DIY Restoration Hardware Planter Tutorial

I know. I know.  This post should have been published on Friday.  It just never happened.  My fault.  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

And here is the tutorial.

Last week, I showed you my DIY Restoration Hardware Planters.

Today, I am going to show you how to make them!

This specific tutorial is for the 21"W x 21"D x 17" planter.  You can make any size and/or use different thickness and widths of wood.  Adjust to your needs.


For a 21" x 21" x 17" Planter you will need:

2 - 1"x 6" x 10' s
1 - 2" x 8" x 6'
Chop Saw
Kreg Jig
1 1/2" Kreg Jig Screws
Landscape Fabric
Outdoor Stain or Paint


First step is to make your cuts.  Use the chop saw to cut both 1" x 6" x 10' boards into 20" pieces.  You will get 6 per board making twelve 20" pieces when you are done.  Bonus to this....very little waste.

This is the only waste from each board after your cuts.

Now use your Kreg Jig to make pockets for screws.  The pocket screws are not the same on all 12 pieces.  There are three levels so that means three different sets of 4 pieces.  Each level/set of 4 will have the same pocket screws.

For level 1, you need 4 pieces with just pockets on the left side.

Then you need 4 pieces with left side pockets and pockets on the bottom AND 4 pieces with right side pockets and pockets on the bottom.   You have to do the left set and right set to create the staggered layer look.

Screw each set of 4 together, creating 3 squares.   Each plank screws into the adjacent plank.

Now screw the layers together keeping in mind the stagger.  

It is starting to look like a planter!  But it needs a bottom.

Cut the board for the base.  I used 2" x 8"s for this because that is what  I had scraps of and it is strong enough to hold the weight of soil.  You can use a different size if you like.

For my planter, I needed three cuts at 19 1/8".  I used the Kreg Jig again.

Screw in the bases.

Your done with building!  That easy.


Now to paint or stain.  I used fence and deck stain for my planter because it will be getting full sun and deck stain is more durable than paint.  Also, its easier to recoat in several years.  And, I had some extra on hand.  Your options are limitless really.  You can paint or stain or leave as is.  I do recommend a spar clear coat if you are not using an exterior stain.  That will help protect your paint and wood.

***I added wheels next because my baby fruit trees can't handle super cold weather yet.  If we have another bad winter, I need to be able to move them inside easily.


If you are going to leave your plant in another pot and place it in planter, you are done.  If you are like me and you are going to actually have the soil in the planter, you need a liner.

Cut out fabric and staple, nail or screw inside the planter.   This can be purchased at any home store in the garden area.  The fabric has to be cut based on the planter's net for it to fit correctly.  What's a net you ask?  That's a math term people.  A net is a 2D representation of a 3D figure.  The fabric cut out will look like this.

Cut out along the outside lines.

I used my brad gun to put it in place.

You can now add your soil and plants!

I made another size for the front of our house.  It is 21.5"W x 11.5"D x 24"T.  Also, it is made with 2"x4"s so it has a little different look.  I stained it the same as our fence so it will coordinate with our new house colors and fence stain.

Sorry I don't have better pictures of it yet.  Once I get plants in it, I'll update the pictures.

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DIY Restoration Hardware Planter

Y'all.  I am tired.  So tired.  DIYed out.  I have so many projects going on that I can't really focus on one and the thought of starting another project makes me want to run away.  Sadly, I am also really cheap and need planters stat.

For Christmas, I bought Brian an avocado tree and I bought myself an orange tree at a local fruit tree sale.  Have y'all been to one?  Within 30 minutes everything was gone and I thought elderly people were going to start throwing bows.  It was intense.  Anyway, this was in January.  Our little trees are growing fast and are desperately in need of a larger home.

Here is the problem.  Planter pots are expensive.  Crazy expensive.  Even large terra cotta pots cost a lot for the size I need, and they are kind of ugly and not really the shape I want.  Attractive, large planters are usually $100+.  I can't.  I can't spend that much money on something that sits outside all day with dirt in it.  I can't.  Plus I need 5 of them.  $500+ for planters....no thank you.  I'd rather get roundtrip tickets to the Caribbean.

Then I found these beauties.  The Reclaimed French Oak Staccato Planters from Restoration Hardware.

In love.  Clean lines.  Simple but interesting. Square or rectangular shapes available.  LOVE.  Anything from Restoration Hardware is expensive but the price on these planters is crazy.  $420 for a small!  And that's on sale!  I can't.  So I decided to make my own.  Yes, another DIY project.  Luckily, this one is pretty simple.



Here are my planters.  I made them with 1" x 6"s.

The small at Restoration Hardware is 22"W x 22"D x 18"H cost $495 (regular price).

My planter is 21.75"W x 21.75"D x 17.5"T and the materials cost was about $25!

And you can make any size you want.  Use larger or smaller pieces of wood to get a different look.  Make them shorter or taller.  And I promise, it is not that labor intensive or difficult to do.

Here is another size I made for the front of our house.  For this one I used 2" x 4"s.  Here it is before stain.

It is 21.5"W x 11.5"D x 24"T and materials cost was about $20.

I have a few more to make but I am going to wait until I decide exactly where I want those plants.  Where they are on my deck or patio will decide the size of the planter.  My fruit trees will live on the new dock and the planter for the front, goes in between my garage doors.

I have so much more to tell you about these planters.  Details, tons of pictures and a tutorial will be on the blog tomorrow so check back.




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DIY Dock Progress - Part 3

There is light at the end of the tunnel!  I can see it!  We are so close!

This weekend we finished up the framing for the dock AND we started putting down deck boards.  Sunday afternoon we ran out of stainless steel screws so we were forced to stop.  It was nice taking the evening off and resting.  After two weekends of work, and I have been working on it some during the week, we are tired.  Can't wait to relax out on the dock!

This week, the conduit needs to be put in for electricity and our plumbing needs to be ran as well.   Once we decide our exact location for outlets and lights, we will get things ready for the electrician.  To save money, we are digging the hole and running the conduit ourselves.  The electrician will just have to run the wires and install the boxes.

If you missed it, I am on Instagram now.  Be sure to follow me to get more updates and see pictures not posted on Facebook!

Have a great Monday, everyone!  I have a busy, busy week ahead.  Be sure to check out Instagram to see a few dressers I have available for makeovers.