DIY Blanket Ladder

Blanket ladders are a great way to add a little farmhouse chic or cottagecore to your home decor. Perfect for adding a little color and texture to any room, these ladders are easy and inexpensive to construct. Give yourself the afternoon, and you'll have new home decor in record DIY time.

Gather Supplies

Before you can build, you've got to collect. You'll need one-by-four and two two-by-four-by-six wood boards (for this project, we used pine boards), screws, wood stain or paint, and a few power tools. Plus, you'll need a tape measure, clamps, and a clean place to work. If you don't have a woodworking space to create this DIY ladder in, lay a paint tarp or drop cloth down the keep the messes to a minimum, and protect your flooring.

Once you've got all of your supplies, you need to cut your boards. There isn't anything quite as weird as a blanket ladder that is too tall or too short, so we recommend DIYing a ladder that is right around sixty-five inches tall. Take a look at the heights of the ceilings in your home to determine if you need to make your ladder a few inches taller or shorter than that. Good decor enhances the existing space and adds function, beauty, and/or value. A giant ladder in a tiny room just looks comical.

The Cut

Using a miter saw, cut your boards down to the right length. For us, that was sixty-five inches. These boards will function as the sides of your ladder. Cut the ends of each board at a slight angle, about five to ten degrees. Just make sure you use the same angle on each cut.

Then, to cut the one-by-four into ladder rungs. We cut ours fifteen inches, but you can use whatever length you'd like the width of your ladder to be. When determining this width, it's a good idea to look at your space again and see how wide or narrow your ladder needs to be to fit comfortably in the room.

Sanding

Now sand all the pieces you just cut. You've likely sanded a time or two before in your DIY days, but remember to use a fine grit paper and use light pressure to start. You can always go back over the wood using heavier pressure if you need to. You don't need a special sander, but it does help to have an electric sander on hand because a hand sander will slow the process down.

After you've sanded, clean up the boards. You can do this using a tack cloth or just some old rags. If you get your wood wet at all, wait until it is all the way dry to continue.

Stain and Paint

If you want to stain or paint your ladder, now is the easiest time to do so. After everything is put together, it's tough to get an even stain or paint coat on all sides and edges of the ladder.

Stain your boards and let them dry all the way. If you need a second coat of stain or paint, apply it once the stain is completely dry. There are several easy ways to apply the stain. We used an old rag because it gives us more control over the color and blend.

Assembly Line

Now lay your ladder side pieces with the thin side on the floor. Place your rungs between the two pieces, about a foot apart, to make sure you like the look. If you've got a DIY buddy, now is a great time to call in a favor and ask for help holding your ladder pieces in place while you attach and clamp the first rung.

Nail the rung or screw it in using a drill. If you don't plan on holding a lot of weight, nails will work just fine. After you nail in one side, nail in the other side and place a clamp across the ladder, right over the rung. This will help hold everything together as you repeat this process for the rest of the rungs.

Once you're done with all the rungs, take the clamps off, and you've got yourself a blanket ladder.

Now that you've got a DIY blanket ladder, you need a few blankets. Give a DIY blanket a try to create an even more personalized look in your home.