Want to hear my favorite thing? Taking old stuff and finding a new and fun way to use it! So, a few weeks ago my husband alerted me that our neighbor had thrown away two nightstands. Since there’s a thrift shop sized hole in my heart, I raced outside and saw some beat up pieces of furniture I had to have. I scooped them to make this upcycled planter diy!
before
So this is what I saw from my back yard- two nightstands in the alley (where the trash is collected).
They looked a little rough- both were missing the drawer. They were dirty and beat up. But then I remembered something I’d seen on Pinterest- a planter made from old furniture! Maybe I could use these to make the same?! They sat on my patio for a bit, but yesterday I started on this SUPER easy DIY project!
UPCLYCLED PLANTER DIY
SUPPLIES
- an old piece of furniture
- pink spray paint
- primer
- jig saw
- plastic bin for a planter
- drill
- plants
- potting soil
The beauty of this project is that because you’re using a piece of furniture, you can use an affordable plastic bin to hold the plants! The bins we got were less than $2 eachand with the free pieces of furniture, this made it a VERY cost effective project!
step 1- planting
The first thing we did was to drill drainage holes in the bottom of our plastic bin planters. Then, we planted our flowers and veggies in the bin with potting soil. My son was excited to help, which made this step really fun! We took the plants and placed them in dirt in the plastic bin. Then we made sure to water them thoroughly.
step 2- cut out a hole
Next, it’s time to cut the hole in the top of the nightstand for the planter to go in. Trace the plastic bin and them make your hole a little smaller so that the lip of the top of the bin will sit on the edge of the wood. If your furniture still has a drawer, you might need to remove it for this so the planter can drain. That, or the planter will sit in the drawer.
Note, we measured our pieces of furniture before buying the bin. We made sure to buy the biggest bin that’d fit inside
Here’s a picture of my husband drilling out holes in the bottom of the bin for drainage.
step 3
And now, it’s time to clean the furniture thoroughly so it’s ready for painting. We used our pressure washer because it was pretty dirty, but you could use a rag and some TSP.
step 4
Finally, it’s time to paint! First though, I do want to point out how beat up these pieces of furniture are- large cracks, the top is buckling, there’s chips in the veneer, and no drawers. This was on it’s way to the dump, so I really do not feel bad for giving it a new purpose.
First, I primed both pieces with white paint. I only had two cans of spray paint on hand to paint these, so I made sure to prime in the hopes that’d extend how far the pink went. Then I spray painted the up-cycled planters. I’d do a thin coat, set a timer for 15 minutes, and then do another thin coat. Painting took about an hour with the breaks for dry time.
Thankfully, I barely had enough spray paint!
after
Ta da! Here’s the first planter- it’s some vegetables (tomatoes and peppers). I loved the idea of planting lettuce and then having a table to easily cut it, but turns out, you can’t grow most veggies in Florida in the summer. I’m still learning all the nuances with being in a different climate. They look a little scarce right now, but should fill in nicely.
For the front porch, I planted some pink flowers that are looking super happy! This was a fun super affordable project. It’ll be interesting to see how these weather. Fingers crossed they do ok!
If you have an old piece of furniture that seems like garbage, maybe this could be a fun solution? These’s tons of ideas on Pinterest if you search “upcycled planter”- it’s pretty fun to see all the different pieces of furniture that have been given a new lease of life outside!
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