Rustic Wall Planter for $25

I wanted to create a simple and rustic looking wall-mounted garden for my farm home and was inspired by some of the cool pallet-looking vertical gardens I found online. However, I was shocked to see how much these planters cost in a typical retail setting.

After considering the scope of the project, I determined this was something I could make in a single afternoon, using only a single board of lumber, and for only around $25! Through this Instructable, I will be sharing the plans, materials, and design I used to do it. Happy Making!

To create this planter, I used the following supplies:

• A single 1" x 6" x 8' pine board
• Four 4" metal buckets
• Stain (color of choice, I used old english), or paint and brushes / rags
• Sealer (if stained....I used satin polyurethane) & brushes / rags
• Wood Glue
• 1.5" brad Nails
• Drywall Screws & Anchors
• 3D Printer Filament (optional)
• Plants & Soil of choice

I also used the following tools:

• Tape Measure
• Table Saw
• Miter Saw
• Electric Palm Sander / Sand Paper
• 18 ga Brad Nailer
• Drill Press / Handheld Drill
• 3D Printer (optional)

The first step is to cut all the pieces needed using a table saw and miter saw. Before beginning, ensure you have your cuts planned out, and that all machines are setup properly in a safe work environment that includes dust collection and safety glasses for you!

I started by "ripping" the 8 foot long board into three pieces that were 2.375", 2.375" and ~0.75" wide. The 1" is an approximation as 1x6 boards are actually closer to 5.5" wide, and after ripping the board some of material was removed due to the width of the saw blade.

Next, I cut the 0.75" x 8' piece in half using a miter saw. These two pieces will act as the main frame that holds all the slats together, and also gets fixed to the wall.

Lastly, I cut the slat pieces to length using a miter saw. The length you cut your pieces depends on how many you want, the gaps between them, and the amount of material you have. As I was working with a single board, I had two 2.375" x 8' pieces to work with for the slats. I also knew I wanted the planter to be 48" tall and around 20" wide. With these dimensions, I was able to cut 10 slats each about 19.25" long.

Once all the pieces were cut, I moved into prepping them for assembly. Using a drill press and countersinking drill bit, I drilled pilot holes at both ends of the two 0.75" pieces. This could have also been done with a handheld drill, and the countersinking is more of a style preference than anything else. These holes will later be used to fix the planter to the wall, and plugs could be created and installed as well using a plug cutting bit. I like the slightly more industrial look of exposed screws, so I left them unplugged.

Next, it was time for sanding. Using an electric palm sander and 120 grit sand paper, I sanded each slat and the rails on all six sides of every piece. I wanted this planter to have a rougher look so I did go nuts with higher grit paper or rounded edges, but sanding is still an important step to remove pencil lines, manufacturing marks, and to prepare the wood to be stained.

To assemble, I decided to keep things simple and using wood glue and brad nails to fix the slats to the rails. I considered nailing or screwing the slats from the back to hide any joints, I wanted the more industrial look of exposed nails.

Using two pieces of scrap wood as spacers, I put a dab of glue on the rails prior to laying down the slats. I used a third piece of scrap wood to ensure all the slats were lined up and square with one another, as well as evenly centered. I also nailed the slat pieces to the rail pieces using a triangular nailing pattern for both consistent aesthetics, but also strength to prevent wobble or skewing of the pieces. To assemble, I followed and repeated these steps:

1. Place spacer pieces between rail pieces on table
2. Apply a 1.5" line of wood glue to both rail pieces below the spacers
3. Lay in slat piece over glue and against spacers
4. Align slat piece with edge piece of scrap wood, squared to all slats before it
5. Fix using three nails on each side of the slat into the rail
6. Repeat until all slats are installed

There is no need to over glue, a solid connection will be made between the rails and slats using the brad nails, then the glue will create a solid bond. Too much glue will just ooze out, making staining the wood a mess. Once assembled, flip the planter over and wipe up any excess glue using a damp paper towel.

Once assembled it was time to stain and finish. The details of these step can vary based on personal preference and desired look, but I did the following:

Using the honey color of Varathane interior wood stain (Home Depot's brand) and a rag, I applied an even coat of stain to all sides of the planter, including the back. Even though it's not visible, evenly staining and finishing wood is important to seal it properly. Overall, I have been less than impressed with the Varathane product line and prefer Minwax products, but the interior color stain seems to work ok. No need to over do it, putting too much stain on will just leave uneven marks across your project. Apply as many light even coats as you would like until you are satisfied with the color.

I haven't had good results using the Varathane polyurethane + stain combo, even when using a pre-stain conditioner, so I used Minwax Satin Polyurethane to seal my planter after the stain had dried (about 12 hours). Using a stain brush, I applied two even coats of poly to the project on the front and back. This type of project is going to be drip city, so make sure you consistently flip the project over to ensure no drips are forming! You may want to consider using a wipe-on poly instead so it can be applied with a rag rather than a brush which may make getting in corners and avoiding drips easier. Also, two coats of poly will not give you an overly smooth or shiny finish. To create a more durable and smoother finish, I reccomend you sand lightly using fine scrubbing pads between coats of poly, then apply a finishing wax using steel wool. As I wanted this to have a duller and more rustic look, I kept the rougher poly finish.

To install, it is first important to choose a wall that gets plenty of light for your plants to thrive. Once the location is found, use a stud finder to search for studs in your wall. Ideally, something this large (planters & water included) would be at least partially fixed to studs. I lined the left side of my planter up with a stud so two of the four mounting holes went into studs using 3" drywall screws.

For the other side and remaining two holes, I used my favorite twist and lock drywall anchors to attach the planter to the wall. These come with silver screw, but I instead used black drywall screws to fix to the anchors so both sides would match. As mentioned earlier, I did not plug the mounting holes after install, but instead left them open for a more industrial look.

Tiny metal pales / buckets / planters or whatever you want to call them are super cheap, but they become insanely expensive once you attach a hook to them so they can hang. Instead of spending $8-$10 per galvanized planter, I decided to make my own using four of these $3 pales.

I considered using some strips of scrap metal to bend a hook, then spot weld or bolt the metal hook to the pales to creating the hanging planters I wanted. I also considered fixing hooks to the wall hanger, then hanging the pales using their handles. I also wondered if they even needed to be removable and considered screwing them right to the planter, but thought that would kind of defeat the purpose.

So instead, I designed some super simple and super strong hangers using the Onshape CAD program, then 3D printed them using PLA filament on my LulzBot TAZ SideKick 747 3D printer. You can find the STL for these hooks below.

Once printed, I used a metallic spray paint to give them a more professional appearance that blended in with the pales. I then attached the hooks to each pale by first I drilling 1/8" pilot holes straight through the hook to ensure proper alignment, then fixing everything together using M3 nuts and screws.

Side note, I am a huge fan of both the Onshape CAD program and LulzBot 3D printers! If you'd like to learn more about Onshape, check out this instructable I put together a while back, as well as these guiding tutorial videos I made. Additionally, I go over some of the features and benefits to LulzBot printers in this instructable about FDM 3D Printers.

Once all assembly has been completed, the last step is to add your favorite plants and enjoy! All in all, I am super pleased with how this project came out and even more pleased with its simplicity and affordability. This adds a lovely feature to our dining room, and I am considering making a taller and skinnier one for our kitchen. If so, I'd follow the same steps and just modify the lengths and widths of the rail and slate pieces to fit the new space.

I hope you've enjoyed reading, and also that the guides, tips, and designs shared assist you in your own projects! This simple instructable was also inspired by the 2022 one board contest which you can check out here. Thanks for reading, and happy making!