Blanket ladders are a great and practical way to keep your home organized and on-trend. With fall quickly approaching, you might find yourself pulling out more of your blankets to keep you warm during the upcoming months. Having a functional way to display those blankets and other items while also looking clean and nice is a must. Blanket ladders are quick and easy to make, and your friends at Duluth Pack wanted to teach you how to make one as simple as possible so you will be prepared for the upcoming colder months. Grab your woodworking aprons, friends, and let’s get building.

Gather Your Supplies:

The best part about blanket ladders is that there are very little supplies needed to make a beautiful piece of furniture. All you will need is three 2×4 boards, a saw, nails, a nail gun, wood glue, a triangle, a sander/sandpaper, clamps, and stain for the wood. To make the process easier, we recommend storing the smaller tools in the Duluth Pack canvas utensil roll.

Making the Ladder:

To start crafting your ladder, you’ll first want to cut your wood to the right size. The sides of the ladder are recommended to be 6 feet long, with rungs at 18 inches in length. The sizing is all dependent on your personal preference. Now that you have cut all your wood, it is important to that, that you will want to use your triangle to create a 10° angle on the bottom of both of your wood sides. This step is so that your ladder can lean against a wall at an angle, while still being stable. Please note that this is especially important if young children and pets are using the room. You will then want to sand your wood down. This step ensures that there will not be any pieces to dent your walls or other surfaces near the wood blanket ladder.

Next, use your tape measure to mark 1-foot increments on the sides of your ladder. This is where the rungs will go. Put wood glue on each end of the rungs. The glue fastens the rungs so that they will be safely held in place when the ladder is done and decorated.

Since your ladder will be leaning against the wall, you will want to angle your rungs the opposite way at a 10° angle so they are straight and able to hold things without falling. One easy way to do this is to use the scrap wood that is leftover from when you originally cut the 6-foot side pieces to help guide the original angle. Don’t forget to use the triangle for the most accurate design. Finally, use your nail gun and put two nails on both sides of each rung to secure. Use your clamps to hold your ladder in place and leave it for at least 24 hours to thoroughly dry.

Finishing Touches:

Now that your ladder has been clamped for a day or two, it should be all sturdy and ready for the finishing touches – time to add those blankets. To finish off your blanket ladder, stain it with any wood stain hue that matches the room you are putting it in – greys, beiges, greiges, browns, blacks, whites, etc. You can also paint the ladder with regular paint if that is more your style. We recommend colors from Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore.

-DIY Inspiration from Life Storage Blog. Check out their tutorial for images and more in-depth instructions should you need them.

Accessorize Your Ladder:

Now that you have your blanket ladder all finished, you can finally accessorize your ladder to your liking. Of course, we recommend adding a few quality blankets to get you started. The best part of blanket ladders is that you can also accessorize them with more items to make them unique. We recommend adding items like candles, a wreath for the holidays, and perhaps even some indoor plants. What is great about blanket ladders is that they really can be whatever you want—so you can match the vibe of the room with whatever you feel like putting on the ladder.

Happy crafting, friends!