Have you ever fallen in love with an idea? I do it all the time and in this case it’s a front porch display DIY ladder. You know, those cute little ladders with only 2 or 3 rungs that no one can really climb but look super cute with decorations? I got my head wrapped around the idea that I had to have one. I’ve been looking for a while, but since I’m cheap thrifty, I wasn’t willing to pay much (or shop around too much) to get one.
If you’re new to DIY projects and looking for an easy introduction to building something, this DIY ladder is for you! It’s a great beginner project that can get you into your local hardware store and producing a finished product in an afternoon.
You may need to go to the hardware store, but I visited my garage. And because I am a hoarder. pack rat. collector, I happened to have just the right pieces to create these DIY ladders (I made two to go on either side of my front door.)
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DIY Ladder Supplies
- 2 – 2×4 4-foot wood boards
- Sander or sandpaper
- 2 or 3 – 1-foot round wood rods (closet rods work great)
- Wood Screws
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Stain or Paint (optional)
If you don’t own power tools, I strongly recommend you purchase a screwdriver/drill – corded or cordless. My sister-in-law gave me this Black and Decker cordless screwdriver as a birthday present. It is also a drill. It is super handy for lots of little home projects from hanging pictures to tightening screws to small building projects like this one. It is one of my favorite gifts!
Taking a Trip to Your Local Hardware Store
If you don’t happen to have all the materials at home already, this is the perfect project to get you acquainted with your local hardware store (my go-to is Home Depot and sometimes Lowe’s.) You’ll be visiting a few different areas: lumber, closets, and fasteners.
Closets
First, head to the closet section to find a wooden closet rod. These will be the rungs. Your lumber store should sell them in lengths of 6 feet. We’re going to have them cut it down into two (2) 1-foot sections (if you’re building more than one ladder, or putting more rungs on yours, plan accordingly.) You can save your leftover for another project.
Note: Wooden rods can be pricey, so if you are on a budget, skip the closet section and just buy a 2×2 board that can be cut to the proper lengths.
Lumber
Next, in lumber, locate the 2×4 area and choose an inexpensive wood. Since we’re using this as a display, the type of wood doesn’t really matter and you can get away with using something inexpensive.
We’re cutting our boards down to be the sides of our ladder. For my ladder, I decided around 4 feet tall was just right (I was planning to prop mine up in planter boxes which will make them look taller.) My height was dictated by the boards that happen to be in my garage. You might choose higher or lower depending on what you have or purchase. Keep in mind the finished look you want. Maybe stand in front of your house (or wherever you plan to put the ladder) and visualize the end result.
Ask for Help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! The people who work in my store are super helpful and happy to answer even my most basic questions. If you end up with someone not so happy to help, keep looking until you find a different person. Most hardware employees understand that helping is part of their jobs, but everyone has an off day.
Cutting Area
Okay, you’ve got your closet rod and long pieces of wood. Time to find the cutting area or ask an employee where to get your wood cut. Depending on the day and time you visit, this can be a busy area. (Note: Some stores cut the round rods in a different location that the long boards. You may have to ask to be sure how your store handles it.)
Once it is your turn, tell the employee what sizes you want and they should get it cut in no time. Bonus: Their huge cutter is super cool. Sometimes when the kids are with me, we just hang out there for a little bit watching wood get cut. Don’t judge until you’ve tried it. Note: it can be loud, so bring headphones for sensitive ears.
My boards were pretty rough. To avoid splinters, I sanded them all over with my DeWalt Orbital Sander. You could use sandpaper, but I love power tools.
Fasteners
I found 4 screws the same size in my stash. If you don’t have screws, find the right aisle in your hardware store (typically called Fasteners) and look for wood screws. They come in all different sizes. Ideally you want something at least 1.5 inches long. Shorter than that will work since we’re not actually climbing on the ladder, but when joining pieces of wood, a longer screw ensures a stronger connection. I used brown screws, since I am planning to stain my ladder. I don’t want bright silver screws to be visible on the sides.
Assembling the Ladder
If you are planning to stain or paint your ladder, pre-assembly is the ideal time to do it. For stain, follow the directions on the can of stain, but the method I prefer is to use a rag and dip it in the stain. Then rub it onto the wood. You have control of how much stain and how dark you want it to look. Make sure you cover the edges and top and bottom, too. If you are painting, a distressed paint look would be fun to create. To do this, first paint all your pieces. Once everything is dry, come back with sandpaper (not your power sander) and rough it up. This will give it a weathered look.
Once your stain is dry, it’s time to put it all together. Lay out your pieces to determine where you want the rungs to be. I plan to hang seasonal flags and decor on mine, so I put one rung closer to the top, but left a larger space to the next one.
Now you get to use your power tools. We will put the screws in both rungs on one side of the ladder before moving to the next. Use a pencil and mark where your screw will go for both rungs on both sides of the ladder. If you want a nice, even ladder, be sure to measure. (Even lazy crafters have to measure sometimes.)
Use your drill and drill straight into the side and through. Now drill a hole in your rung. Line to two pieces up and start your screw. It can help line things up if you start the screw so it just barely shows through the other side. This way you can easily line up the rung. Use your screwdriver to make a tight connection. Because the rungs are round, they may spin, so be sure to hold your pieces tightly.
Repeat for rung 2. Then lay this piece face up and line up your second side. Drill the holes and start the screws and line everything up. Then finish screwing it all together.
Variations on Ladder Decor
Now that you have the basic idea of a DIY ladder, you can change up your design. Put 3 rungs, or make a tapered ladder that narrows slightly from bottom to top. If you peruse Pinterest, you will find lots of “old ladder decor” pictures to give you inspiration. I even found one using medium size firewood. There is no end to the way you can incorporate a ladder into your home decor.
If you make a DIY ladder, please share a photo or video of it with me by emailing me at hello@lazycrafting.com.
Happy (lazy) crafting!
Want to remember this? Post this DIY Ladder to your favorite Pinterest board!
- 2 – 2×4 4-foot wood boards
- Sander or sandpaper
- 2 or 3 – 1-foot round wood rods (closet rods work great)
- Wood Screws
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Stain or Paint (optional)
If you don’t own power tools, I strongly recommend you purchase a screwdriver/drill – corded or cordless. My sister-in-law gave me this Black and Decker cordless screwdriver as a birthday present. It is also a drill. It is super handy for lots of little home projects from hanging pictures to tightening screws to small building projects like this one. It is one of my favorite gifts!
Taking a Trip to Your Local Hardware Store
If you don’t happen to have all the materials at home already, this is the perfect project to get you acquainted with your local hardware store (my go-to is Home Depot and sometimes Lowe’s.) You’ll be visiting a few different areas: lumber, closets, and fasteners.
Closets
First, head to the closet section to find a wooden closet rod. These will be the rungs. Your lumber store should sell them in lengths of 6 feet. We’re going to have them cut it down into two (2) 1-foot sections (if you’re building more than one ladder, or putting more rungs on yours, plan accordingly.) You can save your leftover for another project.
Note: Wooden rods can be pricey, so if you are on a budget, skip the closet section and just buy a 2×2 board that can be cut to the proper lengths.
Lumber
Next, in lumber, locate the 2×4 area and choose an inexpensive wood. Since we’re using this as a display, the type of wood doesn’t really matter and you can get away with using something inexpensive.
We’re cutting our boards down to be the sides of our ladder. For my ladder, I decided around 4 feet tall was just right (I was planning to prop mine up in planter boxes which will make them look taller.) My height was dictated by the boards that happen to be in my garage. You might choose higher or lower depending on what you have or purchase. Keep in mind the finished look you want. Maybe stand in front of your house (or wherever you plan to put the ladder) and visualize the end result.
Ask for Help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! The people who work in my store are super helpful and happy to answer even my most basic questions. If you end up with someone not so happy to help, keep looking until you find a different person. Most hardware employees understand that helping is part of their jobs, but everyone has an off day.
Cutting Area
Okay, you’ve got your closet rod and long pieces of wood. Time to find the cutting area or ask an employee where to get your wood cut. Depending on the day and time you visit, this can be a busy area. (Note: Some stores cut the round rods in a different location that the long boards. You may have to ask to be sure how your store handles it.)
Once it is your turn, tell the employee what sizes you want and they should get it cut in no time. Bonus: Their huge cutter is super cool. Sometimes when the kids are with me, we just hang out there for a little bit watching wood get cut. Don’t judge until you’ve tried it. Note: it can be loud, so bring headphones for sensitive ears.
My boards were pretty rough. To avoid splinters, I sanded them all over with my DeWalt Orbital Sander. You could use sandpaper, but I love power tools.
Fasteners
I found 4 screws the same size in my stash. If you don’t have screws, find the right aisle in your hardware store (typically called Fasteners) and look for wood screws. They come in all different sizes. Ideally you want something at least 1.5 inches long. Shorter than that will work since we’re not actually climbing on the ladder, but when joining pieces of wood, a longer screw ensures a stronger connection. I used brown screws, since I am planning to stain my ladder. I don’t want bright silver screws to be visible on the sides.
Assembling the Ladder
If you are planning to stain or paint your ladder, pre-assembly is the ideal time to do it. For stain, follow the directions on the can of stain, but the method I prefer is to use a rag and dip it in the stain. Then rub it onto the wood. You have control of how much stain and how dark you want it to look. Make sure you cover the edges and top and bottom, too. If you are painting, a distressed paint look would be fun to create. To do this, first paint all your pieces. Once everything is dry, come back with sandpaper (not your power sander) and rough it up. This will give it a weathered look.
Once your stain is dry, it’s time to put it all together. Lay out your pieces to determine where you want the rungs to be. I plan to hang seasonal flags and decor on mine, so I put one rung closer to the top, but left a larger space to the next one.
Now you get to use your power tools. We will put the screws in both rungs on one side of the ladder before moving to the next. Use a pencil and mark where your screw will go for both rungs on both sides of the ladder. If you want a nice, even ladder, be sure to measure. (Even lazy crafters have to measure sometimes.)
Use your drill and drill straight into the side and through. Now drill a hole in your rung. Line to two pieces up and start your screw. It can help line things up if you start the screw so it just barely shows through the other side. This way you can easily line up the rung. Use your screwdriver to make a tight connection. Because the rungs are round, they may spin, so be sure to hold your pieces tightly.
Repeat for rung 2. Then lay this piece face up and line up your second side. Drill the holes and start the screws and line everything up. Then finish screwing it all together.
Variations on Ladder Decor
Now that you have the basic idea of a DIY ladder, you can change up your design. Put 3 rungs, or make a tapered ladder that narrows slightly from bottom to top. If you peruse Pinterest, you will find lots of “old ladder decor” pictures to give you inspiration. I even found one using medium size firewood. There is no end to the way you can incorporate a ladder into your home decor.
If you make a DIY ladder, please share a photo or video of it with me by emailing me at hello@lazycrafting.com.
Happy (lazy) crafting!
Want to remember this? Post this DIY Ladder to your favorite Pinterest board!
