My Little Man loves to play with cars. He sleeps with his cars. He takes his cars in the bathroom with him and puts them on the vanity. He even lines cars up on the kitchen table so they can watch him eat his breakfast… and lunch. He’s a car man.
Well, we have an oval, glass-top coffee table with a wood edge. I have to admit, that wood edge looks a lot like a race track. He would take his cars and walk around and around the table and drive his cars on it. I really didn’t want my coffee table scratched up so I wouldn’t let him do it. He’s an obedient Little Man so he quit doing it but I could tell it just drained the fun out of everything.
I briefly looked online for a “road table” to purchase and I found an awesome one for $235. No way. I’m too frugal for that.
That’s when I got a glimmer in my eye. My wheels started turning. A light bulb went off. I think you get the picture.
I decided to build him some roads that would be the same size as the coffee table. That way, he could still walk around and around and drive his cars in a circle. Also, it would be up off the floor so the living room would stay neater.
My plan was to build ramps and bridges also. He has a road rug that he LOVES and he started putting pillows and other toys under it to make hills in the rug. Then, he would use his Legos to build tunnels.
That told me that this “road table” was going to have to be awesome…or at least as close to awesome as I could get it.
I started with half a sheet of leftover plywood and an 8ft 1×4. I brought the plywood in the house one night after everyone was asleep and I laid it on top of the coffee table. I used a pencil and traced the shape of the coffee table on the plywood.
Then, I used a jigsaw to cut out the oval.
A brief note here: I’m NOT a woodworker. I enjoy building things (a few Christmases ago, I built Miss G a three-story dollhouse with a finished attic) but I try to cover all my mistakes with putty, paint, and artificial grass. I only know how to use a jigsaw, a miter saw, and a drill. Technically, I know how to use a circular saw but The Man prefers I don’t use it because he’s afraid I’ll accidentally chop off some fingers… or my leg. So, I don’t use it because I’d rather not eat crow…with three fingers.
Back to my story. After I cut out the oval, I started drawing out roads and bridges. I used a leftover 1×1 deck post to make bridge supports. Then, I chopped up the 1×4 to make the bridges and ramps.
I found out that my miter saw doesn’t cut the angles I need so I just filled in the gaps with wood filler and I painted it. Thankfully, my Little Man isn’t very picky.
I painted it with extra trim paint. It turns out that “Dark Umber” is a great color for roads. I drew all the lines with a white paint pen and even made room for a parking lot! The parking spaces are custom made for the size of his favorite cars.
I considered ordering some “Road Tape” but I didn’t have the patience to wait for it. However, I LOVE it!! It’s 57 feet of road tape for under $15!
In an attempt to make the whole thing look better, I decided it needed some grass. I looked on eBay but I could only find expensive stuff in large quantities. However, in a momentary flash of genius ?, I thought I could find samples at Home Depot. SURE ENOUGH, Home Depot sells 8 inch by 8 inch squares of artificial turf for $1 each. That includes shipping and tax was only about .38 cents.
I ordered two different types of turf because I didn’t know what they would look like in person. I ended up using both types because I liked the diversity. The Little Man was happy with my choice because his little toy cow likes to eat the short, tender grass. ?
I hot glued wooden craft sticks on the edges to keep his cars from falling off. In fact, (much to the astonishment of The Man) I hot glued the entire thing together. There’s not a nail or screw in the entire thing. If I ever figure out how to use my nail gun, I’ll add a few nails. Until then, the hot glue is holding up remarkably well.
The looks on their faces when I did the “big reveal” were priceless. My husband LITERALLY had his mouth wide open. They all thought it was AMAZING. It was the best reaction I could ever hope for. I’m kind of impressed myself! If you don’t look very hard, it’s not too bad!
Little Man plays with it ALL THE TIME and the best part is that it is made out of scraps that weren’t doing any good in the garage anyway!
If you are not in the mood to build (or buy a road table), here is the Little Man’s favorite farm activity mat. I love that it is easy to roll up and store when he is not playing with it. It is lightweight enough for him to bring to the living room to play if he wants to be where the rest of us are. It also comes with a tractor and trailer, a pig, a horse, and a cow!
Melissa & Doug Round The Barnyard Farm Activity Play Rug, 39 x 36
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! What have you built lately?
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