Colorado Springs man finishes largest commercial puzzle in the world

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Four years ago, Lou Salas lay down next to his newest puzzle box to put the size into scale. Over 800 hours and 60,000 pieces later, Salas fit all seven continents and hundreds of the world's wonders into his garage in a puzzle depiction that somehow still feels larger than life.

"The World's Largest Jigsaw Puzzle by Dowdle" comes in 60 boxes, each with 1000 pieces. Each quadrant fits together to make the entire 60,000-piece puzzle.

The logistical challenges of 60,000 pieces are a bigger puzzle than the puzzle itself. Salas said it took a couple of years to decide how he was going to tackle the massive scale before he could open up the boxes.

He put together each quadrant in his puzzle room. He stacked and stored each quadrant on thick plastic sheets. He put together almost every single piece, with some help from his eight-year-old granddaughter (who Salas said is a puzzle prodigy).

After half a standard work year of labor, last weekend was the moment of truth. With all 60 quadrants complete, Salas recruited help to put the whole thing together.

His team of friends and family built a custom, eight-foot by 29.5-foot table in his garage. Using some improvised engineering and precariously balanced beams, Salas suspended himself above the table to carefully place each quadrant. The assembly took about nine hours, and the finished puzzle takes up the entire three-car garage.

The puzzle costs hundreds of dollars retail, if you can find it in stock. Salas said he wants to give away the puzzle for free. He said he wants someone to enjoy the build as much as he did.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.