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!
The detailed how-to steps, photos, and video on how to make a blanket ladder are below.
Also, get the printable build plans here.
Note, this post contains some affiliate links. For more info see my disclosures here.
How to make a blanket ladder:
Materials Needed:
- (2) 2x3 @ 8ft
- 1 ¼" round wood dowels @ 6.5 ft (I used two of these dowels)
- Wood Glue
- 1 ¼" spade drill bit
- Masking tape or Painter's tape
- Stain (I used Barnwood Gray from my Weathered Wood Recipes)
Tools Needed:
- Drill
- Miter saw (or have your home improvement store make the cuts)
- Mallet hammer or hammer
- Measuring tape
- Speed square (optional)
1. Make the lumber cuts for the DIY blanket ladder
From your 2x3 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 ⅝ inches down from the top of one of the 2x3 side pieces and mark a line. Then, measure 1 ¼ inches in from the side of the 2x3 piece to create a center point mark for your first hole. I used a square tool to help with this part.
From that first hole mark, measure 14 ¼ inches down and mark a line. Then, again measure 1 ¼ 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 DIY blanket ladder holes
Place a piece of painter's tape or masking tape ¾" 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 2x3 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.
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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.
5. Apply a finish to your blanket ladder
All finished, pretty simple for how to make a blanket ladder?! With a lovely result of course! Finish the blanket ladder DIY with a stain or weathered finish...
I 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! You could also use this build as a DIY quilt ladder!
Clearly, I love how my blankets look on display lol...
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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 2x3 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 2x3 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/
Hey. I put one of the together last weekend. Turned out very nice with your barnwood formula. Just curious where you shopped for throws.
That's great to hear! The top blanket is from IKEA, middle one is from Pottery Barn, and bottom one is from TJ Maxx or Home Goods.
Thank you for this clear and detailed tutorial. Making this together was my husband's birthday gift to me. We don't have much woodworking experience but we had fun and are thrilled with our new quilt ladder. Just need to stain it, then I can go make more quilts to keep it filled.
You're welcome Joanne! I'm so glad to to hear that!
I just made two of these and it was really easy because of your tutorial! Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know Ashley! I'm so glad to hear it was helpful!!!
Where did you get those blankets??
The top blanket is from IKEA, middle one is from Pottery Barn, and bottom one is from TJ Maxx or Home Goods.
My husband and I just made one, adjusted the height to better accommodate our space, and it's AH-MAZING! We couldn't be happier, easiest project we've done yet! Will make more for friends and family. Thank you for such great instruction!
That's awesome, I am so happy to hear that!
Ran into a very frustrating issue. If the dowel holes aren’t perfectly lined up (even a 16th off) this project does not come together right.
Mine weren't perfectly lined up either but it still works! It may be the 2x3 boards you used, if they have any bowing or warping that can cause issues.
One way you can ensure that all holes line up would be to lay the boards on top of each other, mark the top one for the dowel positions, then drill holes all the way through both boards at the same time. The dowels would show at the sides - and you might want to cut them a bit longer - but you wouldn’t have to worry about your measurements being off.
Great idea, thanks!
This looks so awesome and your directions look very easy to follow. I plan to make one for myself soon. I wondered if you anchored it to your wall?
Thank you! I didn't anchor it but you can if you'd like!
I’m curious if you were going to do a partial angled cut at the top, so the angle would be against the wall, what degree would you do and how far in would you recommend to cut.
I didn't need to do an angle at the top for mine, just at the bottom, but you can if you want! I'm not sure exactly what angle would be best, I would try testing out a few different angle cuts on some scrap wood first to see what you like best!
Such a great tutorial! Can't wait to try it out!
That's great to hear. Thank you!
I used this tutorial to make a 3 step ladder for behind my 1/2 bath toilet and hung a wire basket with a paper towel holder. Handy now next to the sink as we aren’t using cloth hand towels during covid. Love this ladder. I might make one to hang blankets eventually!
That is such a cute idea! I love how you used this tutorial to make it work for your own space.
I am finally making this ladder after having the materials for over a year! I am having so much trouble drilling the holes though. We even went and bought better bits, thinking ours were dull. Still having trouble. The drill gets stuck and won't spin. We have tried a few different drills, and still having trouble drilling the hole. Any advice??
@Linda Hansen, it’s a little late to answer but I just made a ladder yesterday and had the same issue. Turns out my drill had two settings; one for speed and one for power. I changed it to the power setting, and it worked like a champ. It’s a little slide bar on top of the drill.
Making this! Did you clear coat the over the stain to prevent any bleeding onto the blankets?
Great! Nope that shouldn't happen as long as you let the stain dry fully for a day or two! But you can if would like to 🙂
I made the blanket ladder today and it is beautiful! Thanks for the awesome instructions.
So happy to hear that!