I live in the south and have pretty heavy clay soil. I'm planning on building a simple 4' by 4' sandbox for my kids.
Once I remove the sod, can I just dump in a bunch of sand, or should I staple landscaping fabric to the bottom (or even plywood with a few drainage holes) before pouring in sand? I'm ok if the sand doesn't stay pure sand as long as it's still easy and fun to play in.
Best Answer
I made a sandbox a couple of decades ago for kids. It had a plywood bottom and was built with legs that held it up about seven inches off the ground. The bottom had drainage holes to let water out. The plywood lasted for a long time. How long? Hard to say I sold the thing in a garage sale after 10 years when the kids grew out of sand boxes.
BTW - I had a lid over the top made out of two pieces of plywood that were hinged together. The lid kept out cats and most of the rain. If the sand got too wet just opened it to the sun and worked the sand around with a small garden rake over the course of a day or so.