Easy Modern DIY Outdoor Planters, Ikea Hack Included.

Guys.  Pleasantly there’s been a spate of extensive productivity here as of late, it’s been so great.  So great.  And as I mentioned last time, Hometalk was seeking DIY outdoor planter ideas so I popped off a couple more which Imma gonna share with you today.  Yay! 

This year I skipped annuals for the planters which was quite sad but, so it was.

Sooo, after the tree got unexpectedly murdered out front out front, the parkway, thanks to Pete the Sweeper who admitted he called the city for a trim who knows why other than he hates trees and/or me....where was I going? 

Oh the parkway.  It’s an eyesore so last fall I stocked up on lil’ boxes a' wildflower seed from Menards thinking a lush coating of seeds would result in a lush coating of bee and butterfly nirvana.  I also sprinkled some in our planters.

None of it really panned out.  There are a few flowers in the parkway but for the most part, it looks an overgrown, weedy, run down mess.  Reevaluating the parkway.  Yet again.

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Anyway, planters.  Hopefully next year will be a bounty of flowers around the entire yard.

This first planter takes all of maybe five minutes to assemble and it can be totally customized with paint or whatever, however.

Swing by the plumbing aisle...which, tangent, taking a sec to see things outside their intended purpose will spark the ol' creativity, by the way.  That was my existence as a prop person for theater.  Low budgets = rethink everyday items.

Right, so, over at your favorite home improvement store pick up some PVC couplings.*  What they do in real life, Iiiii dunno but they make cool, sleek, easy, modern little planters is what I do know.

By the way, if yours come with UPC crap printed right on there, it comes off with acetone.

I picked up three and four inch sizes, funnel looking parts and then the round part that looks like an oversized bracelet or ditalini pasta.  My apologies to any plumbers reading this who are cringing.

Extra screen material is on permanent standby in this household thanks to a certain large crazy furry thing that constantly paws at or otherwise rips it.  Just cut a rectangle of screen* or any other similar material.

Just regular ol' replacement mesh screen stuff.

I folded it in half then with superglue,* tacked it and my fingers down covering the hole of the funnel part. It was tricky.  And sticky.

Somehow I got my fingers outta there, I dunno how.  Sticky.

All ya gotta do is plop the funnel piece into the round piece and tada, for about fifteen bucks, two nifty little planters.

Super cool right?!  Sitting on the modular patio coffee table, so cute!

My intention was to paint them up in some fashion but enjoyed the white so much, I refrained.

So fast, so cheap, so easy, and yet looks like a pricey modern planter!

Cute, yeah?  Make a bunch!

So next, next is a wood lath barrel planter Ikea hack with a modern flair.

Did I mention I was working on the back stair area again?  I did, vague-book style.  And I ended up buying yet more wood lath, hithertofore, I was bequeathed with a ton of leftovers.  Heh.

Since, as I said, no annuals, these little Ikea stands have been tripping hazards on the front porch so I went for a jazzy update.  Can't remember their name and they're not on the website, I'm sorry.  But have no fear, you can fashion up some creative legs/feeties without these stands for sure.

Dig up some scrap plywood and trace the circle top onto it, making sure the pencil stays straight up and down so the cut circle matches the diameter exactly.  Here, see this slideshow:

❮ ❯

Just trace around the stand if you're using one, screw the pieces together for ease of cutting two in one, cut 'em out, then drill out some big holes which I did randomly with whatever bit I grabbed first, turns out a Forstner* but you can use a paddle,* no problem.

Righty-o!  Ok!  Next I sealed up this plywood, which we all know is not outdoor-friendly, with spar urethane*.  Holes, top, bottom, sides, sealed up.

Seal 'er up!

Bet you're wondering how I'm attaching this barrel to the stand, yah?  I'm not.  Here's what I did...

After deciding to make the wood lath slats eighteen inches long and setting up a block stop for my miter saw so the slats would all be exactly the same length...

...I cut some 2x2 to seven inches.  Screwed the 2x2 to the top and bottom, making a spool.  This, for one, sets my top-down depth for the plant pots, so plan accordingly for your pots.

Do not forget to take out anything you put in there as a weight.  hahaha

Next I raised my cutie lil' spool up three inches and rested it on some scrap wood.  Make sure everything is level from here on out.  Trust me.  ....Trust me.

Level.  Level and even.  Level and even and straight.  Check check check.

Then just start tacking the wood lath pieces on.  Me, I used one inch brad nails and my spiffy 18 gauge nailer.*  But seriously, keep checking level or you're gonna have to rip all your wood lath slats off and start over.  Trust me, ahem, I know, two 'tree times too well.

Right, so now you're seeing why the spool is raised up three inches?  The bottom sleeves over the top of the Ikea stand, hugging it, holding them together.  Then the weight of the plant holds it down.  Symbiosis, everything working together and nothing's permanent!

Ahhh, sneaky, huh?!  Ha, I mathed something right!

Finie!  Tres bien!  I don't even speak French.

If you're like me and a little kittywampus, you'll need to custom trim your last piece because I was not level, square, and true despite my best efforts.  Saved by the band saw.

Slapped on a coating of gray solid stain leftover from the back door awing, didn't like it, slapped on some solid color stain in black over it.  

And voila!

Wood lath barrel planter Ikea hack!

 

Built two!  Sweet!  Matchy matchy!

Sure, I know, wood lath is not outdoor wood.  These will mostly stay out of the weather and too, I'll bring them in for winter.

Neat, yeah?

Great way to use up scrap I had laying around!

By the way, I was nominated for the Amara Interior Blog Awards again this year (thank you whoever did so) -- it's even easier to vote this year, literally just one click and you're done.  Since it's one person one vote, I'd be so grateful if you asked your friends, neighbors, that guy over there, your dog, everyone to vote!  Thank you!

*The PVC couplings, window screen mesh, superglue, Forstner and paddle drill bit sets, spar urethane, and Bostitch compressors are Amazon affiliate links.  Mwah, thanks!  Please see the "boring stuff" tab for more info.