Easy DIY Wood and Concrete Planter

I’ve been thinking about how to add some curb appeal (sidewalk appeal?) to my little condo.  When you have limited space to work with, it can be a bit of a challenge, but I thought I could at least add a nice planter on each side of my front door.  I looked at Home Depot, and their planters were all at least $20 or more each (the ones I really liked were about $50 each…yikes!).  I decided I could make something for less, so I came up with this little wood and concrete planter idea.

It was really easy to make, and super cheap also.  The concrete stepping stones were only 99 cents each.  Then I used two 2″ x 2″ x 8′ pieces of wood, and those were under $2 each.  I had the screws and scrap wood on hand to make the bottom inside support (where the plant sits) for the planter, so the only other thing I had to purchase was the concrete adhesive, which was just over $7 for a tube.  So the supplies I purchased to make two planters came to just around $20.  Can’t beat that!

To make it, I used my miter saw to cut the 2″ x 2″ wood into four pieces that were 16 inches long, and four pieces that were 12 inches long.  I also cut a scrap cedar fence board into two pieces 12 inches long (if you use something other than 12″ x 12″ concrete stepping stones, you’ll obviously need to adjust the measurements), and then some scrap lattice into four pieces 11 inches long.  (The lattice isn’t shown in the picture below, but you can see it in the assembly picture.)

Next I screwed the 2″ x 2″ pieces together, with the 16-inch pieces forming the legs, and the 12-inch pieces forming the support between the legs.  I pre-drilled the holes for the screws so that my wood wouldn’t split.  I also used some wood glue before screwing the pieces together.  I just made sure that there were 12 inches from the top of the wood piece to the bottom support so that the 12-inch stepping stone would fit.

Next I sanded and stained the frame and added the 11-inch lattice pieces to the inside of the support pieces.  These will hold the cedar fence board pieces that I cut, which will hold the plant.

When the frame was dry, I used a construction adhesive made specifically for concrete (found at Home Depot)…

And I placed a thick bead of adhesive around the inside edges of the frame and carefully placed the stepping stone in the frame.  I was very careful to avoid getting the adhesive on the front of the stepping stone or on the wood frame.  Once the concrete was in place, I placed the 12-inch cedar pieces inside, resting on the lattice support pieces, and the filled it with my plant.

(I just kept my plant in the plastic pot that it came in and set it inside the planter.  If you actually want to fill this with dirt and plant the plant directly in the planter, you’ll need to line it with landscape cloth first.)

I had a couple of frame pieces that weren’t fitting snug against the concrete pieces, so I used clamps to hold it overnight.

And this morning, I removed the clamps, and the thing was solid as a rock!

I still need to make one more for the other side of the door, and then I need to paint my door and trim.  Since I do all of my sawing out here, and I’m constantly going in and out the door with tools and lumber in hand, my front door is looking a little beaten up and sad.  It’s on my “to do” list.  🙂