VIDEO: How to make colourful toy blocks

Photographs ER Lombard

Create the perfect Christmas gift with Woodoc – and use a cute fabric bag as ‘wrapping’ or when you’re on the go.

You will need

• offcut pieces of pine
• carpenter’s square
• pencil
• jigsaw
• g-clamps
• sandpaper
• Woodoc Water-Borne FLOOR Clear Matt
• Woodoc Colours in Opal and Brights (Pink, Orange and Yellow); (Full Moon is optional)
• 4 mixing jars and sticks
• masking tape
• paintbrushes
• calico drawstring bag

1. Measure various shapes out on the timber.

2. Use the jigsaw to cut the shapes out. Remember to always use g-clamps to secure your timber on your work surface for safety when cutting with a jigsaw.

3. Sand the edges of the blocks smooth.

4. Decant about 70ml of Woodoc Water-Borne FLOOR Clear Matt into the mixing jars. Add about a teaspoon of the Woodoc Colours to the jars respectively. We added a bit of Full Moon to each mixture to create soft ice-cream colours.

5. On some of the blocks, mask triangles diagonally across from opposite corners. Leave some blocks unmasked.

6. Paint one or two surfaces on each block with the mixtures you made in step 4. Leave some sides unpainted. There are no rules – you can add as much or as little colour to your blocks as you like.

7. Once all the coloured areas have dried completely, seal the blocks on all sides with three coats of Woodoc Water-Borne FLOOR Clear Matt. Let the sealer dry completely between coats and give it a light sanding after coat one and two. Do not sand again after the third coat. 8. Store your toy blocks in a calico drawstring bag.