Storage Ladder

5 Materials
$65
1 Hour
Easy
I've been wanting a leaning ladder for as long as I've seen them out in stores and online. My husband and I acquired several ladders over the years and I finally decided to make it useful. This was surprisingly an easy project--intimidating because of the power tools--but otherwise easy.
My husband and I found a few of these ladders (this was actually a two-piece ladder but I took it apart to only use one side) about 3 years ago while we were in the Poconos for our one year wedding anniversary. You can usually find them at antique stores.
The first thing you'll want to do is scrub off any loose paint or other debris from your ladder. I didn't go too crazy trying to get all of the paint off that wasn't loose because I thought it added character.
Next, you'll want to mark the outside of the tops of your ladder where you want it to rest against your wall...
...do the same thing for the bottom.
Now it's time to saw your marks.
Sand off any splinters and smooth out the edges.


Next, you can keep your ladder unfinished or you can paint, stain, glaze or oil it. I chose to use the same Feed-n-Wax that I used on my solar stump lights.
I love the way the wax brought out the beauty of this old ladder!


These ladders are so versatile--you can drape towels, blankets or clothes over the rungs, or you can add baskets like I did. I found these wire kitchen baskets online at World Market and they were perfect for this project! Unfortunately, the hook parts of the baskets were too narrow so I had to pull the hooks apart a little in order to bend and expand the wire to fit the rungs on my ladder.
This storage ladder looks perfect with my son's handmade toddler bed. I love the rustic feel!
Suggested materials:
  • Antique ladder   (antique store)
  • Wire kitchen baskets   (World Market)
  • Feed-n-Wax   (Home Depot)
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Frequently asked questions
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  1 question
  • None None on Jun 04, 2016
    Are you concerned about your son climbing on this and pulling the ladder over?
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