My kiddo is a huge fan of slip and slides! Last year we bought 3 slip and slides and lined them all up together to make one monstrous slip and slide. The problem is that it can be expensive to buy that many slip and slides. Especially if you want one or two lanes, which let’s admit it… no one wants a single lane slip and slide!
So, this year we wanted something more cost friendly. I looked up numerous DIY slip and slide tutorials and tweeked them to come up with this EPIC slip and slid that your kids will not soon forget! The cost for this DIY is around $30. One 2 lane slip and slide retails for $24 here. So, for what we’re looking to do this fit the budget nicely! This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. This means I may receive a small commission if you purchase anything through these links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
*As always use your best judgement when building your slide. I do not accept any responsibility for any property damage or injury that may occur when using the slide! 😉
What I love most about this slip and slide is that is FAR better than any other store bought slip and slide out there! Trust me, we’ve tested a lot of brands too!
So let me show you how EASY this slip and slide is to make!
Materials:
*3M Plastic Roll (Found in most paint section of hardware stores)
*8 pool noodles (Dollar Tree has them for $1 each)
*Gorilla double sided tape
*A fun sprinkler
*2×4
*Metal stakes
*Patio rug stakes (optional)
Step #1: Roll out your plastic and flatten it out as much as you can. It’s good to cut the grass good and short where you plan on putting the slide. Note: White plastic is great for this, but black plastic is also fine. Just be aware that the black plastic gets extremely hot.
Step #2:
Lay out the pool noodles along each side with about 5-6″ apart. The pool noodles serve as a soft bumper edge and also helps to hold the water on the slide.
Step #3: Take your 2×4 and cut it to how wide your slide will be. Leave about a foot on each side for a later step. Lay the 2×4 along one of the short ends of the plastic. This is where the start of the slide will be. The 2×4 will help you to secure the slide into the ground and prevent the plastic from ripping when the slide is being used.
Fold the wood over inside the plastic about 3-4 times. Secure with Gorilla tape on the last fold.
very awesome family.thank you for sharing this.this is so cool and so smart .awesome!!
Also the clear plastic helps not kill the grass underneath! We used an old waterbed mattress and filled it with water and bounced on it outside-very fun but the bonus was to find out because of the light that got through it did not kill our grass like slip and slides do!
Thanks for sharing! That waterbed idea sounds like a lot of fun too!
Where did you get such a large piece of plastic?
Home Depot near the painting aisle. Get the thicker ones! 😉
Do you by any chance know the dimension for the plastic? We bought 3m but it was very short.
Yes, the one we used was 10 x 25.
What is the baby shampoo for?
So that it doesn’t burn their eyes. We used Dawn soap to make it slicker and kiddo’s eyes burned for 2 days. It really is slick enough without the soap, but it helps when your just getting it started.
We went through a large bottle of Dawn because they rubbed their bodies with it each time they went down to increase their speed which resulted in rashes and irritated eyes. Love the baby shampoo idea.
Oh no! I know what that is like! Poor kiddo here had irritated eyes for 2 days from Dawn. Baby shampoo is definitely the way to go! 😉
If you source greenhouse plastic from your local cooperation, then the grass wont die underneath, infact it will flourish! I put greenhouse plastic over patches of lawn that are struggling, leave it for a few days, and the grass is super green and lush when i remove the plastic. The greenhouse plastic is also very wide (usually 6meters) so you’ll only need 2meters or so. It will save A LOT!
Thank you so much for the tip! I will need to look for that next time and for a few spots on our lawn too!
What did you use as a landing spot?
Is the 2×4 not dangerous?
I’m not sure exactly what you mean? We haven’t had any issues with this set up. The wood helps to reinforce the plastic so that it doesn’t rip or slide while in use. As far as hitting it when you slide we haven’t had an issue with that at all. My son is 5 and he is aware of where the wood is and when to jump onto the plastic to miss the wood.
Of course if you think this might be an issue with your own children then skip the wood. We certainly don’t want any kiddo’s getting hurt so use your best judgement. If you choose not to use the wood I would suggest folding the plastic over onto itself 4-5 times to thicken it and make it stronger as this is where the main “pull” of use will occur. Hope this helps! 🙂
I love this idea! I have one and getting ready to replace it. (I have had mine for 5 years.) And at the end of tje season I always wash it with bleach and dish soap. Hang it up to dry. And then sprinkle with baby powder. Fold and store. In the summer I check it for holes and just wash with dish soap to get all of the powder off.
Thanks Mary! Great storage tips!