Power Tools Rater: DIY Monogram Planter Tutorial

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Sometimes we see an idea that we love and we know you will too — but we underestimate just how much you all will love it! We saw this beautiful DIY monogram planter over on Instagram and couldn’t wait to share it, and it has gone viral over on Facebook with over 125 THOUSAND shares in just a couple of days. And lucky for us, Michelle and her husband Ryan are here today sharing all the details about how to build your own.

On top of being just stunning with those impatiens in bloom, this monogram planter is a great way to get in some practice with a compound miter saw! (The cuts will vary depending on which letter you choose, of course.) I especially like that this design creates mini planter rows for the soil and plants, so you can replant as often as you want, unlike some of the monogram planters that I’ve seen that use chicken wire to hold the plants in, making it more like a one-time planting experience. It looks great with flowers, but wouldn’t this be a fun herb garden, too?

Enough of me gushing… here is Michelle with all the details for you to build your own!

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DIY Outdoor Monogram Planter
by Michelle from Ellery Designs

Hi there! Michelle here with Ellery Designs and I’m so excited to be guest posting our DIY Monogram Planter with the Remodelaholic readers! This had such a positive response on social media and I’m so excited to share the details with you today. The letter we made is really large – 4 ft x 4.5 ft x 5 inches deep to be exact. My hubby came up with this idea and executed it all! I just planted it The options are endless – I can’t wait to decorate it differently for each season and holiday! Fake blooms would look great here too if you don’t want to worry about watering.

Materials

Cedar (purchased at Menards)
- 1×12 cedar for the back of the letter
- 1×4 cedar for the sides
- 1×3 cedar for the front
- 1×6 cedar for the planter slats
18 gauge 1 3/4 brad nails (and nail gun)
Gorilla Wood Glue (used on all of the joints with the brads)
Compound Miter Saw
Kreg-Jig
Miracle Gro Potting Mix
Flowers (We used impatiens since this is a shaded area.)

Obviously the materials will vary depending on how large you construct your initial and what letter you will be building. Like I mentioned earlier, our K is really large so it wasn’t a cheap project. The material for the cedar cost approx $150 and the plant material and soil was roughly $40 but had many left over flowers.

Step by Step Tutorial

First, Ryan built the base/backside of the K – no, he didn’t trace anything just kind of created it as he went. Some letters will obviously be more time consuming than others.

He made the base of the K using 1×12’s and used his kreg jig to piece this together.

Next, he used the 1×4 pieces of cedar to complete the sides. Yes, it’s a lot of cuts and patience. He used his compound miter saw to make all of the cuts. Each piece is secured with brad nails and Gorilla Wood Glue.

After the sides are complete, next are 1×3’s for the front pieces, the letter “frame”. Again, a lot more cuts!

Next, he completed the inside planter slats using 1×6 cedar, mitered along the back edges and using brad nails to secure in place at a 45 degree angle. Once the slats were complete, he drilled small holes on the bottom of each one to allow for water to drain properly. The slats are about 7 inches apart.

Lastly, he hung it up by screwing it directly into the siding using extra long screws.

Next it was time to plant this baby! Since this is a fully shaded area, my options were limited as to which flowers would work in shade only, so went with colorful impatiens. One thing I learned is do not over pack with dirt – less is more. The first time you water them it will be a bit messy with excess dirt pouring out but not a big deal! We only water these about every three days or so since these flowers are very easy to keep alive and low maintenance. Again, since this is made of cedar and our siding is vinyl we don’t need to worry about any water damage.

And that’s it!! I know, it’s a bit complicated if you’re not comfortable using saws and intricate cuts but I’m beyond happy with how this turned out! The best part – it was 100% a unique idea! Kudos to my handy hubby! Like I said, your options are endless!

We hope you love it as much as we do! If you give it a try, be sure to share and tag me @ellerydesigns on Instagram so I can see!

Michelle, thank you so much for sharing you beautiful planter!! Remodelaholics, be sure to pay Michelle a visit over at Ellery Designs to see more: