Let’s Build Another Planter Box!

Well, I finally called ‘uncle’ on this little wooden planter box that sits in the front yard by our garage door. As you can see in the picture below, I didn’t really have a choice. Hubby and I bought this cute wooden, lattice framed planter box over 17 years ago. When bought, it was unfinished wood or looked that way; I’m sure it had some type of protective coating on it to help fend off the weather. For the first couple of years, I left the wood alone then decided it might be a good idea to paint it in order to better protect the wood from the weather. I chose to paint it white to match some of the trim accents on the house. Over the years, I’ve freshened up the paint but now the wood has started to rot and the little planter is falling apart.

Below is the Supply List so you know what I used to build the new planter. You can tweak this for items you have on hand as needed. The Supply List is also at the bottom of this post along with Instructions for building the planter.

Supply List

• 1/2 sheet of 1″ Plywood
• Trim – One 8′ length of each kind
  • 1/2″ corner trim
  • 1″ corner trim
  • 3″ baseboard trim
  • 2″ flat baseboard trim
  • 1″ decorative trim
• 1 8′ 2″ x 4″ treated board
• 2 1/2″ brass screws
• 18 gauge Nail gun/compressor
• Skill saw or table saw
• Drill
• Clamps
• Wood glue
• Wood putty
• Paintable caulk
• Paint
• Paintbrush/paint pad/paint roller
• Soil
• Plants

I’ve built planter boxes before. In the backyard, we have two arbors that are installed in planters. The original planters were plastic and after several years, started to split along the edges. To fix that issue, I built wood boxes out of some fencing that we lost in a wind storm to replace the plastic ones. You can read all about that process here.

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Now that I had another planter box to build, it was time to check my stock of wood on hand to see what I could use. Once I knew what wood was available, I could then decide how to build the new box. I had used all the wood from the fence and the only other wood I had that might work was a 1/2 sheet of plywood and some trim.

I measured the plywood and found it was plenty to make the box. I also had an 8′ treated 2″ x 4″ board, that would work well for the corners of the box. My next decision was which saw to use. I really wanted to use the new-to-me table saw that a friend & hubby gifted me when they moved out of state….however, the plywood was a bit large and awkward for my maiden project on that saw so, instead, I chose to use the skill saw.

Since the weather was nice (ok, blazing hot) and I didn’t want to be faced with cleaning up saw dust in the garage, I set up a work station under the shade of one of the backyard trees. I’ve done this with many projects and it works great! We have several large tables so I chose one, set it up and grabbed the supplies I would need: battery-powered skill saw & drill, measuring tape and yard stick, marker, screws, clamps, wood.

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With the supplies and work table set up, it was time to mark the plywood and cut the 4 pieces I would use for the sides of the planter. Each piece would be 18″ x 22″. I like to use a yardstick to measure lengths under 36″. What’s nice about a yardstick is that it’s solid and not going to move around like a measuring tape might do. Once I have my measurements marked on the wood, I then use the yardstick as a guide to draw the lines. To stabilize the plywood, I use several clamps to secure it to the work table. Using the skill saw, I followed the lines drawn on the plywood and cut each piece. When All 4 sides were cut were cut, I gave each a quick sanding with a sanding block to smooth the wood where it had been cut. After that, I cut four 19″ lengths from the treated 2″ x 4″ board. I wanted them to be a little longer than the sides so the planter wouldn’t be flush with the ground.

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When the sides and legs had been cut, it was time to assemble the planter box. Since I was working alone, the clamps came in really handy! I clamped the first side of the planter box to the work table then clamped the side I was attaching to the 2″ x 4″ leg. Once attached, I used the drill to screw the pieces together using 2 screws for each leg. The screws I use these days are brass ones with a star head. I have no trouble with these screws as they do not strip like the regular Phillips head ones do. With the first two pieces attached, I followed the same process to attach the rest of the sides.

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Now that the planter box was assembled, it was time to add trim to make it purdy! I headed into the garage to measure, cut and attach the trim. My little compound miter saw is my go to tool for cutting trim. It cuts each piece quickly and with precision. I just love it! I don’t even mind using the shop vac to clean up the sawdust it produces. I ended up using 5 different types of trim for this cute little planter box so my little saw and I made many cuts.

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The first trim I attached was the 1′ corner molding; doing so provided the dimensions I would need to cut the remaining trim. I used Elmer’s wood glue and my 18 gauge nail gun. You can use finishing nails if you don’t own a nail gun. After all the trim was attached, it was time to fill in the holes from the nail gun and the gaps where the wood met. I used wood putty for the small areas and paintable caulk for the larger ones. Both those products dry quickly and once dry, I used a sanding block to smooth all the areas.

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With the wood putty, caulk, trim and sides sanded, it was time to paint. I was using the paint I had left over from when I painted the outdoor furniture as I wanted to match the planter to those pieces. The paint is Olypmic Assure in Tahitian Teal from Lowes. I used a variety of painting supplies to apply the paint – small paint brush, small painting pad, regular size painting pad & small roller. This project took 3 coats of paint, especially on the two pieces of vinyl trim. Hubby asked if I was going to paint the inside of the planter. I hadn’t thought about doing that but decided it was a good idea since I didn’t plan to fill it to the brim with soil.

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Construction complete!!! Time to remove the old planter box and install the new! I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to remove the old box so I took my crowbar with me to the front yard. I pulled on the front piece and it just fell off in my hands! I didn’t even need the crowbar! When I tugged on the left side, all 3 sides raised off the ground so I just lifted it all in one piece. When the planter had been moved away from the soil, I tore the plastic away to expose the soil. If the new planter was going to be the same size, I would have left the plastic in place but since I made it larger, I removed the plastic to add more soil.

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I carried the new planter out of the garage so I could set it over the soil. I was surprised that it was so much bigger than the last one! I had two bags of top soil and one of Miracle grow and used almost all of it. Before filling the new box with soil, I centered it on the wall and leveled it by placing a small wooden block under the front left leg. The ground slopes down from the house so I was surprised that only one leg needed leveling. I used landscape cloth between the soil and the sides of the planter to help protect the wood from moisture. Instead of attaching the landscape cloth to the wood before putting it around the existing soil, I just held it in place as I filled the box with soil. I stopped filling the new planter box about 2 1/2″ from the top.

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I finished installing the new planter & filling it with soil about 2 hours before a huge thunderstorm rolled through! The amount of rain we got in a short period of time was astounding! All I could think about was my new little planter and what damage the rain might cause!!! You can see how close it is to the downspout! I went outside with an umbrella (risking the lightning) and there was a river of water rushing along the right side and front of the planter!!! I RAN back inside and created a little contraption out of one of those plastic containers you get when you buy salad. I used duct tape to attach to the downspout but it was pouring so badly, I wasn’t certain it would hold. The contraption did work while I stood there and diverted the water somewhat from the planter. When I went to check it the next morning, the contraption had come off the downspout and still had water in it. The planter was in amazingly great shape!! There is just a small area on one corner of the top frame that would need more caulk. I think it was an area where I used wood putty. As you can see in the picture below, a little caulk and paint and this corner is good as new!

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Time to fill this new little beauty with a few plants! Since I needed to raise the soil level in this planter box due to the larger size, I had to remove the small plants that were growing in the old planter so new ones will be needed. I wanted one with some height for this space and planned to go to the local nursery here in town to see what their selection was. Well, I found a couple of plants for this new planter! I bought two types of Coleus, brought them home and planted them. Then I realized that I could use a 3rd plant to provide a balanced look. Not wanting to go back to the nursery or wait (who wants to do THAT ?!), I found a little pansy growing in the backyard so I just transplanted that. All three plants appear to love their new home!

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This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you choose to order through my links, it will be at no extra cost to you

Supply List

• 1/2 sheet of 1″ Plywood
• Trim – One 8′ length of each kind
  • 1/2″ corner trim
  • 1″ corner trim
  • 3″ baseboard trim
  • 2″ flat baseboard trim
  • 1″ decorative trim
• 1 8′ 2″ x 4″ treated board
• 2 1/2″ brass screws
• 18 gauge Nail gun/compressor
• Skill saw or table saw
• Drill
• Clamps
• Wood glue
• Wood putty
• Paintable caulk
• Paint
• Paintbrush/paint pad/paint roller
• Soil
• Plants

Instructions

• Measure and cut plywood using skill saw 4 pieces of 18″ x 22″
• Cut four 19″ pieces of treated 2″ x 4″ board to be used for the legs
• Using screws & drill, attach the plywood to the legs (see photos)
• Sand all rough edges using a sanding block or orbital sander
• Once the box has been assembled, attach trim using wood glue and nail gun
  • 1″ corner trim on all 4 corners
  • 1/2″ corner trim along the bottom on all 4 sides
  • 2″ trim along the top on all 4 sides
  • 1″ decorative trim above the 1/2″ corner trim on all 4 sides
• Measure and cut 3″ baseboard trim at a 45 degree angle to frame top of planter
• Attach 3″ trim to top of planter box using wood glue and nail gun, lining up the angled sides
• Fill in all holes with wood putty
• Caulk all places where the wood is not flush
• Sand all areas with sanding block
• Apply paint using your choice of applicator
• Move planter to new location, fill with soil and plants

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