Make your own MASSIVE CONNECT 4
BRING THE CLASSIC GAME TO LIFE WITH THIS DIY PROJECT
The holidays are the perfect time to turn your backyard into a playground. Sophie, creator of Nestihome, shares how she turned a clothing rack she found on Gumtree into a fun activity for the whole family!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
• Wooden clothing rack • Fine sandpaper • Walnut-coloured stain and varnish
• Two sheets of plywood • 3 lengths of primed pine
• Wood glue
• 42 coasters
• Red and yellow acrylic spray paints • Natural-coloured wood putty • A screw-in hook
• A canvas bag
STEP 1: Measure the side posts of the clothing rack and cut them down to a smaller height. Sand the sides of the posts and the bottom rail using a fine grit sandpaper (you can also round the top of the posts using sandpaper to give it a more polished look). Then paint with 3 coats of varnish.
STEP 2: Mark up the plywood sheets based on the Connect 4 design and your measurements. Using these markings, cut the two panels down to size (mine are 95cm wide by 62cm high).
STEP 3: Following your markings, drill holes using a hole saw attachment (42 holes per panel, or 6 rows of 7 holes). Once drilled, sand the rough edges using a fine sandpaper.
STEP 4: Cut down the primed pine into 10 lengths, just slightly shorter than the height of the panels (20mm wide and 10mm thick). These create the individual slots for the game pieces.
STEP 5: Glue 8 of these lengths between the holes. You can use a few coasters to check that they are wide enough for the coasters to fall down. Then run glue along the top side of these lengths and attach the other plywood panel. Place a heavy weight on top. Leave to dry.
STEP 6: Spray paint the coasters – 21 yellow and 21 red. These will be the game pieces.
STEP 7: Nail the other two lengths of wood to the centre of each of the side posts. Slot the game board down on the side posts and nail them together. Use a little wood putty to conceal the holes.
STEP 8: Finally, add a small hook to the side. This is to hang the bag full of the game pieces.
• For more fun DIY ideas, head to Sophie’s Instagram @nestihome