Mother's Day Planter Box

For this Engineering School Project, I wanted to make something that I could give my mom for Mother's Day. I decided to make this Planter Box, because my mom has recently been purchasing different plants for our house. So I thought making this would be perfect.

I got most of the supplies from Home Depot for really cheap. This was my first time building a planter box so, it took me about 6 hours to complete. I will definitely build this again in the future for gifts.

MATERIALS:

- 2 5x4 inch Walnut Wood

- 2 6x30 inch Birch Wood

-1 4x30 inch Birch Wood

-Gorilla Glue

-Sand Paper

-Finishing Nails 1-1/2in

-Varathane Weathered Wood; https://www.homedepot.com

-Polyurethane Clear Coat; https://www.amazon.com

-Garden Soil

-Plastic Trash Bag

-6-Pack of Flowers

TOOLS USED:

-Drill

I got most of the materials from Home Depot, like the wood, glue, nails, soil, and flowers. I already had the sandpaper, polyurethane, and weathering wood paint at my house. I do not have a table saw at home, so one of the workers at Home Depot cut the wood for me. I bought multiple containers of the supplies, so that I can do more planters in the future. We then drove home and set everything up in my garage.

I sanded the edges of the wood to smooth them out and to prevent me from getting splinters. It also makes it easier to spread the weathering paint and polyurethane.

I drilled 5 holes in the bottom plank of wood, so that some of the water can drain out. I spaced the holes equally on the plank, so it can drain in all places. I also used a clamp to hold the wood steady when I drilled the holes.

I then started to glue the front and back planks (6x30 inch) to the bottom plank. I put pressure on both sides and waited a couple of minutes until I started gluing the side planks (5x4 inch) to the other planks. I then glued the inside edges and corners for extra help. This also prevents water from draining in those areas. I didn't have any clamps that would reach both sides, so I just used tape to help squeeze the planks together.

30 minutes later the glue was dry, so I started removing the tape from the wood. I then started nailing the nails into the wood for extra support. The nails are very small, so it was hard to see them from far away. That being said, I nailed multiple nails on each side and the bottom of the planter just to be safe.

Next, I applied the weathering paint to all sides of the planter, except the bottom. I used this paint before on another wood project and I loved how it turned out. The paint makes the wood darker, which caused the flowers colors to "pop". I also applied the paint on the very top of the inside planks, because the soil will be blocking the inside anyways. I set it out to dry for 1 hour and 30 minutes and then applied the second coat to make the wood even darker.

I added the plastic layer to protect the wood from rotting, which also helps the planter to last longer. I just cut a plastic bag to fit the size of the inside walls. Next, I used the same glue to keep the plastic from moving. Then I cut holes through the plastic in the same areas that I drilled the holes through the wood, so that the water can still drain.

I evenly added the soil to the inside of the planter. I filled the planter full of soil top about 2 inches from the top.

I then dug small holes in the soil and evenly spread out the flowers, so they do not have to fight for water. Once I planted all the flowers, I filled the planter with about another inch of soil so that the plant's roots are completely covered. I then gave the plants some water so that they would stay hydrated overnight.

The last step is to apply the polyurethane to all sides of the planter. This will protect the outside wood from water and the sun. After 24 hours, I applied the second coat like it said in the instructions. After it's done drying, the project is complete!