This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.
Hey All!
As you all know, we moved last September and we’re still settling into our home. We haven’t even had a chance to do something with our fabulous balcony since we’ve moved in. I know it’s shameful. We’ve been so busy with work, school, and family life that we just haven’t had a chance to get to it. Now that I’ve got some free time, it’s time to tackle getting our balcony ready for summer! I’ve wanted to make my own little balcony zen area which would have a seating area and a little garden area with some planters. Who needs to buy a planter when you can make one?! That’s what I did and you can too!
Here are the steps and what you’ll need to make this Easy DIY Project: Build a Paver Planter.
Tools:
- A circular saw
- A power drill and bits
- A caulking gun
- Utility knife
- Sand paper or Sand Paper block
- Two paintbrushes
- 2 Bungee Cords
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Gloves
- Safety goggles
Materials:
- Four 12×12 pavers, any color
- Two 8 foot 2x2s
- A bag of moisture control soil
- A small roll of landscape fabric
- A box of 3˝ exterior deck screws
- Stain (I used a color called GOLDEN PECAN since I love gold!)
- Polyurethane
- Newspaper or Plastic Drop Cloth (Which I prefer and it’s found in the painters section at The Home Depot)
- Construction Adhesive
- Wood Glue
All these materials and tools can be found at The Home Depot. You can also learn to make this at The Home Depot by attending one of the Do-It-Herself Workshops that are held monthly at all The Home Depot store locations. They empower women with the skills and knowledge to take their home improvement project plans from dreams to done. ) The Home Depot can share the skills and confidence to be a first class do-it-yourselfer. In-store workshops are a great way to get step-by-step instructions and hands-on experience learning to do simple décor and easy home improvements.
If you want to have a girls day out and learn to make this fabulous planter, register online today to attend this month’s workshop. That’s just another option to consider if you want to have some supervision while you make this planter.
If you’re ok with making it at home, here is how you make it!
First you start by cutting the 2x2s into four pieces of 16˝ and eight pieces of 12˝ with your circle saw. If you don’t have a circle saw, you can ask them to cut them for you at The Home Depot.
Then you grab a sheet of sandpaper or your sandpaper block and begin sanding your pieces of wood. Make sure you get all sides!
Apply your stain and polyurethane finish to the wood and let it dry. I chose to use a golden pecan wood stain since I love the color gold and a lot of our furniture is gold. I thought the wood having a golden pecan stain would match our home perfectly.
You then pre-drill and countersink the 2×2 pieces together, with the 16˝ pieces forming the legs, and the 12˝ pieces forming the support between the legs.
Apply some wood glue, and then screw in the 12˝ support pieces in 12˝ down the legs, allowing for the pavers to be flush around the entire top. Next, grab your remaining four 12 inch 2x2s, pre-drill, apply some wood glue, and space them evenly across the bottom and screw them into the frame.
After that is done, you then lace a thick bead of adhesive along the inside edges of the frame.
Gently place each paver into place and avoid getting the adhesive on the front of the pavers or on the outer wood frame. If you do get some on, wipe it off immediately before it dries. Finally, take your bungee cords and wrap them around the planter while the adhesive is drying. Let the adhesive set overnight to get a strong bond.
After your planter is completely dry in the morning, remove the bungees and line the planter with landscape fabric and then add the planting soil.
Arrange the plants or flowers however you desire. That’s it, you’re done!
We chose Smart Plants, which we found at The Home Depot for our planter. These plants are called Smart Plants because they don’t need to be watered often. Woot! With a drought in California, we need Smart Plants!
I love how our Paver Planter came out. It wasn’t really difficult to make and it wasn’t really expensive to make. It’s not perfect but no DIY should be absolutely perfect, right? It’s all about having fun and making something you enjoy.
It’s the perfect start for my balcony Zen space garden.
Again everything used to make this was bought at The Home Depot. They really are a one stop shop for home DIY’s. And if you want to up your DIY skills, The Home Depot wants everyone to have the skills and confidence to be a first class do-it-yourselfer. In-store workshops are a great way to get step-by-step instructions and hands on experience learning to do simple décor and easy home improvements.
Clear your calendar and grab your girlfriends the third Thursday of each month for The Home Depot’s #DIHWorkshop. These interactive, hands-on workshops are a great opportunity to fine tune your DIY skills and pick up tips and advice from the pros for all of your home improvement projects. For more info visit The Home Depot Do-It-Herself Workshops site!
If you’re in the Los Angeles area, I hope to see you at these fun workshops. I hope you enjoy making this DIY Paver Planter as much as we did!
Stay tuned for more fun DIY projects coming your way from The Home Depot!
Comments
Vanessa I LOVE the red pavers! They look great! Here’s my version – I made mine a little stubbier:
modpodgerocksblog.com/2015/04/how-to-build-a-paver-planter.html
Hi Amy! Thanks for sharing! Yours came out great too!