Wooden Planters

Sure, you can go to Home Depot and buy $4 plastic planters in a variety of earth-tones. But these will not impress your neighbors nor complement your colorful pansies. This project makes a planter that is handsome enough to be a stand-alone piece of outdoor furniture.

We built our planters from nominal 5/4 (11/8 in. thick) and 1-in. (3/4 in. thick) pine, and 3/4-in.-thick marine-grade fir plywood. Marine plywood is made with waterproof glue so it can stand up to moisture. To extend the life of the planters, we added metal liners made from aluminum flashing that's commonly available at hardware stores and building supply dealers.

Step 1: Materials and Plans

Materials:
4 1 1/8 x 1 3/8 x 13 1/2" pine (stile)
4 1 1/8 x 2 1/2 x 13 1/2" pine (stile)
4 1 1/8 x 3 x 8 1/2" pine (rail)
4 1 1/8 x 3 x 32 1/2" pine (rail)
4 1 1/8 x 2 x 9" pine (mullion)
2 3/4 x 8 x 81/2" plywood (panel)
6 3/4 x 81/2 x 10" plywood (panel)
4 3/4 x 21/4 x 21/4" pine (foot)
2 3/4 x 2 x 81/4" pine (cleat)
2 3/4 x 2 x 333/4" pine (cleat)
1 3/4 x 93/4 x 333/4" plywood (floor)
1 13 5/8 x 37 5/8" aluminum (tray)
1 10 5/8 x 88 11/16" aluminum (liner)
4 1 1/8 x 1 3/8 x 20 1/2" pine (stile)
4 1 1/8 x 2 1/2 x 20 1/2" pine (stile)
8 1 1/8 x 3 x 14 1/2" pine (rail)
4 1 1/8 x 2 x 16" pine (mullion)
8 3/4 x 6 1/2 x 15 1/2" plywood (panel)
4 3/4 x 2 1/4 x 2 1/4" pine (foot)
2 3/4 x 2 x 14 1/4" pine (cleat)
2 3/4 x 2 x 15 3/4" pine (cleat)
1 3/4 x 153/4 x 153/4" plywood (floor)
1 19 5/8 x 19 5/8" aluminum (tray)
1 17 5/8 x 64 11/16" aluminum (liner)
as reqd. 11/2" No. 8 fh galvanized deck screw
as reqd. No. 20 joining plate
as reqd. 6d galvanized finishing nail
20-grit sandpaper
waterproof glue
exterior alkyd primer
acrylic exterior paint.

Comments

[mastergardenproducts]

I like wood planter because of the natural look of the wood grain, so I prefer wood planter without paint, I find quite a few nice one in a website http://www.mastergardenproducts.com

[mjcoleman]

Thanks for a really nice project. I am going to try making one of these for my mother for Mother's Day. Anyone have any ideas for colors that would compliment bright flowers, other than white? White is OK but sometimes I feel like everything is painted white to make it look clean, but then everything looks so sterile.

[hugstigers]

Black would look good. So would a sky blue or dark blue finish. A coloured wood stain lets the grain of the wood show through - adds interest and texture. Paint will give a flat surface. Black and blue are both colours that complement plants of all colours. If you're feeling really adventurous you could add some simple stencilled pattern or even run a row of 1 inch x 1 inch glass mosaic tiles around the inner edge of the panels.

[jessyratfink]

These are gorgeous. When I have enough room and money to get all the tools I want, I really want to try to make these. :D