I overheard my kids saying they were sad summer was coming to an end, and I had an idea. Because summer is more than a season — it’s a state of mind!
So I decided to surprise them and build a cute little lemonade stand while they were at school these first couple of days. That way, on the warm summer and fall weekends, they still have an excuse to get outside with their friends and make memories.
Here’s how I did it in just 2 days (while they were at school) and how you can too!
BUILD YOUR OWN MOBILE LEMONADE STAND IN ONE WEEKEND
Here’s what I used…
- 4 2x4s
- 6 1×4 pine boards
- 4 1x2s
- 2 1x6s
- 4 castor wheels
- 2 24″x48″ 3/4″ plywood panels (or 1 48″x96″ sheet of 3/4″ plywood)
- 1.5″ finish nails
- 2.5″ wood screws
- Wood glue
- Wood filler
- Primer
- Spray Paint
- Sandpaper
- Paper plates
- Blue satin ribbon
- Yellow craft paint
- White craft paint
Here are the tools you need…
The extras…
- Small chalk board stand
- Chalk markers
- Plastic daisy cups with lids and yellow straws
- Acrylic pitcher
STEP 1: DETERMINE YOUR LEMONADE STAND SIZE & BUILD YOUR CART
The cart I built is about 37.5″ wide and 18″ deep! I wanted it to be small enough to store but large enough that all three of my kids could stand behind it and play at the same time.
I started by cutting down my 2x4s. I built two rectangular frames out of these that were 36″ wide and 30″ tall. I cut 4 at 36″ and 4 at 27″. My 36″ boards were my horizontal frame boards and went all the way across. The 27″ boards connected the 36″ boards. I used wood glue and 2.5″ wood screws to secure the frames!
I then cut down my 3/4″ plywood to 18″x36″. I sat my 2 frames right side up and sat the plywood over the top, covering the 2x4s and sitting flush with the edges. I wood glued and screwed that into place.
Then I cut down my 1×4 pine boards. I cut 14 at 18″ and 7 at 37.5″. I secured the 18″ boards across both sides — starting at the top. I made sure the top edge of the first board was flush with the top of the plywood to cover the raw edge. I left about 1/2-3/4″ between each board, gluing and nailing as I went down. There will be a little space at the bottom — that’s okay! Your baseboards will cover it.
Once the sides were done, I took my 37.5″ boards and secured them on the front, lining them up with the sides, then gluing and nailing into place.
Flip your stand upside down and secure your castor wheels onto your 2×4 frame boards.
On the bottom where you have some open space, add a few scrap 1×4 pine board pieces to help support your baseboards. You’re welcome to add an 8th row of 1x4s here, but using scrap will save you from having to buy an extra board!
Next, cut down your baseboards. I used 1×6 primed pine for this. I cut two boards at 18″ with one end mitered out at a 45 degree angle. Then I cut one 37.5″ board with both ends mitered out at 45 degree angles. Keep in mind your mitered ends do not count in the length here. I like to miter one edge, measure the flat side on the back (or the short side). Then miter OUT from your measurement mark. Hopefully that makes sense!
Glue and nail your baseboards together ahead of time, then slip them over the front of your stand. I wanted to cover the wheels a bit, so I left just about 2″ of space between the bottom of the baseboards and the ground.
Now you have your basic cart on wheels — with an open back so the kids can set boxes or bins of whatever they need inside!
STEP 2: ADD YOUR AWNING
Next, I cut down 2 1x2s to 60″ and 2 to 55″. I cut the tops at a slight angle — maybe 15 degrees — so I could angle the plywood awning down.
Secure the longer boards to the back sides of the cart. I installed them above the baseboards and flush with the back of the cart.
Then secure the shorter boards on the front of the sides — right above the baseboards and flush with the front of the cart to hide your raw 1×4 edges. I used wood glue and finish nails to secure these.
Cut down your 3/4″ plywood to 19″ x 39″. Then wood glue and screw it into your 1x2s from above, making sure it’s flush with the outside edges. I did set it back just a bit from the front so only the top edge of the plywood was flush with the front of the 1x2s to make the next step easier.
Grab your extra 1×6 primed pine board and use something round to trace scallops. Use your jigsaw to cut them out, then cut your board down to 39″, making sure to center your scallops!
Sand it down well, then use wood glue and finish nails to secure this to the front of your awning — flush with that top edge of your plywood.
Use wood filler to fill any gaps and nail holes, then sand it well once dried.
STEP 3: PAINT & CUSTOMIZE
Now that your stand is built, it’s time to paint! I started with a spray paint primer — Rustoleum Universal Bonding Primer is my go-to and the Turbo Spray System made sure I got the project done so quickly!
Once dry, I used Rustoleum Stops Rust Satin Protective Enamel Spray Paint in white. I did about 2 coats of this on everything and let it dry!
While it was drying, I took things to the next level with a little lemon garland.
I had some paper dessert plates on hand that I painted yellow with some leftover paint. Once dry, I used a small brush and white paint to draw lines down the center, across, and diagonally so I ended up with 8 sections on each plate. I let them dry fully, then cut the plates in half, cutting down the center of one of the white lines.
I cut some blue satin ribbon and hot glued the paper plate halves to it, leaving a few inches between each one. I cut down some extra foot long ribbon pieces to tie between the paper plate lemons, then tied it onto the cart!
I used a couple extra lemon plates and some ribbon to glue a little extra lemon feature on the top right of the cart.
THAT’S IT!
And that was it! I made some lemonade, got some cute cups and straws, and got a little chalkboard stand ready so they could use it as soon as they got home from school.
They were THRILLED, and so was I — what a joy it was to create something that brought them so much joy and will help them create so many memories!
I hope you take this as a sign to build your own cute lemonade stand soon! I can’t wait to see how you make this build your own!
Long live summer!
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