Succulent Planter From Pallet

This is a project my mom has wanted me to build ever since she and my sisters found their succulent obsession. Since she likes rustic things we decided to build it out of an old pallet. This made things a little more difficult, because some of the boards were quite warped. However, it worked out fairly well in the end.

To start this project, you'll need:

An old pallet, preferably one with wide (5.5") boards on the top and bottom

Black plastic or Flex seal

Hot glue or Silicone

A sawzall

A sander

A Miter Saw

A brad nailer

A planer (optional)

Wood glue

Clamps

A tape measure

First you'll need to get the boards off the pallet. I used a sawzall to cut the nails, but you could try to pull the nails out (you'll risk splitting the wood though). Plus, she liked the nail heads to go with the rustic look. Once you have about 5 boards, you'll need to sand them down. I started with 50 grit, then stepped it up to 120. Now, you'll need to leave 3 boards the same length, and then the other 2 will be for cutting up. Make sure the 3 whole boards are all the same length and width because these will become the sides and bottom. In my case, I had to plane the edge down on one of the sides, because it was wider than the other. All this depends on the condition of your pallet. I can't give accurate measurements for the ends and the top, because it depends on the size of the pallet boards. The boxes on both ends you just have to play by ear, so to speak.

Okay, now to assemble it. Lay the board you want to use for the the bottom on a flat surface. Run a bead of wood glue along one side of it, and clamp one of the sides as shown. Now, shoot a few brad nails into the joint making sure they go all the way into the bottom board (they will tend to shoot out the top or bottom of the board). Next, do the same for the other side. Cut a piece off one of your remaining boards, cutting it as long as the bottom board is wide (usually about 5 1/2") and put it in as shown in picture 5. This is the top of one of the little boxes on the ends. (If you don't build the boxes, this project will be a lot easier) do the same on the other side, and nail them both in. For the ends, cut a piece that is as long as your box is wide. Attach as shown in picture 6. Do the same on the other end. To complete the box, you'll need to close off the last side, the one inside the box. For me, this was the hardest part, because my sides were bowed in like this: )_(, so cutting a board to fit was hard. However, with a lot of sanding and some brute force, I was able to make them fit, see picture 7. Then I hot glued the seams to fill any gaps, and then painted the whole inside with flex seal. You could try to use black plastic to cover the inside, but flex seal was really easy and will work a lot better. Lastly, we used stain on the outside, but you could paint it, or just leave it plain

Once the flex seal has dried and cured, (24 hours) you can plant whatever you want in your planter! This was where I came out of the equation. My mom and sisters put gravel in the bottom for drainage, filled it with a mixture of sand and cactus soil and then planted a bunch of succulents in it. It now graces the dining room table as a centerpiece. She is so happy with the way it turned out, and I am glad to have it complete!