All aboard! (Can I get a choo choo?)
As promised via our little Instagram/Facebook sneak peek yesterday, here’s the story of how we made a little train board for Clara. Why a train board? Well, Clara is nothing short of obsessed with the one at Barnes & Noble (a nice big track is screwed into place on a little pedestal board and kids flock from all sides of the book store to play with it). In fact if we pull into the parking lot (which also leads to a ton of other stores) before we even turn off the car Clara is shouting “we’re getting to play with the trains!”
So when John suggested that we make our own version of one with a train set that we got for Clara’s second birthday from a few relatives of ours, I remembered seeing this one over on Aubrey and Lindsey’s blog so I googled around for a few others to gaze at (like this one). As for our specific objectives, we had a few goals in mind:
- to use all of the Melissa & Doug train pieces that we already had and make a nice big track
- to use solid wood if we could for the board part (just to avoid the off-gassing issue of MDF/plywood since solid whitewood is nice and light – and cheap)
- to paint something fun on the surface to give Clara more play ideas (ex: the train is going to the beach, the train is going to the forest, the train is going over the water)
- to paint it with low-VOC paint, seal it with low-VOC sealer, and attach the tracks with screws from beneath to avoid fumey glue (just in the same eco vein as the wood choice)
So here’s how we got ‘er done using nine dollar’s worth of sample paint from Home Depot and one plank of 12″ whitewood for $19 (also from Home Depot) – for a total of $28 spent. First John got a twelve foot long 10″ x 1″ board of whitewood and had them cut it down to make three equal 10″ x 1″ x 47″ boards right in the store. Then he joined them together with his Kreg Jig (you could also use flat bracing pieces of wood or metal along the back to connect them and add some felt pads to make sure nothing scratches the floor). Then he sanded everything to keep the board from feeling rough or splintery. See how the seams are barely visible (these arrows point them out for ya).
Next we pieced the train tracks together in about a million different configurations before finally deciding to go with this one (it has hills, an elevated part, a bridge, a tunnel, and even an area where the train will shoot down an incline and off the board – which we thought would be Clara’s favorite part):
Then we brainstormed what we thought the background should look like on a piece of paper and came up with this (the light green is grass, the blue is the ocean, the stripe next to the blue is sand, and the dark green is the forest):
Then I sketched that layout onto the board with a pencil – just marking the lines of delineation between the water, the beach, the forest, etc.
Then we ran to Home Depot and grabbed three $2.95 sample pots in Japanese Fern, Mirage Lake, and Shamrock all by Behr Ultra (which is low-VOC).
After we brought them home it was time to take the whole track apart so we could paint the background (tip: take a photo of the track configuration that you’ve landed on before dismantling it so you remember how to recreate it when you’ve painted your background). I started with the water and then I added the grass (these two don’t touch, so I didn’t have to worry about if the blue paint was still wet when I applied the green):
Oh and I didn’t prime anything because we didn’t mind this looking like painted wood (we thought a few knots showing through could be authentic and charming). But if you don’t want them to show through, a coat or two of stain-blocking primer should do the trick before you paint your design.
Then I gave that stuff a while to dry since I would be going up against the edges of those for the sand and the trees (and didn’t want things to smear) and came back a few hours later to paint the forest. That was the most fun because there’s that sort-of-bushy shape.
Then I added the sand, which was just leftover no-VOC white paint (we loved the idea of a white-sand beach between the ocean and the grassy plains, haha).
Then we let the whole board dry and I applied a few thin and even coats of my favorite eco poly (Acrylacq by Safecoat). We’ve had the same quart of it since before Clara was born and it’s still going strong (seriously, I can’t recommend it enough- not only is it low-VOC it’s actually non-toxic). I just brushed it on in thin and even coats, being careful not to belabor certain areas (if you brush things over and over they can get gummy, so I moved quickly across the board, let it dry, applied another coat, left that dry, and applied one last thin application).
As for why we decided to temporarily attach the tracks to the board:
- at this age for Clara, putting the tracks together herself just led to frustration (crying/throwing stuff) so it wasn’t really a good time for her when things weren’t attached.
- yet, we noticed how much fun she had at B&N when things were nailed down (it still led to a lot of creative, independent play with talks about trains stopping under tunnels, trains crashing, trains running out of fuel, people stopping at specific destinations, etc).
- if she ever has a hankering to build her own track down the line, we can always free up this track by just removing the small screws on the underside of the board – so it’ll still be really functional and flexible for spur-of-the-moment-building if it’s detached later.
We just saw how much more fun she had at B&N with the fixed track (no tantrums or frustration of trying to make things go together, etc) so we thought a fixed track made the most sense for now. So after we gave the poly lots of drying time (48 full hours) we laid out the track on top of the newly sealed board and attached the whole thing with screws from underneath the train board. In other words, John removed the tracks one by one, drilled a pilot hole from the top of the board through to the bottom…
… and then held the track in place on top of it and screwed up to attach the track to the board from underneath).
That’s how he got the track to stay in place without looking like it’s covered in screws (using counter-sinking screws meant they sunk into the back of the board and didn’t stick out and scratch the floor). We also added felt furniture pads to keep the board from rubbing on the floor/table/ottoman if it gets lots of use.
As for the elevated part of the train, we attached those blocks to hold the track up the same way we did the rest of the track (a pilot hole through the board from above followed by a screw driven from the back of the board up into the block to hold it in place without seeing any hardware). Then to hold the track in place on top of each of those blocks, we drove a small finish nail into the groove of the track and into the block, which actually proved to be really sturdy without being super obvious (you have to get pretty close to even notice them at all).
When it came to making that one piece of track look like it led off the corner of the board, John just traced the shape of the board onto the bottom of the track, and cut it along that line that he drew (and then sanded it to make it nice and smooth). Then he just drilled that track in from below like the rest of them (he actually had already attached it, which you can see in the pic on the right, so he removed it, cut it, and drilled it back in).
Next came the big test. Holding everything upside down to make sure it was all attached. Thankfully it’s all nice and sturdy. As in, Clara has taken great joy in kicking the elevated part and it’s all holding strong.
Choo-choo, baby. Here’s the whole shebang in action:
Clara loves it. As expected, there’s lots of chatter about people going to the beach, the forest, and over the hills and valleys, and contrary to our guess – her favorite feature is actually rolling them down the middle hill and into a big pile-up. Sometimes she even lets us get in on the chugga-chugga action.
Are there any other train board fans out there? At first I thought making new tracks would be part of the fun, but seeing how much Clara loves the fixed one at B&N, I’m glad we made her a souped up board with a fun little background to make playing with it even more exciting. Things like adding an environment behind it and having trains shoot off the board have certainly upped the train-playing ante around here. And John may or may not have played with it a little himself after Clara went to bed last night. Not kidding.
And perhaps the best thing about it is that it’s nice and flat, so it can slide completely under the sofa for storage when it’s not in use. Here it is halfway in:
That’s actually one of the reasons we thought a board would work better for us than a table, since we used all the tracks and trains that we had to build this, so we didn’t need additional storage or anything). It’s nice that we can stash it away in a second and that seems to make it even more special for Clara (she loves things that we bring out and tuck away, like markers and Play-Doh a bit more than things that are always out at her disposal). Maybe it’s like those special “limited edition” holiday Oreos? They always feel more special than the regular kind to me. Haha.
So that’s the full $28 train board rundown. What have you guys been building/painting/sanding lately? Any fun kids stuff in the works?
Luanne says
Since you love special editions, make sure you get the candy corn M&M’s. They are awesome and I don’t even like candy corn!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, that sounds delicious.
xo,
s
Megan says
My sister is OBSESSED with the candy corn M&M’s. She swears they’re really hard to find but I think she may have just told me that so I would stop laughing at her for throwing 5 bags into our cart at Menards.
Sarah K. says
love the train board!! Also wanted to say how cool it is that your book comes out on Election Day (at least in the US)!! That makes the day all that much more exciting!! I’m going to vote and then buy your book!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Sarah! We thought it was such a funny day too!
xo,
s
trish says
Homemade and cheap are a kids most favorite toy! You could add some matchbox cars and little people to mix for more variety. Oh the places you’ll go!
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Cheerful Homemaker says
We found a train table in great shape on Craigslist a couple of months ago. It’s waiting in our garage for our son to be old enough to love it. He’s almost 11 months old. I love the idea of attaching the track. So many little pieces!
Kelli says
That is awesome! I want one NOW!!!!!! :)
JZB says
Love the train board but am fixated on your rug. I love these flat weaves but am so scared to pull the trigger in my living room. Yours always looks good, especially in this post. No corners turning up. How is it to vaccuum? What sort of rug pad do you have under there? Do you or John or Clara or Burger ever slip or trip on it? I know you are busy, but would love to hear back.
YoungHouseLove says
We have a super thick rug pad (the fattest one we could find at Target) under there and since it’s also pinned down by the sofa and the ottoman it doesn’t shift at all. We don’t trip on it at all, but occasionally trip on toys strewn all over it. Haha. So far with a kid and a dog it has definitely been a family friendly choice!
xo,
s
Jeanna Walton says
My goodness people, the screws are removable!!! I think they know their own child well enough by now to know that at this age, she’s getting too frustrated to do the building and prefers the story telling and making the little cars crash. The building and creating new routes for the trains will come later, lol! I think this child is blessed beyond belief to have two loving parents who can find the time to create such wonderful, handmade expressions of love, while still keeping in mind her own developmental stage of growth. Gosh, I wish my parents had thought to do something cool like this!
Christine says
First of all- you guys are the best parents!! My fave toys growing up were the ones my dad made for me (dollhouse, treehouse, etc.) so I’m sure Clara will feel the same as she grows older.
Second- OMGOSH that is so cute. I want one!!! I especially love the different terrains! So adorbs!
And lastly, I would have titled this post “C’mon ride the train, hey ride it. Woo Woo”.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man.
How could I have missed that title?
Sad face.
xo.
s
Julie (from Pocketful of Joules) says
What a great idea! I especially love that it is easy to store under the couch — so much better than a ton of track pieces sitting around for you to trip over. =)
Katie says
We are inheriting a train table from my husband’s cousin, just as soon as we can coordinate a time to get it here! Our 2 year old daughter will love it since she is obsessed with the one at B&N just like Clara :) I read a comment about Clara starting school and was curious…is she entering preschool or is it more of a daycare to get her used to being in an organized setting (like school). We’ll be starting our daughter in preschool next fall (when she’s 3) and she’ll go two mornings a week. Just wondered if it was different in VA…kids have to be potty trained and most preschools start at age 3 here (MI). Love the train board…you guys have outdone yourselves once again!!
YoungHouseLove says
It’s a local preschool who will just have her two mornings a week for three hours each day. Here there are 2 year old preschool programs as well as 3 year old ones (the three year olds usually go three days a week and must be potty trained and the 2 year olds just go two mornings a week and don’t need to be). We think she’ll love being with other kiddos and getting some socialization time. She’s such a chatty little curious kid, so we think she’ll love it! I’ll be the sad sniffling momma that day for sure though. At least it’s only 6 hours a week of missing her. Gotta ease into it. Haha.
xo,
s
Angela says
So clever! You are creating heirlooms! I have a big plastic bin of Brio train tracks and cars my kids had when they were little. They are grown now so I’m saving them for the (future) grandkids!
Meagan {Green Motherhood} says
Y’all are brilliant! I’ve been looking at train tables but didn’t know how we were going to fit that in our little condo….and voila! I love that Clara and
Isla June are so close in age, y’all seem to come up with things right around the time I need them. :)
Kelly says
Love it! I like how the colors actually work with the rest of your design.
I’ve never seen anyone else do this before, but came up with the same idea for my parents’ house so they could keep it hidden most of the time. They have lots of grandkids of different ages, and all of them immediately run to the couch and pull the train board out from underneath!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, I love that!
xo,
s
Mary says
Oh the memories the train brings back from my 14 year old! Because I can’t part with it, I still have 2 large Sterilite boxes of trains, tracks, bridges, buildings, trees, and people but we never had a board. As Sarah got older, she would take over the whole sunroom with the building projects.
We still drag the boxes out when we have small children visiting and find that we have both adults and children on the floor playing and building together for hours on end.
Love this project!
Keisha says
I would think Christmas would be a good time to find trees and stuff to add to the board, all those little things they have out for Christmas villages. Thanks for this great idea, the easy storage is the best part! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Such a cute idea!
xo,
s
Kim says
What an adorable project! You guys should make children’s toys — I bet it would be a profitable side business ;)
I love the photo of Burger leaning on the track overpass supervising Clara. It looks like the whole family has train fever! Does Clara still get excited about playing with the train set at Barnes & Noble now that she has her own?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I think she loves that hers is different and that one has other features, so they both make her hyper to play with them! Haha.
xo,
s
Huda says
Wow!!! You guys are such as awesome parent. Btw, I can’t wait for your book :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Huda!
xo,
s
Amanda Clay says
Gosh, I was just saying to my husband how frustrating it is when our toddler gets mad that the tracks won’t stay put if he’s playing on an uneven surface. I just adore this project. And honestly, IKEA sells a set that is so dirt cheap, we could have a set that’s fixed and one that isn’t for when we want trains to come with us somewhere. My favorite part of this project is your pallet. I always love your color selections on everything!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Amanda!
xo,
s
Maky says
I love these little videos of Clara – her personality totally shines through on them!!! She seems such a sweet natured kid! :) You two did really good with her (and with the train board of course, too!)
Katie says
Brilliant. I had relegated our son’s tracks to the closet because he would get so frustrated about them falling apart or his little sister/brother crawling on and over them. I can’t believe this never occurred to me. Now we have a weekend project!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad Katie! Hope it solves the falling-apart issue!
xo,
s
Adrienne says
My 16 month old son would LOVE something like this. He loves Thomas! I’m glad to see that girls like trains too cause I just found out our next one is a girl so this could work for both!
Sarah K says
This is great! I don’t even have kids and I’m annoyed at all the people having a cow about you screwing down the tracks. It’s like they didn’t even read your explanation at all! Ugh. Glad you guys found out what works for Clara. Looks like she’s having an awesome time crashing those trains. Love it. Definitely filing this away for a future kiddo project.
Sarah
Anna says
Your Clara is a lucky little lady! Your homemade toys are awesome (still drooling over your dollhouse).
Somehow homemade toys are the ones the kids remember better when they are grown up persons… like me.
I still remember a small doll my granny made me with an old sock and some rags ^__^
Do you notice you are making her more than toys? You are making her happy memories!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sweet Anna. Made me tear up a little. Clara gives us so much joy, the least we can do is make some memories with her :) Sniffle.
xo,
s
Elinor says
OMG, totally making this this weekend! Our little boy will be 2 in a week and a half (OMG – AGAIN) and he looooves trains. What M&D set is that? The figure 8? We were ready to shell out for the deluxe set by Melissa & Doug, but now I’m thinking smaller is better to start out with. And fixed pieces for sure, because he would have the same frustration as the pieces came apart. We might try the velcro idea. Anyway, my actual question – which set is that and do you like it? I’m a little overwhelmed by all the train set options! Did it come with a satisfactory number of trains? Oh, and how big is the board you used? We have a coffee table we’re going to multi purpose as a chalk table and train table.
DS loved watching the video of Clara. At the end he said “Bye bye…” very sadly.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so cute about your son and the video! As for the train set, it’s the figure 8 set and an add on set (both from amazon.com I think – they were gifts from relatives). We really like it! The figure 8 set came with the red train, and the add on set didn’t come with trains, but we got the blue train in a separate box as part of the gift. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Hannah says
Oh my gosh, I love this train set. Clara is so fortunate to have you two build her such thoughtful play things.
My parents built me a dolls house and even as a child I appreciated how much time they put into making it and finding miniature wallpaper prints etc.
This is a great post, as always, but I think my highlight was hearing how much Clara is talking! What great speech she has! So cute.
Hayley says
That is awesome! My son is turning 2 in October and I have been dreading the whole “train track” thing. His older cousin loves trains and I have been totally ok if we didn’t get into them. At least now I know what I can do if someone gifts them to him without having rogue tracks all over the place! Thanks!
Vanessa Dolberry says
Thank you for posting this! I was just telling my hubby the other day that I need to make one of these. I want to make one that will slide under my son’s bed. I’m hoping that will help him play with his trains in his room instead of carting them all along with the tracks downstairs! Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe I will get it done soon!
Ashley @ 7th House says
Once again, a post that makes me want to go out and rent a kid! haha
Great project! I’m pretty sure you guys need to start a toy line :)
Christina says
I can’t wait to make this for my nephew! All I have to do is 1) decide whether or not to consult my sister or to do it as a surprise 2) decide whether to do it for his impending first birthday or to save it for later. Choices! I’m not a parent…any advice from moms or dads out there?
Love!
Christina
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone have advice for Christina?
xo,
s
Vanessa Gasca says
First of all let me start by saying I LOVE Clara’s outfit. So cute! Her hair is getting so long and blonde. She is a cutie. I love this train track- I would love it if you all could do this to sale- I think we would all buy your toys! It it so sweet that these are special toys that were custom made for Clara by her parents. I hope she keeps them to show her kids one day. Great job AGAIN!
Alice says
It was so well thought out to the point of it coordinating with the sofa pillows seen in the picture where you are storing it under the sofa. Nice!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- total accident! But I love that!
xo,
s
Britt says
I absolutely love the plaid shirt and the tutu!
Misty says
OMG. I only saw the first pic and had to skip straight to comments to tell you I loooove Clara’s outfit!!!! So so cute! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- thanks Misty!
xo,
s
Brittney says
This is pretty darn awesome!
jana says
Wow does that bring back great memories. 12 years ago my husband built a train table for our then 4 year old, train-obsessed son. Countless hours were spent playing with the trains. He’s a 16 year old high school junior now-let’s just say he’s taken a “break” from the trains.
Tania says
So cute — love it! I also really loved the play kitchen you made for Clara. I just pre-ordered your book as a mid-week present to myself and after seeing this post, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if the sequel book was projects to make for and/or with your kids?” You clearly have a knack for it and there is such a need for non-mass maket plastic junky toys.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s so sweet Tania! It’s definitely a subject we have a ton of fun with!
xo,
s
Serena says
Don’t get me wrong. I think the train set is pretty spectacular, but I LOVE Clara in the flannel shirt!! She is so adorable. :)
Tania says
That should have been “non mass market” in my last post. I really liked the ideas in this post (can’t wait to make my daughter the puppet theater!) and thought you might like the underbed storage idea for the train tracks (3rd photo) for when you take the tracks apart.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/creative-solutions-for-small-space-play-176366
YoungHouseLove says
So cute! Love that!
xo,
s
Steph says
Brrrrrilliant!! Want. To. Make. One. ASAP.
Thanks for sharing!!
Lindsey says
Genius! I remember loving my Brio train set as a kid! And this is a way less expensive alternative (and WAY cuter) than the store-bought train tables. Great idea!
Kim says
Thank you do much for sharing this! My husband and I were just drooling over all the cool wooden train sets and can’t wait for our little guy to love them as much as we do. I actually just told Ryan itd be neat to have something like this on wheels toroll it under our son’s bed. Now, I’m thinking this may need to be a Christmastime project. Thanks for the inspiration.
Betsy says
You could also put little casters on the bottom, but then again, a two year old may turn it into an oversized skateboard…lol….great project!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, casters sound fun!
xo,
s
taysha riggs says
I thought this was such a cute idea until I saw you screwed the tracks in… Now its a GREAT idea. I think I can make it for my twin nephews on separate boards and have one random track connect them
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cute to connect those two boards for your twin nephews! Love it!
xo,
s
Jackie says
Clara is too precious!! I love how she says “I’m sorry” every time she drops the train!! hehehe
Lisa says
When we first got our train table, my orderly, type-a husband wanted to attach the train tracks to the table. I said “NO WAY” I’ve seen kids that love making different tracks each day — that’s the fun in it, I told him. Turns out, each kid is different. The train table retired without either of my boys getting into building train tracks. Instead, they would get frustrated when it wasn’t set up appropriately. And my sweet husband would re-build it every night without ever saying “I told you so”.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, that’s a sweet hubby!
xo,
s
Megan C says
Our daughter (Cady) has the Melissa and Doug train set as well and we recently discovered that wood “Thomas and Friends” trains are compatible with M&D trains. We ended up at a Thomas gift shop, bought a few clearance trains thinking “maaaaaybe, just MAYBE???” they’d fit – turns out they are exactly the same. I’m thinking M&D might manufacturer the wood Tom&Friends trains. Anyway… if you find yourself with a little-girl-Thomas fan this is good info to have! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, love that tip!
xo,
s
Nora says
I had something like this for my son (except plastic, yuck) After he played with this a bit, we found little wooden houses and trees etc. so he could make a small village or whatever on the board. It just grew from there and was always fun. Great stuff!
Anna says
Love the colors of the train track! So cute! I have a question about the Safecoat Acrylacq. I found a funky headboard this weekend that is bamboo “like” or rattan like your egg chair. I want to paint it white and put it in my daughter’s room. Should I use the Acrylacq on that too? Don’t want extra fumes near her. Do you brush it on everything that you spraypaint?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, it’s perfect for that. You brush it on and it’s usually available at a site like greendepot.com (I wish big box stores would sell it!).
xo,
s
Brandi says
Genius! We had been wanting to get a train set for our little boy, but didn’t want to deal with all of the pieces laying around. Love this idea!
jeannette says
<3 the baby grunge outfit, and mr. b. resting forepaws on the overpass to survey the scene. too cute.