Repurposed Planter from used furniture

Have you ever thought about making an outdoor planter out of an old piece of furniture? It’s one of my favorite ways to uniquely display my flowers! I’m going to give you all the details on how to choose, prep, and what to expect from a repurposed furniture planter.

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Material list:

These 3 drawer sewing tables are one of my favorite items to redo and they usually sell pretty fast for me. So I was super excited when I had the opportunity to purchase this one. The leg was a bit wobbly but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t fix! I began with my usual prep for this piece using my White Lightening cleaner. If you’ve never prepped furniture before you can learn how to here.

First, I didn’t intend on making this piece a planter. That’s just the direction it took. So it’s important to say that I prepped this piece by cleaning it with white lightening, rinsing, and giving it a light scuff sand just like I would if it was going in inside a home. Paint won’t stick to dirt and oil so even if it’s going outside, it still needs to be prepped properly.

I taught a couple blending techniques on this piece live on my facebook page. You may have watched! It was actually turning out pretty good. But I got frustrated with it. The more I worked with it the more flaws I saw. It had some warping on the top, the top doors didn’t sit straight, it wobbled, and the bottom drawer kept sticking. So a planter it became!

To turn it into a planter I ripped the top flop top doors off. I wasn’t gentle because it really doesn’t matter for an outdoor piece. Then I drilled holes in the bottom of the 2 sides and all the drawers.

I had done a little bit of silk screen stenciling on the sides that didn’t turn out. I was originally using a silicone spreader to apply them but recently figured out that an old blue Gator Hide Sponge works much easier. So I picked a bright yellow color called Daisy to go over the body of the piece. I left the drawers as they were. Then I painted the drawer sides in Peony for a nice bright contrast.

After the paint was dry I applied the Mandala silk screen with cotton paint to each side. I used my blue gator hide sponge. Then I used the Botanical silk screen stencil on the drawers sides. When using the silk screens its important to have a bowl of water close by. As soon as I pull them off I place them in the water. This helps the paint from drying in the screens and clogging them up.

Once everything was dry I sprayed 3 coats of Gator Hide on this piece with the drawers hanging out so I could get the sides.

This is the 3rd year I’ve had painted furniture on my patio. Here are some tips and expectations that may help you!

Don’t expect it to last for more than one year (Depending on location). Usually the paint will outlast the actual furniture piece. Remember the glue and such on a piece of indoor furniture isn’t made to last outside.
Take the hardware off! Hardware=Rust unless you live somewhere where the humidity is super low. But still, you’ll be watering it so keep the hardware off.
Drill holes! Drainage is important.
If you want it to last longer, set it under an awning or a covered porch.
You may see here that I put transfers on the front drawer. Transfers are NOT made for outdoor use and will fade fast. So if you do use them, don’t expect their vibrancy to last more than a month or so. Even if you topcoat them. I still think they are worth it for this amount of time, especially since they are leftovers.
When planting, use empty water bottles to fill space so you don’t have to use as much dirt.

I was headed to put this by my front door, but I ended up setting it right in the corner by my garage! I just love it and it makes me smile every time I drive up. Do you have an outdoor furniture planter? I would love to see it! You can connect with my on Facebook, Instagram, or you can always email me at leah@leahnoelldesignco.com.