Repurpose Old Wood Pallets Into The Custom Patio Planter Of Your Dreams

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For plant lovers and home gardeners, there's one question that always hangs in the forefront of the mind: Where should you plant everything? Raised garden beds are a great option for improved drainage and retaining all that soil from washing away during rainfall. But buying premade units or paying for lumber and labor to make them gets expensive. One hack to cut costs and still get the result you want is to DIY a stunning patio planter by repurposing old wood pallets. If you're wondering how to build using recycled pallets, but you're not sure where to start, the process isn't as difficult as you may think.

The trick with this project is to use the pre-connected planks to craft the border of the boxes. The exterior is covered with a few new pieces of lumber to give it that high-end look, without paying high-end prices. If you're looking for creative DIY wood pallet projects that will enhance your garden, this one is a game changer. You can make the boxes as long as you want, adding an "L" shaped unit to create a yard border, or simply add an eye-catching element to your landscape. The garden beds are also easy to customize to fit your backyard decor.

If you don't have old wood pallets, source them from local hardware stores, wholesalers, or online marketplaces like Facebook or Craigslist. You'll also need a drill and screws, a staple gun, a box cutter, a circular saw, a garden bed liner like the Agfabric Woven Weed Barrier, and protective finish such as Rust Oleum Woodlife Wood Preservative. If you don't want to see the liner inside the boxes, buy a few 2 inch by 4 inch planks to cut to the height of the patio garden beds and add them to the exterior at the end. Prep for your DIY by cutting each pallet into three horizontal pieces — two with four wood planks running across them, and one with a single board. Now you can begin.

Stand the four-board pallet pieces up to form two planter sides, and place the single board between them as the floor. Screw the pieces together where the boards meet to form a rectangle. Cut extra six boards from another pallet and place them on either end of the box to close it. Paint on the protective coat. Staple a liner inside and add holes and a thin layer of pea gravel to the bottom for drainage. Fill with soil and plants and enjoy. This is an exciting wood pallet project you can DIY at home and customize to your taste. Add the new lumber to hide any grungy pallet boards, paint, stain, use stencils, or add decals to make it your own. You'll have beautiful new planters that match your aesthetic without breaking the bank.