Introduction: Converting an Unattended Wardrobe to a Balcony Planter With Basic Tools

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About: Tended to become a maker :)

Having old furnitures without knowing how to deal with them sometimes could make you feel helpless? Yeah, it does the same to me, so I convert them somethings more needed and useful to me... This time I take a wardrobe which was an awful eyesore to me for long time. But after moving a new house (our own house) I think to get rid of it more seriously. But moving a new house and having a large empty balcony, me and my wife were thinking what to do with that space, so we imagined to have a planter in there. Just imagine, winning 2 times by acting just once. Sounds nice to me...

By the way this principle applies to the things happening in nature. Any thing or any event happening around us actually are just for the benefit of more than one living being most of the time. So we should also follow that pattern I think...

Anyway, since everything is set up in mind, time to act I say...

Materials required:

  • An old furniture to make something new,
  • All the assembly materials installed on your old furniture
  • Screw drivers electric or manual does not matter,
  • Some other extra fittings or screws, bolts and nuts if needed,
  • Plastic garbage bags,
  • Safety equipments if needed (please take your own risk)

Step 1: To Better See What We Got on Hand, Just Disassemble the Parts

Since the aim is to convert a fireboard material into something new, it is important to keep it strong and utilizable. In my case, it is fireboard and it is hard to maintain its strength when you cut it, unless you have the tools to apply coating on it. Also not having any cutting tool is my second biggest reason for handling available parts as they are.

Keep any material and try to imagine how you can utilize them. Remember, sometimes your limitations your guide to follow a way. Thus, if you see any impossibility on the issue. Leave all everything on the ground, turn your back and go somewhere else, do something else. Imagination and inspiration acts hand in hand, if you can not imagine, just give your inner self to inspire from somewhere else, somewhere you are not aware of mostly...

Step 2: Trial of Ideas and Arrival of Design

After disassembling all the parts it is clear to see that doors are consistent with each others in dimensions manner. So that could be a starting point for making a box. It is even clear to see without disassembling the whole wardrobe but we would need some extra parts to complete the box case. Additionally I will take unnecessary parts to warehouse...

Because I do not see any other option, I temporarily assemble the doors and support them with a few extra parts. It seems like it is almost there, but the door I used for the lower plate goes out of the box. Anyway, it is not harmful to my design, because I even do not have a design in mind. Say it is designed on the go. Occasionally designed :) I can put any other little planter in there or any decorative thing would also do...

Step 3: It Is a Planter, There Would Be Soil and Also the Water...

I aimed to convert it to a planter. So it means that I will put some soil and even pebble stones in it. Also the plants would need water too. So I should apply a bit insulation at some point. I take the plywood which was installed on the back of wardrobe and modify it in order to place it inner wall of the planter. This means I should make some cutting work. I have basic utility knife and the plywood is not something requires heavy work. Still attention is required. Be careful with the knife and always use a guide placed against the knife. You never should use it in a way that might go out of the track and cut any body part...

After producing all the inner walls of planter, cutting the available plywood, now it is time to place plastic material between outer and inner walls of planter. It is not needed to make it water and air tight though, still some care should be given. I use a plastic garbage to put between the two walls. I cut it in a way that follows the pattern of plywood walls geometrically. Since the plastic bag is not so thick, I tried to work delicately but still some parts are torn...

The basic point however is still having some permanent surface. You can still isolate surfaces applying some continuous adhesive on surfaces. Adhesive would be distributed and serve to seperate surfaces...

Putting glued surfaces on each others might require attention and extra help from a second person. After putting them all together, I tried to make some reinforcement putting screws here and there. They could be placed any where you feel it requires to put. I used 2 or 3 screws for each surfaces...

Step 4: Adding Pebbles, Soil and Also Wheels...

Since the final construction is up, it is time to prepare it to the planting. I used a kilogram of pebble stones to lay on the ground and added a few bags (approximately 70 litres) of soil. Thinking that it might be useful to make it mobile, I installed 4 wheels salvaged from another project. Now it is waiting for the planting activities...

Step 5: A Second Planter Using Remaining Parts...

I have been thinking that there are lots of remaining materials and I wanted to make another larger planter for a lemon tree may be... Same process, no cutting :)