How to hack a LEGO Duplo play table for toddlers

LEGO is one of the world’s most beloved toys, with the DUPLO range specially designed for children from 1 1⁄2 to 5 years old.

Making a DUPLO table is essentially the same building a LEGO table for regular LEGO blocks, except for the baseplates. Get the right baseplates to fit DUPLO blocks.

These hacks use the IKEA LACK side table as the starting point for a DIY LEGO table. The flat, smooth surface of the LACK is just right for gluing down the baseplates. After that, add LEGO storage bins or trays to further customise your LEGO DUPLO table.

Make one or more for lots of room to create and play.

Let’s take a look at our best IKEA LEGO DUPLO table hacks.

LEGO DUPLO play table with storage basket

LEGO DUPLO play table and store box

Here is a birthday present for my first grandchild. It’s made from a KALLAX shelving unit (single cube) and a Branäs basket. (If the single cube is not available in your IKEA, use 2 LACK side tables instead. The table top from the second cube goes under. Affix with screws to the bottom of the legs of the first LACK.)

kallax-cube
Photo: IKEA.com

For the playing surface I glued a LEGO Duplo basic baseplate with the dimensions: 15 by 15 inches with double sided carpet tape on the top of the KALLAX piece.

LEGO DUPLO large green building plate

The basket I filled with several Duplo Basic building blocks with several colours. It’s just that simple.

LEGO DUPLO play table and store box
LEGO DUPLO play table and store box

~ by Henk


IKEA LEGO DUPLO table with hanging brick buckets

My son has been asking for a LEGO Duplo table ever since he saw one at his dentist’s office. After searching for a reasonably priced LEGO table and not finding one, I decided to make him one myself using an IKEA LACK side table. This hack was very inexpensive, very easy to do and my little builder loves his new LEGO table!

LEGO DUPLO table with hanging brick buckets, hacked from the IKEA LACK side table

Supplies needed for DUPLO table:

IKEA LACK Side Table (my mom actually had one laying around the house) You can use the LACK coffee table if you want a larger DUPLO table.
LEGO Duplo Green Building Plate (15″ X 15″)

Other materials we had around the house:

Earthquake Putty
Two Wall Hooks
Liquid Nails Adhesive
Two Tin Buckets

How to IKEA hack a LEGO DUPLO table

IKEA LACK side table

1. Attach the LEGO base plate to the table with Earthquake Putty.

earthquake putty
DUPLO base plate

2. Attach 2 hooks to the bottom of the table with Liquid Nails adhesive.

hook for hanging buckets

3. Once the Liquid Nails adhesive dries (1 hour to dry, 8 hours to cure). Place one bucket on each hook and fill them with DUPLO bricks.

See more of the LEGO DUPLO table on my blog.

~ by Adriana, Southern California


Kids LEGO table for DUPLO or just crayons

I wanted to hack a LEGO DUPLO table for my toddler. But I wanted some storage spaces for crayons etc, so that the table can double as an activity table. My idea was to use the small SAMLA boxes with a channel profile as guide rails. After some figuring out, it worked out really really.

LEGO DUPLO table with sliding transparent drawers, hacked from the IKEA LACK side table

Materials:

LACK table (55×55 cm)
SAMLA boxes (without the lids)
4 C-channels of about 50 cm length for four 5 L SAMLA boxes or two channels for two 11 L SAMLA boxes
8 to 12 small screws
Drill
Pencil

materials needed include IKEA SAMLA 5L boxes, C channel, screws, drill and bits and IKEA LACK side table

The LACK table is a bit too short to cover two of the 5L SAMLA boxes, but I didn’t expect it to be compatible. After all, it’s not LEGO. 😉

How to build a DUPLO table with storage drawers

There were two C-channels with a cross section like this |_| of 110 cm length, which I cut in half, so each half is about 50.5 cm. I could probably have gotten a longer one and cut it in quarters, but then I had to transport it on my bike, which is much easier with 1 m long racks.

Then I drilled three holes into each profile, with a slightly larger diameter than the head of the screws.

drill the channel

I put some wood in between to make the drilling easier. I used wood drills, because they work well with plastic and they have that nice pointy top.

Through those holes, I drilled some smaller ones for the screws.

drill smaller hole for screws
affix to the underside of the LACK side table

Then I took the LACK table top, marked the half and put the first channel with the opening facing away from the middle right next to the line. I fixed it with two screws, but you can use three as well. Then I put the second rack “back on back” to the first and fixed it as well. After that, You can use a SAMLA box as a guide. But take it off before you start the screwing. 😀

After fixing the channels, I added the legs to the table.

Other ideas for the activity table

You could stop there and use the boxes for crayons or crafts. Fill the boxes with sand for a sensory table or any creative activities. Lots of room to switch things around when playtime rolls around.

I haven’t got DUPLO plates yet, so I used a LEGO base plate as a placeholder. As DUPLO is exactly double the size of LEGO (hence the name, in case you didn’t know). It worked anyway. As soon as I have a DUPLO baseplate, I will fix it with double-sided sticky tape. Just in case, he wants to switch to LEGO later.

His 1st birthday is in September, but I’m not sure I can wait that long to give it to him. Maybe, he’ll just get some new DUPLO parts instead. He doesn’t know what “birthday” is, anyway.

~ by Anne, Berlin, Germany


DIY LEGO play and storage tables

LEGO station for brick building and storage

David built this LEGO station for his nephew to help him sort and store over 9,000 pieces of LEGO bricks. That’s a small mountain of bricks, but this LEGO station keeps them all in and sorted. See how to build one.

Activity table with built in storage

LEGO table with built in storage

A simple, budget hack using IKEA products to create a fabulous LEGO table that the kids will love at a fraction of the cost of an ‘official one‘ with built in storage to help them keep their LEGOs organised and handy. See how it’s done.

Play table for 4

lego table for 4

The only thing that beats playing with LEGO is playing LEGO with friends. Make a LEGO table for 4. It’ll be a hit at playdates. Click here for details.

Modern minimal LEGO table

modern lego table

Edyta saw a similar LEGO play table on another site but it was too colorful and too small. So she made one in the color scheme she liked and added in a lot more brick storage. This table is all IKEA elements except for the LEGO plates on top. Read more.

See more the best LEGO storage ideas.