it helps to clamp your 2×3 down to secure it from moving while drilling the holes.
Repeat until the remaining 7 holes have been drilled.
4. Attach wood poles to blanket ladder sides
Lay out one of the blanket ladder side pieces. Apply wood glue to the bottom of one wood pole, as well as inside of one of the side piece holes and insert wood pole into the hole
Repeat for the other three holes on the one side piece.
Next, tap the wood poles down into the holes with a mallet hammer or hammer gently to ensure they are all the way inserted into the depth of the drilled holes.
Finally, attach the second side piece of the DIY blanket ladder with wood glue again and tap again with a hammer.
Allow the wood glue to dry with the blanket ladder laying flat. I used some clamps to help hold everything in place securely while the wood glue dried.
All finished, pretty simple right?! With a lovely result of course!
I also applied a weathered, barnwood, gray finish, which I love. The tutorial on how to create this Barnwood Gray weathered wood finish is included in Weathered Wood Recipes, which you can learn more about here!
Hope these easy DIY blanket ladder plans are helpful! Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for sneak peaks and my latest projects!
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This is an AWESOME tutorial if someone wants to do this and isn’t very handy or just beginner project! I was just wondering what mixture you used for the stain.
Thank you so much Melissa!!! I’ll be sharing more details about the finish next week!
10/21/2018 WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE STAIN TOO
The finish is actually a custom weathered wood finish that I used, which I share how to do in my Weathered Wood Recipes e-book here: https://angelamariemade.com/weatheredwoodrecipes
Would you have to drill the holes or could you just Apple the wood glue to the connection point?
What do you mean by apple the wood glue? Since the the 2×3 wood for the sides are a bit heavy, the holes help to hold everything in place more securely.
Perfect instructions for a novice such as myself and I thank you. How does measuring dowels at 141/4 apart give me 13 inch space between all dowels?
Thanks.
Thanks! Because the dowels are 1 1/4″ in diameter, if you line the center of them up at 14 1/4″ apart, a 13″ space will remain (14 1/4″ space – 1 1/4″ thick dowel = 13 inch space). Hope that helps!
This looks awesome! Just wondering why you measure in only 1 1/4 inches from the side if the wood is 3 inches wide. Wouldn’t you need to go in 1 1/2 inches to ensure the hole was in the middle?
So, the wood is actually 2 1/2″ wide. A 2×3 actual size is 1 1/2″ thick x 2 1/2″ wide, its nominal size is 2″ x 3″. I have a lumber dimension post here that explains this more if that is helpful: https://angelamariemade.com/2017/09/intro-to-woodworking-lumber-size-guide-free-printable/