How to Make a DIY Mud Kitchen from Wooden Pallets

A Mud Kitchen is a play kitchen (like the Ikea ones) for outside, usually containing an area for sand and/or water for hours (hopefully) of tactile play.
I used:
- 2 Wooden pallets (free)
- Tools (drill/screwdriver, saw, pencil)
- Paint/Latex primer
- Screws

Here are the step-by-step easy instructions:
1. Find two standard-size pine wooden pallets. The better the condition, the better!

2. Cut one of the pallets along the horizontal strut.

3. Use wood glue and screws/nails to attach the two halves at a 90 degree angle and then attach to the full pallet back piece.


4. Sand everything!

5. Find a plastic tub and cut a hole to let the tabs on the plastic container rest on the wood. (Measure twice, cut once!)

6. Cut the hole and keep the pieces for shelving.

7. Cut the middle two planks, leaving the supporting, thicker frame legs for stability. Add the shelve(s) and add a name plate (paint later).

8. Paint! Use a primer that also has a sealant in it.

9. Add plants, decorations, and mud or sand toys.


That’s it! Thanks.
Pin these, please!


Tyler
June 22, 2020 at 9:34 amLooks great!
I’d recommend looking at a palm sander next time so you don’t have to sit there as there hand sanding 😉
jamesrcsmith
June 22, 2020 at 9:36 amLol! Yeah, I got a Black & Decker one for Father’s Day which really sped up the process.
Angela
June 22, 2020 at 9:58 amYou make that look simple! Not so handy over here 🙂
Janette Shearer
June 22, 2020 at 9:42 pmOh wow… how cool is that! You made that look soo easy!
Tairalyn
June 22, 2020 at 9:43 pmThis turned out incredible. Stella would LOVE this! We are all about mud these days! We bath like 3 times a day! Pretty much before every meal.
Michael Kwan
June 23, 2020 at 1:04 pmWell, you’re certainly craftier than I am. I enjoyed following your little journey here. Truly “building” great memories. 😉
Reg
June 25, 2020 at 3:42 pmWhat a great DIY! Looks fairly simple too.
Dad Done It
October 30, 2020 at 5:46 pmWhat a cute idea! As a fellow dad I definitely appreciate building things for my kids and helping them understand the process while doing it! What brand of primer did you use? I’ve had some success and some failures using different products but I’d like to know what worked for you.. thanks in advance
jamesrcsmith
October 30, 2020 at 6:06 pmThanks! I used Behr 2-in-1 primer and gloss which is weather proof.