DIY Treasure Chest Toy Box (Hand Painted)

This post may contain affiliate links, such as Amazon, Please read my disclaimer.

Children will love discovering the treasures in this personalized wooden DIY treasure chest box that is hand painted with chalk paint! It’s perfect for birthdays, treasure hunts, pirate plunders, or use as a fun toy storage box.

Side view of a wooden treasure box half open. Painted blue with metal hinges and closure clasp, featuring white letters on the front spelling PLAYMOBIL

One of the best presents I have ever made my kids was a DIY LEGO Play Station tray table for Miss Jade’s birthday years ago. It has been her favorite toy year after year. Because her brothers were jealous of it, I also made all the kids their own DIY Travel LEGO Table.

Year after year, our homemade presents have been their favorite gift. And my kids absolutely LOVE them and treasure them.

Our kids treasure chest toy box is no exception. I made this wooden treasure chest in 2018 for my daughter’s birthday, and it is still used to store her Playmobil toys to this day. It is loved and treasured and used every day.

❤️ Why it works

I designed this painted treasure chest to easily be personalized for whatever interests your child. But there are several more reasons why you will love this personalized kids treasure chest!

  • Easy DIY project. This is an excellent project for beginners or those who don’t have a lot of time.
  • Makes an excellent gift. As I mentioned, homemade gifts are always a hit. This makes it more personal and treasured. And unlike the cardboard versions on the internet, this wooden treasure box will last year after year after year.
  • Toy Storage. These DIY treasure chests make an excellent toy box for small toys. It will help with organization. It also makes it really easy for my daughter to transport her toys around to different areas of the house when she wants to play.
  • Personalized. You can easily change it up to fit your child’s personal tastes by choosing a different color, and different letters. You can use different letters for their name, a LEGO storage box, toy cars, doll clothes, or decorate it as a Pirate treasure box.
  • Fun Kids Craft. If you want to take it a step further, let your kid do the painting! It may not look as polished or professional, but they will love the activity.
  • Fun Pirate Party Favors! If you are hosting a pirate-themed party, get a selection of small wooden treasure chests and let the kids each paint their own as part of the party activities. At the end of the party when they are dry, fill them with fun pirate party favors for each kid to take home.

I made this treasure chest toy box when my girls discovered the old Playmobil toys that I have been storing since when I was a little girl.

These toys are treasured and the girls are completely in love with them. They ask to play with them all the time.

Playmobil toys on a wooden table, with little hands playing wiht the toys such as a slide, park bench, and playmobil characters
Playmobil toys on a wooden table, with little hands playing with the toys such as a slide, park bench, merry-go-round, and playmobil characters

The only problem is that the storage box was getting worn out. I mean, this storage tin is older than I am!

I didn’t want my girls getting hurt on the sharp corners. And I wanted something a little easier for them to get into and carry around from room to room. This hand-painted DIY Wooden Treasure Chest Box was the perfect solution for our treasured creative play toys!

Side view of a wooden treasure box half open filled with playmobil toys. Painted blue with metal hinges and closure clasp, featuring white letters on the front spelling PLAYMOBIL

🎨 Supplies Needed

Some of the links below are Amazon and other retailer affiliate links, which means that I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them. This helps me to keep this blog running and to provide you with free content.

You will need:

I’ve used foam paint brushes before. They are cheap and easy. Use it, and then toss it. Don’t worry about washing it out. But, the downside is that they do wear out a lot faster than a regular paint brush and I end up using an entire package before the project is complete.

For this project, I used a purdy premium brush and it was a breeze! I also used a very petite detail brush.

🥽 Method – Making a Wooden Treasure Chest

👩🏻‍🎨 How to Paint

Step 1: Set your painter’s plastic down to protect any surfaces. Set up the painter’s pyramids. Gather all of your supplies. And now we can begin!

Wooden treasure box on painting pyramids half painted with blue paint

Step 2: Place the wooden treasure box on the painter’s pyramids. The pyramids allow the box to remain off of the table so you are better able to paint all the edges without making a mess. it also prevents the box from sticking to the table surface and allows you to also paint the bottom and allow for airflow all around for drying.

Paint the outside of the wooden treasure chest box the main color of chalk paint. Be careful around any accents, bindings, hinges, etc, so you don’t get paint on those.

I go over the entire box first with the larger paintbrush. And then follow up with the detail brush to get closer to the metal parts.

close up view of a detail paint brush carefully painting the box around metal hinges.

Step 3: Apply a 2nd coat of chalk paint to the outside of the wooden treasure box. By the time you have finished the first coat, the spot where you started will be dry and ready for the 2nd coat.

You don’t have to do two coats. But I found it gives a richer color than a single coat. But really it’s your choice.

Open wooden treasure box painted blue, with natural wood interior, on painting pyramids on a table waiting to dry
Wooden Treasure box with the lid closed on painting pyramids on a table waiting for paint to dry

Step 4: After you complete your second coat, allow it to dry for 10-15 minutes. This is a great time to put the paint away, wash the paintbrushes, and grab a quick snack.

If you want your wooden treasure chest box to look brand new, you can skip to the sealing of the treasure box. But if you do want an antique look, keep following along.

Step 5: Take a small course sandpaper and begin to antique (sand) the edges of the wooden treasure chest box. This will remove some of the paint, giving it a nice worn/antique look.

Close up view of fingers using sanding paper to sand down the treasure box

Step 6: After you have sanded the edges, pick spots on the wooden treasure chest box that would likely get “beat up” or worn after years of use. Use the sandpaper on these spots too. You don’t have to go as heavy on these spots as on the edges. Just let your creativity and inspiration be your guide.

Close up image of the worn hinges and edges of the wooden treasure box

Blue wooden treasure box with worn edges on a painting canvas

Step 7: Dry Brush to antique. Now you will dry brush the antique wax on your wooden treasure chest box. Dry brushing is a technique that means the brush is almost dry with very little on the brush.

🖌️ How to Dry Brush a Wooden Chest

Dip just the tips of the wax brush into the antique wax.

close up image of a wax brush with antique wax on the bristles

Wipe the paint off of the brush onto a piece of cardboard or plastic, until only a very small amount remains on the brush.

wax brush with antique wax on the bristles brushing off excess wax on a piece of cardboard

Lightly drag your brush over your painted surface where you want to add an antique look.

wax brush with antique wax on the bristles lightly brushing on the edges of the blue treasure box

The harder you brush the more the antique wax will blend. In some spots you might want a darker antique look and in others a much lighter antique look.

wax brush with antique wax on the bristles brushing with more force on the edges of the blue treasure box
wax brush with antique wax on the bristles brushing antique wax onto the edges of the blue treasure box including the metal hinges

To get the light look, blend, blend, and blend some more over those areas. They will become lighter and not as harsh.

wax brush with antique wax on the bristles blending the wax on the treasure box to make it look softer.

You might also want to antique the inside of the box. Often times the inside of the box gets forgotten. But I like to make it match the outside. So I simply applied the antique wax to the inside of the box and lid.

Treasure box on painters tarp on a table open and the inside antiqued with wax.
Close up image of the detail of the antique wax on the inside of the treasure box.

After you have finished the entire box with the antique wax, you will let it sit for another 10-15 minutes to dry.

💎 Sealing the Treasure Box

With the paint all dry it is time to seal the wooden treasure chest box.

Why Seal?

This will help the paint and color to last longer and protect against sun exposure, scrapes, and hard use.

I like to use Krylon Crystal Clear. It leaves a soft glossy finish to the project and seals the wood and paint.

Blue treasure box on a grey surface next to a bottle of Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic top coat

Take your treasure chest outside and prop it on the painter’s pyramids. Give a light coat over the entire box. Including the inside.

After about 10-15 minutes, you can apply a second coat if you wish.

Allow to dry for a few hours before handling.

Side view of coated blue treasure box with antique wax and clear coat on top, sitting on painting pyramids to dry.

If this is all you want to do with your treasure chest box, then you are done! Wahoo!

🔠 Personalize the Treasure Chest

If you want to make the Wooden Treasure Chest Box extra special, you can add personalization.

For the LEGO box, I added wooden letters that spelled out LEGO.

On Jade’s LEGO table, I used vinyl letters to spell out her name – JADE

For this toy treasure box, I wanted it labeled so the girls know what toys are allowed inside. And to keep these treasured toys from getting lost. So I made this a Playmobil Treasure Chest!

Blue wooden treasure box laying on it's side with white wooden letters laid across spelling PLAYMOBIL

You can use wood letters or vinyl or even stencils to personalize the treasure chest. It’s really up to you.

I used 3D wooden letters. A good size would be between 2-3″ wooden letters.

White wooden letters still in packaging next to a bottle of Legacy chalk paint and unfinished wooden box to show brand and packaging of the wooden letters.

Place each letter on the treasure chest in the pattern you desire.

Close up image of the Gorilla Wood glue bottle used for the treasure chest project.

Doing one letter at a time, lift it, put a little Gorilla Wood Glue on the back, and place it back onto the treasure box.

Close up image of the white PLAYMOBIL letters laying on the treasure box.

Allow the wood glue to fully dry (overnight preferably).

Finished image of the treasure box with the lid open showing the inside and outside of the chest with white wood letters spelling PLAYMOBIL on the front.

Now you can fill your Wooden Treasure Chest box with whatever treasure or toys you want.

For my girls, we added another small treasure chest inside to hold the little pieces, and then we placed the rest of my childhood Playmobil toys inside, as well as the new sets they currently have.

Looking into the box filled with PLAYMOBIL toys on the inside of the finished wooden treasure chest.

But you can use it for any kind of treasure you want. Or even as the treasure chest for a kids Pirate birthday party or treasure hunt!

Side View of the finished blue wooden treasure chest with the lid closed on a gray background.

⏳ Time-saving Tips

Now I know many DIY projects have you cutting wood and piecing it all together completely from scratch. Sorry, this is not one of those.

Due to time restraints and my ADHD, my projects have to be easy and be completed in only a few hours time. So this DIY Wooden Treasure Chest Box project has a few “shortcut” steps. Things that make it a little easier and faster. This way even a novice creator can accomplish this Wooden Treasure Chest Box.

Tip 1 – Find the treasure box!

This is the biggest shortcut. Find a treasure box that appeals to you. It can be square, circular, hexagon, or even the standard Pirate Treasure chest design.

Image of supplies such as unfinished wood treasure chest, bottle of chalk paint, and wooden letters

Places I often look for boxes like this include:

It doesn’t have to be brand new. Since we will be painting it, all you need to worry about is it being sturdy and durable. And it will need to be from some kind of wooden material. Fabric won’t work.

Tip 2 The Paint

Most projects use acrylic paint. And that paint is fabulous. I love it and use it on other projects. But for this wooden treasure chest, I prefer using Chalk paint. Not chalkboard paint, but actual chalk paint. There is zero prep work, no sanding before you begin, and it dries much faster than acrylic paint. Thus saving time and effort.

For this step, the hardest part will simply be choosing which color you want for your wooden treasure chest box. To make it easier, don’t choose a color until you see what is available in chalk paint.

Close up image of the bottle of DecoArt Americana Decor Chalky Finish Legacy chalk paint next to white wooden letters.

After you pick your paint color, you’ll need to decide if you want your treasure chest toy box to look brand new, or have a vintage farmhouse look. We’ll cover this later on.

Tip 3 – Set the workspace. 

We will be painting the wooden treasure box, and there will be a step where we are outside spraying a sealer on the box. So if there is anything else you feel you need in addition to what I list in the supplies, feel free to get ready now.

To make this project go smoothly and quickly, I always get my workspaces ready before I begin. I have a painting drop cloth on the table. All the brushes are ready to go. The paints are opened and mixed. I also have the letters laid out, sandpaper squares ready to go, and a place to allow the box to dry.

💭 FAQs

What do you put in a Treasure Box for Kids

The options are endless. If you are using it for pirate plunder, you can add beads, gems, and jewels from craft stores and flea markets. It can be used for toy storage, think Playmobil toys, LEGO toys, toy cars, doll clothes, etc. Or you can use it to store art supplies like stickers, markers, crayons, pencils, etc.

Do I have to use Chalk Paint?

No. You can also use Acrylic paint. I prefer chalk paint because it makes the project easier and faster. Chalk paint goes on smoother and doesn’t require any prep work. But you can use any acrylic craft paint if you desire.

What Size Treasure Box Do I Need?

This depends. The size you want will depend on the purpose of your treasure box. How much do you want to store inside? A 3.5″ wooden chest is great for party favors or a kid’s craft. If you want any kind of storage option for specific small toys, a larger 10-15″ wooden chest is ideal.

Remember to pin this DIY Treasure Chest Toy Box to Pinterest! 
Use the button on the Printable create card or the share buttons on the side or bottom of this page.

Yield: Treasure Chest Toy Box

DIY Treasure Chest Toy Box For Kids

Blue treasure chest closed with white letters spelling out PLAYMOBIL on a gray background

Whether you're playing pirate or you just need somewhere to hide away treasured toys, this customizable DIY Treasure Chest will be cherished for years to come. This wooden treasure chest is Hand painted with chalk paint, and is simple enough even for beginners.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 1 hour
Additional Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Difficulty Easy

Materials

  • An unpainted wooden chest
  • Chalk paint in your color choice.
  • Course Sand Paper
  • Antiquing Wax
  • Krylon Crystal Clear Spray
  • Wood letters 2-3" size (optional)
  • Gorilla Wood Glue (optional)

Tools

  • 1 large paint brush approximately 2-3″
  • 1 small fine-tipped paintbrush for detail work.
  • Wax Brush
  • Newspaper or painters plastic.
  • Painters Pyramid

Instructions

  • Set your painter’s plastic down to protect any surfaces.
  • Set up the painter’s pyramids. Place the wooden box onto the painter's pyramids.
  • Gather all of your painting supplies.

Paint The Wooden Treasure Box

  • Paint the outside of the wooden treasure chest box with chalk paint. Paint all sides of the outside including the bottom. Do not paint the inside.
  • Use the large brush for the major sections. Use the small detail brush around any hardware/hinges, clasps, etc.
  • Apply a 2nd coat of chalk paint to the outside of the wooden treasure box.
  • Allow the paint to dry for 10-15 minutes.
  • Take a small course sandpaper and begin to antique (sand) the edges of the wooden treasure chest box. 
  • After sanding the edges, use sandpaper on other areas of the wooden treasure chest box that would likely become worn or damaged over time.

Dry Brush Antique Wax

  • Dip just the tips of the wax brush into the antique wax.
  • Wipe the paint off of the brush onto a piece of cardboard or plastic, until only a very small amount remains on the brush.
  • Lightly drag your brush over your painted surface where you want to add an antique look.
  • The harder you brush the more the antique wax will blend. The more you blend the more the antique look will be softer.
  • Dry Brush the inside of the box to antique the inside.
  • Let the box sit for 10-15 minutes to dry.

Seal the Treasure Box

  • Take your treasure chest outside and prop it on the painter’s pyramids.
  • Give a light coat over the entire box with Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic coating. Including the inside.
  • After about 10-15 minutes, you can apply a second coat if you wish.
  • Allow to dry for a few hours before handling.

Add Letters

  • Place each letter on the treasure chest in the pattern you desire.
  • Doing one letter at a time, lift it, put a little Gorilla Wood Glue on the back, and place it back onto the treasure box.
  • Allow the wood glue to fully dry (overnight preferably).

Fill your Wooden Treasure Chest box with whatever treasure or toys you want.

Notes

Finding the Treasure Box: Find any treasure box that appeals to you. It can be square, circular, hexagon, or even the standard Pirate Treasure chest design. I often look for boxes like this including thrift stores, dollar stores (sometimes), craft stores, and yardsales. It doesn't need to look pretty, only that it is sturdy and in good structural condition.

Paint Choice: For this wooden treasure chest, I prefer using Chalk paint. Not chalkboard paint, but actual chalk paint. There is zero prep work, no sanding before you begin, and it dries much faster than acrylic paint. Thus saving time and effort.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.