Refresh, Renew, ReStore: Make a DIY planter from an old wood chair this spring

Spring is here, and DIY makeover ideas are springing up like crazy in my brain.

So when I spied a few rows of wood chairs at the Habitat for Humanity Bucks County ReStore, my DIY day was made. I knew I could turn one of them into a DIY planter for new flowers to liven up my porch.

Some chairs were in pairs but most were singles, and all of them were inexpensive. A bargain if you want a chair, and a huge opportunity for a springtime repurpose project.

After examining the shapes, sizes, and details of all the chairs at my Habitat ReStore, I decided on the perfect chair for my DIY repurpose idea. And that wood chair had no idea that is was about to become a new DIY flower planter for my front porch.

Supply list

• Wood chair with a back

• Tape measure

• Pencil

• Oscillating tool with wood cutting blade and sandpaper attachments (a hand saw or reciprocating saw would do the job, too)

• Fine grit sandpaper

• Super glue

• Wood glue

• Wood screws

• Impact driver or drill

• Spray paint in colors

• Gorilla tape

• Potting soil mix

• Paint stirrers, scraps of wood or wood shims

• Burpee pollinator seed packet

The first step in turning a chair into a planter is making a plan. I have an artist soul, so I sometimes just study the object to think through the possible scenarios and sketch different ideas. Even if I land on a solution, I usually push myself to think about a few completely different ideas, so I can see the possibilities from several directions.

No matter what plan is chosen, the planter certainly will need to have a bottom and sides. So before you cut the chair into pieces, I highly recommend deciding what will be the bottom and what will be the sides.

For my project, I decided to turn the chair upside-down and cut the back of the chair off of the seat. The seat then becomes the bottom of the planter.