Step Stool

Sometimes you just need a little boost! With my little one becoming more independent day by day, I decided to make him his own step stool so he could brush his teeth and wash his hands in the sink on his own. I came across the plans for this stool recently on More Like Home so pop over there if you want to print out the plans. This little stool is so handy and so easy to make, it only takes about an hour and requires little to no knowledge of woodworking.

What you will need

>One 2″ x 4″ x 8′

>Kreg jig and Kreg jig screws

>2 1/2″ wood screws

>Drill, sandpaper, saw

>Paint or stain of your choice

The best thing about this step stool is that is made with a single 2″ x 4″! So there’s no need to haul a bunch of wood home from the lumber yard. First you want to your piece of wood into sections. Remember that the saw blade is thick enough to throw all the measurements off if you try and mark everything at once and then cut everything. Cut each piece one at a time as you measure it and all your pieces will be sized properly.

Cut List

>Three 12″ (steps)

>Two 10 1/2″ (bottom)

>One 9″ (back)

>Two 7″ (top)

After everything is cut, give the boards a good sanding to clean up the rough parts.

For the next part I used my Kreg jig. This thing amazing! It allows you to drill diagonally and form an extremely strong joint between your boards. It also creates a flush look while connecting boards together longways, such as a table top, or in this case the sides of the step stool, without the screws showing.

The Kreg jig is easy to use, just put the board in the guide, select the proper board width and drill down into the wood with the Kreg drill bit. The only boards you need to do this to are the short 7″ boards, which will become the sides.

Then, using the proper Kreg jig screws (2 1/2″ in this case) screw the 7″ boards to the 10 1/2″ boards. Make sure they are mirror images of each other with the screw holes on the insides. And don’t forget to always dab a little wood glue when screwing boards together. Now you have the sides of the step stool together.

Lets put on that first step. Always pre-drill when using large screws or placing screws close to the edge of the board, you don’t want to split the wood! Take one of your 12″ boards and place it on the lower shelf of your sides, lining it up along the edges. Pre-drill, then screw four 2 1/2″ wood screws in.

Next put the 9″ back piece on. It should fit perfectly, but if its a little short, that’s okay. When you screw in the screws it will draw the wood together into a tight fit. Pre-drill, then screw in two 2 1/2″ wood screws on each side.

Take your remaining 12″ boards and place them on the top. Don’t forget the wood glue! Line them up to the edges, they should fit flush on all sides. Pre-drill, then screw eight 2 1/2″ wood screws in.

And there you have it! An adorable step stool, ready to be painted, stained or whatever you feel like adding to it. If you don’t want the screws to show, you can screw them in so they are sunk into the boards, then cover with wood filler. Let the wood filler dry then sand over it. Now you can paint without seeing the screw heads. Just be aware that the wood filler will stand out a little bit with staining, though.

I made this step stool for my little one. The sides are painted gray and I finished the steps with some watered down black paint. To get the washed out look in any color, simply take a damp sponge, blot some paint on it and wipe the the wood with your sponge. The more paint you use, the darker the wash will be. I use craft paint, so I can get any color I like! I used wood filler to hide the screws for a more clean, flush look.

This step stool I made for my mother (or Omi) to keep at her house for my little one to use when he goes to visit. I painted the sides white and stained the steps with Minwax Special Walnut. As you can see I left the screws visible for a more rustic look. To get the lettering, I used the wax paper method. More on that tutorial later!

These are only two of the hundreds of different ways to finish and customize this super cute, super easy step stool. So go ahead, make a couple and let your creativity soar!