What constitutes a plant stand? Anything that will hold a plant, of course. Dont go out and purchase expensive plant stands to display your flowers and vines, though. There are literally hundreds of plant stands you can easily make yourself. A quick trip to a craft store, or home improvement store, and youll have everything you need for a fraction of the price youd spend to purchase plant stands.
Craft stores sell all sorts of unfinished wood that is perfect for building any number of plant stands. You dont have to be a whiz with power tools since most of the wooden pieces are already shaped. Purchase two circles of wood and make your first stand. Afterward, slightly sand, stain and varnish the piece for a professional look.
The two circles of wood need only be affixed to something that will separate them. Look again at the unfinished wood pieces to find three or four short chair legs. The legs work great for separating the two pieces of wood to make a stacked stand that will hold more than one plant. Youll also need three or four blocks of wood if you want the stand to have legs. Although one circle of wood can sit directly on the floor, with the other circle raised above it with the small chair legs, you can also attach the blocks of wood to the bottom of the circle to raise it off the floor. A simple screw gun is all you need. Screw three legs onto the bottom, spacing them out evenly, or change the look by attaching four blocks - as legs - to the bottom of the first circle. Counter sink the screws. Next youll arrange the three or four chair legs to be the separators for the two circles of wood. Again, youll screw on the three chair legs, or four to change the look of the finished stand. Your choices in wooden legs - and how many you use - will each change the look of the stand. Use a little putty to cover the screw holes then stain the stand. Varnish or lacquer the stand when the stain is dry. Two to three coats of lacquer will work but youll usually only need one coat of the stain. Let each coat of lacquer dry for at least 24 hours before adding the next coat. The stain need dry only for a couple of hours before brushing on the first coat of lacquer. There are many different things you can use for the separators of the wooden pieces. Instead of chair legs you can use large dowels, childrens wooden letter blocks, or even vases. Simply attach the legs to the bottom of the first circle, screw or glue on the separators, then add the second wooden circle. Check with your local home improvement store for suggestions on what type of adhesive to use for the materials youve chosen. Wooden separators can be screwed or nailed into place whereas a set of vases, used for the separators, will need to be glued in place. You dont necessarily have to choose wooden circles as your plant stand shelves. Choose wooden squares, rectangles, ovals or even heart shapes. There are dozens of different wood designs from which you can choose. Usually the wooden shapes will need some sanding before moving on to staining the piece. The height of the items you choose for separators will determine the size plants the stand will hold. If the two wooden pieces are fairly close together, for instance, the bottom shelf will only hold a small plant while the top shelf can hold a much taller plant. There are other things you can do to embellish the plant stand. Use a wood burning tool to create a monogram, decoupage fabric onto the shelves, or even use scrapbook papers to cutout images that can be lacquered to the top. Brass and other pieces, found at home improvement stores, can be added to give the plant stand even more flare. Check out drawer knobs, flat wooden shapes, and similar things that can enhance the finished stand.
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