Make Life Lovely

Your DIY Guide to a Lovelier Life

DIY Rustic Wood Planter Box

By 53 Comments

I am so excited to share this easy and beautiful project!  It is probably one of my very favorite projects I’ve shared with you.  My husband and I both came up with the idea, and he helped me build it.

It is a lovely distressed planter box that is made out of some old wood that we had that was just waiting to be used!  We used some of this wood on our Baby Food Jar Wood Vase & Candleholder, and we had just enough left to make this planter box.  The wood was already old and distressed, so I was lucky that we didn’t have to do anything extra to it.

If you don’t have any old wood lying around, don’t be discouraged, you can still make this!  You can use new wood, and it will look great as is. You can distress it by sanding, or adding some stain or brown paint over the top of some watered down white paint.  There are many tutorials out there to distress wood that you could follow.

Supplies:
  • Wood- We used three long pieces that were about 2 feet long (one for each side and one for the base), and then two shorter pieces (for the ends).
  • L brackets and screws
  • Drill
  • Saw
  • Hammer
  • Dried coconut husks (Walmart- comes in a bowl shape in the garden section)
  • Soil
  • Flowers or plants
Directions:
Cut the three long pieces of wood for the sides and the base to your desired length, making sure the length is even for all three pieces.  Cut the two end pieces of wood so that they fit in between the bottom and sides of the box.

The great thing about using old, distressed wood, is that your measurements don’t have to be too exact or perfect. The imperfections of the wood make this project very forgiving!

Screw in the L brackets to hold the wood together with your drill.  We used 14 brackets for this planter box, but ours is very long (about 2 feet long), so you may not need that many.

Since this planter box will be going inside the house, we added some dried coconut husks that my husband bought from Walmart.  They come in a bowl shape as a replacement bowl for the hanging baskets in the garden section, and are super cheap.  Pull apart the bowl shape of the husks, and lay them all along the bottom of the planter box to help absorb the water so the box won’t leak.
Now add your soil and plants, and admire your work!  I chose pretty little daffodils so I could bring a little spring into our home.  And they were only 82 cents each at Walmart.  Score!!
Now to find a spot for my lovely new box.  It looks great on the coffee table.  But I know my little guy would dig his fingers in that box any chance he’d get…
Looks great on the console table too…

But my favorite place was on our metallic dining room table.  It fits perfectly in the middle of our table, and makes the room look so fresh and Spring-y!
And if you’re worried about the planter box leaking water, don’t be!  The coconut husks I used really did the job, and after watering, not a drop of water leaked through the bottom of the planter.  Just use a reasonable amount of water, being careful not to overwater, and it will be fine.
I hope you try making one of these lovely planter boxes.  If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to ask by leaving a comment below.  I love reading your coments!
Be sure to check my Baby Food Jar Planters and Candleholder for another great way to use an old (or new!) piece of wood.
 
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XO, Laura

Linking Up Here: Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, House of Hepworths, Somewhat Simple, The 36th Avenue, Whipperberry,Tatertots and Jello, Lily White Designs, At Home with Bobi, Skip To My Lou, Craft-O-Maniac, Sugar Bee Crafts

About Laura

Hi! I'm Laura, owner and creator of Make Life Lovely, a creative blog filled with creative craft tutorials, DIY projects, party tips, holiday ideas, home decor, and so much more! Make Life Lovely is dedicated to making everyday life more lovely, and I hope to inspire you and show you how!

Comments

  5. Shannon says

    I literally don’t think I could love this anymore than I already do. SO beautiful! This is making me anxious for spring!!

    Shannon
    ikneadtobake.blogspot.com

    Reply

  6. Deborah says

    Great design. I’ve always love the look of old wood and these highlight it beautifully. If you don’t mind, the one thing (in my own little opinion) that would add to this would be if the “L” brackets were toned down a bit as in rusty in appearance… but again, that’s just me.

    Reply

  7. Pieced Pastimes says

    Hi Laura – This box turned out so lovely. I like the mix of the old wood with the brackets. It gives it a vintage industrial look. The daffodils are such a nice way to bring some sunshine into your home.
    Thanks for sharing,
    Suzanne
    Pieced Pastimes

    Reply

  11. Michelle Lunt says

    Wow Laura, I really like this project & the way it turned out. And your tutorial gives me hope that I can do it. Great job.

    Warmly, Michelle
    Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust

    Reply

  17. Jennie Larsen says

    Love it! I have seen some planter boxes, but yours is my fav. Love the hardware you chose. Hugs, jen

    Reply

  19. Sieb says

    I was just walking by a container filled with old wood, wondering whether I should take some for a fun project… but to make what!? Now I know 🙂 It looks lovely, thanks for the inspiration!!

    Reply

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