Cedar Window Planter Box Plans – Cedar shutters and window boxes are one of the quickest ways to add charm to a home. In a recent renovation, this house was in need of character and I chose to use cedar for the contrast provided by the gray exterior.
A word to the wise-if you’re going to go to the trouble of creating these by hand from cedar, then make sure you seal them well to ensure the color stays and they never rot! Otherwise they will turn silver-gray over time, which looks good, but not if you mean to stay with the cedar tone. Cedar is naturally weather resistant, so it is not necessary to protect it, but doing so ensures a longer life. I used Thompsons waterseal for the clear because I didn’t want the color to be darker. You can pick it up at any big box store or here on Amazon.
Cedar Window Planter Box Plans
I looked for several ideas before deciding on the design I wanted, made measurements and put them together. I’m afraid to take pictures as I go, which is one of my New Year’s Resolutions—to be able to help someone else not make the same mistake I did, by showing everyone how I got it wrong before I got it so many times. right!
Cedar Planter Boxes
I started with just shutters and I thought they were pretty cool, but they didn’t quite cut it, so I decided to add some window boxes.
I loved the charm of the DIY cedar shutters and added window boxes. Now the house looks attractive and warm.
The shutters took me days from getting the wood, cutting it to size, putting the shutters together, and finally assembling them to the house. The window boxes took about the same amount of time, but my lovely husband had to help me put them on because we had to put clips on the house studs to make sure they didn’t come down the front of the house inside. in the forest!
Miracle-Gro every Sunday and no one could believe that I hadn’t turned off the plants!!! I put it below:
Diy Cedar Planter Boxes
TIP: I have a lot of weight in the flower boxes but I like the visual effect of how they are inside, so I use whatever non-perishable filler I have under the boxes to lift the plants up without filling them completely. of dirt. In these particular ones, I had enough plant pots from the nursery that I could turn upside down and then fill the top with dirt to make it work perfectly. You can use soda cans or plastic bottles cut in half, anything that will hold its shape and not deteriorate over time.
I hope this inspires you to tackle a lovely update on your own or at least gives you hope for Spring!
*This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. Window planters are an inexpensive way to add color and character to your home. For today’s tutorial, I’m going to show you how I made a pair of 80-inch cedar window sills that I glued to my brick house, then stained to match the stained posts on my front porch.
Working out of my home has been an ongoing process. Right after we moved into our house, I painted the door and shutters. Then, last summer, I created my dream design plans for a complete upgrade. It didn’t take me long to update the fasteners with the new Craftsman style and number marker. Major progress was made a few weeks ago when I gave my front porch a makeover with painted brick, new pillars, and faux brick tile on a concrete slab (tile details at the bottom of the post).
Building Cedar Trimmed Window Boxes For Your Home
6- 1×8 cedar planks @ 8′ (OR 4 – 1×8 @ 8′ cedar planks with trim 5- 1 1/2″ wide @ 8′ or outdoor pine studs)
2 3/4″ (or thereabouts) long concrete anchor screws (if your house is brick like mine otherwise you can use wood screws)
8- 1×2 trim pieces @ 4 3/4″ (cut slightly larger than 4 3/4″ and trim to fit)
If you are attaching your slats (2x4s) to the bricks, drill holes in the mortar between the bricks under your window. You will want to attach 2 cleats to either end of your window. For extra strength, add an extra cleat in the middle. Measure and mark to see where the corresponding holes should go in the cleats, pre-drill the holes, then attach the cleats to the bricks using concrete anchor screws.
Build A Custom Two Tiered Flower Planter
Place a flat 1×6 on the bottom. Place one of the 1x8s next to the 1×6, sitting upright. Drill holes along the bottom, long side of the 1×8 and attach with wood glue and 7- 2″ long exterior wood screws. Attach the sides of the planter by placing them over the 1×6 on both ends and inside the edge of the 1×8. Pre-drill holes, glue and hold to one side and bottom with 2″ outside screws.
(in the picture above I rotated the mount after the first 2 screws on both ends were in place, so it would be easier to drive in the remaining screws.)
With someone holding the planter in place, drive 3″ long wood screws from the back of the planter into the slots, driven in at an angle (downward). I recommend 3 screws on each side of each riser. Attach the face of the planter (another 1×8) using wood glue and 2″ wood screws (drill holes before attaching) to the bottom and each side.
Attach the 1×2 trim to the top and bottom of the surface using wood glue and 1 1/4″ nails. Place 4 1/2″ long pieces of trim between the top and bottom at both ends, and directly into the center of the planter box. Attach using wood glue and nails. Attach the trim at both ends of the planter box (covering the side seams) with 7 1/2″ long pieces on the front and back, and 4 3/4″ long pieces on the top and bottom.
Easily Removable Cedar Window Flower Boxes
Using a 1/2″ drill bit, drill 2 holes every 6 inches in the bottom of the planter box for plant drainage.
Fill the nail holes with wood filler. Let dry and sand the whole thing smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. Apply a waterproof stain and sealer combo (2 coats) with a brush. Let the planter box dry completely for 34 hours before filling with plants.
Don’t forget to put a thin layer of pebbles or stones under the cuttings for better drainage (it prevents dirt from clogging the drainage holes).
Now all I have to do is redo the plant bed in front of the porch! The planting season is pretty much over, so I can tackle that in the spring!
How To Make A Window Box That Is Rot Resistant (diy)
If you thought this tutorial was helpful, I’d love it if you pinned it or shared it with others!Cedar window boxes are a must have for this project. When I told Mike how sure I was that I needed them NOW (at 3:00 on a Saturday), he responded with a comment I didn’t really like. “That’s a long time away.” Trial and error had proven that asking without hesitation did nothing for me, so I said in my warmest voice, “I’ll make them myself.” Mike said, “that sounds like a good idea.” His tone of voice made it clear that the only good thing about my idea was that it consisted of me, me and me. In fact.
A few hours later when our friends arrived for Memorial Day camping, I continued to frantically insist on completing my cedar boxes. While Mike drank a few beers, he patiently helped me measure, saw and nail together two boxes. Our camp company watched his patience and my budding construction skills mish mash into the creation of these boxes and muttered “fight, fight, fight.” They don’t know that we are veterans at this now. Me having an idea, not knowing how to do it, starting it anyway, and Mike jumping in to help me solve the problem is old news. World War III has come and gone here.
All this took was 4 cedar fence boards. I measured them to fit the windows, and used a nail gun to put them together. About eight bucks total, plus about $2 for the screws. Triangles made from scrap wood we had, and always have extra nails.
The part that took the most time was figuring out how to secure the boxes against the windows. Below you can see the triangular structure like things (sorry, you get my best construction skills here) that Mike made from a piece of 1.5″ by 1.5″ cedar. We designed them in such a way that the boxes will not come out of the house, helping our cedar shingles to last forever.
Cedar Window Planter Box
First we cut a piece to the side of the house, and a notch in it