$3 DIY Plant Stand

I *seriously* built this wood plant stand for under $3, and you can too! (All I had to buy was the wood.) It's the perfect stand for holding my white bird of paradise plant.

No saw! No power tools! No complicated cuts or angles! Just some wood and a little glue and you have yourself a SUPER cute, modern/bohemian-ish plant stand!

You can always make this project more complex by adding to the basic steps. Adding paint or stain, using more complex cuts, or buying a fancy pot will make this project more expensive, so it's up to you based on your budget. Either way, you will wind up with a beautiful and very affordable stand for holding your precious plants!

Here's what you'll need:

• An 8 foot long 2"x2" (any type of wood - I think mine is Douglas Fir)

• Wood glue (I use Gorilla Wood Glue)

• Tape measure

• Pencil

• Optional: 120 grit sand paper or sanding block (I used this)

• Optional (but helpful): Long trigger clamp

• Optional: Wood stain or linseed oil for sealing

That's it. Literally, so easy. Here we go!

Process:

• Head to Home Depot or your local hardware store to get your 2"x2" of wood and take it to the wood cutting section of the store. You can give them your measurements and most stores will cut it for you for FREE! Obviously, if you have your own saw you can do this yourself, but we haven't invested in our own saw yet (because holy money) and the professionals can do it much faster and more accurately.

  • Here are the cuts you will need: Four 18" pieces, one 12" piece, and two 5.5" pieces. These measurements can be adjusted based on the size you want but I'd recommend keeping the same proportions. Also, "2x2's" are usually actually 1.5"x1.5." Depending on the width and height of the wood you have, you may need to adjust your measurements.

  • Lightly sand each piece to get a smooth surface. You don't really need to do this step if you're on a tight budget because the pieces are usually already smooth when you buy them. I just like a very clean finished look and feel. This will also help if you choose to paint or stain the wood.

  • Use your tape measure to mark where you will glue the joints together. On the 12" piece, you will need marks at 5.25" and 6.75" as a guide for where you will connect the crossing pieces.

• Learn from my mistake! I started by constructing the legs and it was much harder to get it to balance this way. Start by gluing the center "x" together and then add the legs.

• Glue the 5.5" pieces to the middle of both sides of the 12" piece to make an "x" shape. This is where those marks come in handy! You can clamp these pieces together if you'd like. You can also just glue the pieces together and lay them down to dry for about 30 minutes. Once the "x" is dry, it's time to add the legs.

• Mark each of the 18" pieces where you will connect the "x" piece. Remember, these plant stands are iconic for having long lower legs and being shorter on the top, so you don't want the "x" to be in the dead center. I measure down about 6" from the top of each leg. So you should have marks at about 6" and 7.5" as a guide for connecting the "x."

• Glue the legs to the "x." You might need an extra pair of hands for this step, and this is definitely where a clamp would be helpful for holding the pieces together while they dry. You need to balance the legs so the center is level to hold your plant and so the legs are straight. I wouldn't recommend trying to add all the legs at once. I'd start with 2 opposite legs and then add the 2nd pair once the 1st is dry.

Let the plant stand dry overnight and you're all done!

After the glue is dry, you can paint, add stain, or seal with an oil if you'd like.

Gorilla Glue dries in about 30 minutes and fully cures in 24 hours. I would not recommend putting weight on the plant stand or painting until it has fully dried overnight.

If you decide to try out this DIY, I'd love to see how it turns out! Please share your pictures with me by tagging me or DMing me on Instagram @ashleyjoneshome or by sending me an email! If you have any questions, please reach out. I am happy to help! Happy DIYing!