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How to Build a Basic Outdoor Slide

Outdoor playgrounds provide children with a platform to engage in healthy physical activities that are beneficial to their growth and development. If you don't live close to a local playground, you can build your own playground at home. One of the most essential pieces of playground equipment is an outdoor slide. While you can purchase a playground kit and hire an expert to assemble it for you, you can build your own basic outdoor slide. Purchase a pre-fabricated plastic or metal slide, available at most big-box renovation stores, to eliminate the tough and dangerous work of metal fabrication.

Things You'll Need

Plastic or metal slide
4 4-by-4 posts, 8-foot long
post hole diggers
cement
5 2-by-6 framing boards
lag bolts
ratchet
1-by-4 pressure-treated decking boards
galvanized nails or screws
concrete slab or landscape paver
safety grab bars

Instructions

Building a Platform
- 1
  Build a wooden platform to mount the slide. If you have an existing deck, you may mount the slide directly to the deck; otherwise you will need to build your own.
- 2
  Dig four two-foot deep holes with the post hole diggers to serve as the four corners of your slide support structure. Fill with concrete and set 8-foot, 4-by-4 posts into the gravel. Cover with 6-inches of top soil when the cement is dry.
- 3
  Frame the platform by using lag bolts to fasten 2-by-6 boards between posts to form a square. Add a center joist with lag bolts. This joist should be perpendicular to the direction of your decking boards.
- 4
  Nail 1-by-4 pressure-treated decking boards across the joists, running perpendicular with the center joist. Leave enough room for drainage between each board. Deck boards should be long enough to completely cover the joists on either side and need to be cut to fit around the corner posts.
Safety Rails
- 5
  Nail 2-by-4 boards in a square around the bottom and top of the support posts. The top square should be high enough to prevent kids from jumping or falling over the edge, but low enough that parents can supervise children's play.
- 6
  Nail 2-by-4 pickets to the top and bottom squares, approximate 3-inches apart to produce a protective frame. Leave enough room on two sides to accommodate a ladder and the width of your slide.
- 7
  Build a set of steps by using 2-by-4 boards as stringers mounted to the deck with metal hangers. Fasten 2-by-4 step treads with metal hangers or miter blocks at each interval to safely support each step of the ladder.
- 8
  Use a concrete slab or landscaping paver as a platform at the bottom of the ladder to reduce water damage.
Installing the Slide
- 9
  Use the hardware that came with the prefabricated slide to install it. Usually, this includes a few simple bolts and washers.
- 10
  Drill mounting holes on your deck platform to line up with the existing holes in the slide.
- 11
  Slide a washer over each bolt, then securely fasten the bolt to the deck platform using a ratchet or screwdriver.
- 12
  Install a couple grab bars on either side of the slide to give kids extra support while taking their seat on the slide.

Backyard Toys