How to build a tiered plant stand

Difficulty: Beginner

Save space by displaying your potted plants using this easy-to-build tiered plant stand.

The simple design makes it a fantastic project to build over a weekend. It requires minimal tools and woodworking experience.

This project is inspired by the popular garden planter stand by Bunnings Workshop member @JI. Many thanks again for sharing your wonderful project with us.

Steps

Step 1

Take your treated Pine sleepers and cut four lengths of 600mm and two lengths of 400mm using your circular saw. You will use these for the sides of the stand.

If you don’t have a circular saw you might like to take advantage of the timber cutting service at a Bunnings Warehouse.

1.1 Cut four lengths at 600mm.jpg . 1.2 Cut two lengths at 400mm.jpg . 1.3 Side panels cut to size.jpg

Step 2

Position the timber you’ve cut as per the image. Place one 600mm piece on the ground horizontally and the other 600mm and 400mm pieces vertically. Mark four locations per upright on the horizontal piece for the screws to be placed. Clamp your pieces before drilling to ensure they don’t move around.

2.1 Side panels positioned.jpg . 2.2 Base boards marked for drilling.jpg . 2.3 Side panels.png

Step 3

Pre-drill the holes where you marked with the 8mm drill-bit and counter-sink those holes. Screw the timber together using the 75mm bugle head screws.

3.1 Predrilling and countersinking base board.jpg . 3.2 Installing screws through base board into upright.jpg . 3.3 Side panels screwed together.jpg

Step 4

Start dry fitting the slats, spacing them evenly on the side panels. Ensure a gap is left between the boards for water drainage.

4.1 Positioning slats.jpg . 4.2 Dry fitting and establishing gap between slats.jpg

Step 5

Once you have the slats in position, pre-drill the ends with a 5mm drill-bit and counter-sink those holes. Now install the 40mm treated Pine screws, fixing the slats to the sides. Add a finishing slat to the top tier to prevent pots from falling off the top.

5.1 Pre-drillin and countersinking slats.jpg . 5.2 Installing screws through slats into side panels.jpg . 5.3 Slats screwed into side panels.jpg . 5.4 Slats in position.png . 5.5 Screwing top slat into side panels.jpg

Step 6

You can now coat your stand in your choice of exterior stain and varnish to protect it from the elements.

You’ve now completed an extremely functional pot stand that you can use to happily display your favourite plants.

6.1 Coating the stand.png . 6.2 Finished pot stand.jpg . 6.3 Completed Stand with Plants.jpg . 6.4 Complete with Plants.jpg

Materials

2 x 200mm x 50mm treated Pine sleepers
10 x 75mm bugle head screws
100 x 8G x 40mm treated Pine screws
19 x 1.2m Cypress pickets
1L exterior varnish

Tools

Circular saw (if timber is not pre-cut)
Drill driver
5/8mm drill-bit
Counter-sink bit
Clamp
Paintbrush

Images

1.1 Cut four lengths at 600mm.jpg

1.2 Cut two lengths at 400mm.jpg

1.3 Side panels cut to size.jpg

2.1 Side panels positioned.jpg

2.2 Base boards marked for drilling.jpg

2.3 Side panels.png

3.1 Predrilling and countersinking base board.jpg

3.2 Installing screws through base board into upright.jpg

3.3 Side panels screwed together.jpg

4.1 Positioning slats.jpg

4.2 Dry fitting and establishing gap between slats.jpg

5.1 Pre-drillin and countersinking slats.jpg

5.2 Installing screws through slats into side panels.jpg

5.3 Slats screwed into side panels.jpg

5.4 Slats in position.png

5.5 Screwing top slat into side panels.jpg

6.1 Coating the stand.png

6.2 Finished pot stand.jpg

6.3 Completed Stand with Plants.jpg

6.4 Complete with Plants.jpg

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Comments

redracer01

Hello @MitchellMc

Excellent build Mitch! I'm sure these instructions will prove helpfull to our DIY members and will give them confidence when they build their own stands!

Cheers

Red

shorty85

I’m having a go at building this hopefully it turns out good will post pics thanks guys .

Here it is just need to stain it

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @shorty85. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for jumping into the discussion.

I'm very pleased that you've taken inspiration from @JI's popular garden planter stand. Let me know if you get stuck, as I'm more than happy to assist you in completing this project. We'd also love to see your results, so please take some images of your build and share them with us.

I look forward to seeing what you create.

Mitchell

shorty85

All done I added some rope as handles and some feet bring more on love it.

thanks

mich1972

I love it ! @MitchellMc Can it be moved around ? Is it heavy ? 😊

MitchellMc

Great work, @shorty85! That has turned out fantastic, and I'm sure you are very proud of your efforts.

What type of plants are you planning on putting on show?

Many thanks for updating us.

Mitchell

MitchellMc

I haven't had to move mine yet, but if you wanted to move it around often, I'd suggest attaching some castor wheels to it @mich1972.

Mitchell

shorty85

hi @MitchellMc thanks mate I am very proud the boss lady wants more now lol I plan on putting Succulents on it to show of but misses wants to put her little solar light Statues on it

we will see how wins

mich1972

@MitchellMc Thank You 😊

@shorty85i can’t wait to see it full of Succulents !!! 🤣😆

kpoxo6op

Hello from New Zealand! I have just finished building my planter using materials from Bunnings NZ. Here is my experience.

Materials

Pickets I ordered were too wide for the "stairs" even without gaps. I chose to not use pickets on vertical surfaces because that was the only way to have water drainage and fit three pickets horizontally.

KWILA PICKET BLANKS 70X19 1.2M PRE OILED

How-to Steps

8mm drill bit from Step 3 was too big for the screws I ordered. I used 5mm drill bit instead.

Zenith 14G x 50mm Galvanised Type 17 Bugle Head Timber Batten Screw - 25 Pack

My mistakes

A complete noob mistake. I drilled holes too close to picket edges and made some cracks (not visible on my photos).

End Result

MitchellMc

Excellent work, @kpoxo6op and a big welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community! I'm glad to see it all worked out well for you. What type of plants are you planning on using it for?

I can't wait to hear all about the projects and plans you have going on around the home and garden. Please reach out anytime you need assistance or have something to share with the community.

Mitchell

kpoxo6op

hi Mitchell,

I am going to start with spinach as it's the easiest thing to start with. Will post more updates soon!

Jason

Well done @kpoxo6op. Great to see you have been inspired by this project and ended with a fantastic result (and some lessons learned along the way!)

We're looking forward to seeing what you tackle next.

Welcome to the community.

Jason

MichaelL

You mention that we can take advantage of the timber cutting service - I tried this today and was told that Bunnings do not cut sleepers or other H4 timber. This was very disappointing after reading this project.

Jason

Sorry to read of your experience @MichaelL.

Our other resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be back on the site this afternoon and will be happy to assist you.

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're pleased to have you join us and look forward to reading about all your projects and plans.

Jason

EricL

Hello @MichaelL

I'm sorry to hear that you could not get your timber sleepers cut. Allow me to reach out to you through PM so that I can provide further assistance.

Eric

PhoenixClose1

Ok, the bug bit me and I'm starting to build one as well. I'll be starting with only two tiers for now. I will be using old assorted lumber lying around, including timber from an old picket fence. The picket fence timber already has old paint, so I'm considering using paint instead of varnish to hide the differences in lumber material and texture. My tiers will be out in the open under the sun and rain. I plan to paint after it's been assembled. Would it be a mistake to paint over the screws?

JacobZ

Hi @PhoenixClose1

I'm glad to hear you are keen to get stuck into your own plant stand project.

Painting over your plant stand is a great idea, just make sure you use a quality exterior paint such as Dulux Weathershield or Taubmans Sunproof, and you use at least two coats.

There's no harm in painting over the screws. The only thing this could hinder is your ability to get a driver bit into them to remove them. It's not too hard to scrape a bit of paint off a screw head, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions if you need to and remember to upload some photos so our wonderful community can admire your creation.

I'm excited to see how it goes.

Jacob

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