The Easy DIY Planter You’ll Love in Your Home

We built an easy DIY planter you’ll love in your home! You can make this modern, indoor planter right now and we’re sharing exactly how!

Disclaimer: This is a DIY decorative indoor planter! If you’re planning to build this planter for real plants or for exterior use, then please remember to use treated lumber or seal your wood really well. Also, include a waterproof liner and use exterior stains and/or paints where necessary!

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How to Get Started on Your DIY Planter

Bernard started our planter build by first ripping down the plywood sheet using our table saw and then using our miter saw to cut the pieces down to the exact measurements needed.

Below, you’ll find all the materials and tools used to complete this easy planter build as well as a suggested cut list for the exact size of the one we built. We do recommend cutting your wood pieces as you go along in the project for better accuracy.

DIY Tip #1 – Always Buy Full Plywood Sheets

Whenever we have a DIY project requiring plywood, we always opt to buy the entire 4 ft. x 8 ft. sheet because it’s much more cost-effective and we typically use the leftovers in future projects.

How to Assemble Your DIY Planter

Bernard chose to assemble this DIY planter by creating butt joints and using wood glue and 1-1/4 in. brad nails. The wood glue is what’s really holding this build together and the brad nails kept all the wood in place while the glue set. This is a very simple approach and a good reason to love this easy DIY planter.

DIY Tip #2 – Clamps are Essential to Woodworking

There is no such thing as too many clamps! Bernard has a pretty good clamp collection in a variety of sizes and while each one serves the same purpose of securing materials in place, some do work differently. For this particular project, Bernard used a 90-degree corner clamp to help hold the plywood pieces in place while he brad nailed them.

Creating an Elevated Planter Base

We built this DIY planter for a 6 ft. faux plant, however, we wanted a bit more overall height. To achieve this look, Bernard actually installed the planter base about 6 in. off the ground. This created the illusion that the faux plant was taller than it really was. A pair of bar clamps were super handy for holding the elevated plywood base in place.

What Your DIY Planter Box Should Look Like

When working with plywood, there’s always the option to use edge banding for a cleaner look. Since we were painting this planter, we chose not to edge band as the plywood edges wouldn’t be very noticeable. Plus we were using corner moulding anyway, so the edge banding really wasn’t necessary.

DIY Tip #3 – An Alternative to Traditional Wood Glue Bottles

If you’re having trouble with traditional wood glue bottles, then we recommend trying a condiment bottle. The glue flows great from these and the tip cover is attached to the bottle so you never have to worry about your glue drying out because you misplaced the tip cover.

Adding Details on This Easy DIY Planter

For added detail and dimension, we included corner moulding and some MDF trim pieces. The corner moulding was secured using wood glue and a few brad nails. The addition of the corner moulding was a great way to hide the plywood edges.

Bernard lightly sanded the top and bottom of the planter box, using 220 grit sandpaper, for a more finished look. We used a total of 8 MDF trim pieces, each spaced about 3 in. apart. We used leftover MDF for this project, but as an alternative, you can use leftover plywood.

Painting and Styling Your DIY Planter

When it comes to finishing your DIY planter, you do have the option of either staining or painting it. We chose to paint ours, using none other than, Sherwin Williams Iron Ore. To add more realism to the planter box, I also included faux moss! The particular one I used is pretty realistic, in my opinion, and worked really well.

DIY Tip #4 – Use Paint Codes to Color Match

We use a lot of paint colors from Sherwin Williams, but we do not actually purchase the paint from their stores. We typically find the paint codes online and have the color matched at any home improvement store. However, be aware that the color could vary. So far we’ve been really pleased with the color matching at The Home Depot. In case you’re wondering, the paint code for SW Iron Ore is 7069.

Completed DIY Planter You’ll Love

This DIY planter was the perfect size for our new faux plant and created the elevated look I was going for! The Iron Ore color contrasts beautifully with the wood details in our dining room! This truly is an easy DIY planter that I love and I hope you do too!

If you’re a fan of our dining room accent wall, then you can find all the project details HERE! For more fun accent walls, be sure to check our Master Bedroom Slat Wall and our Guest Bedroom TV Wall.

We just completed a second DIY planter, but that one was much larger with a different design. You can check out the newer planter on Instagram and we’ll be sure to add a blog post and YouTube video as well! Until next time friends!

Aminah Chung