apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Tell us the tools and resources you used for the project:

Power Tools: Drill, Jigsaw, Electric Sander

Hand Tools: Hand Saw, Measuring tape, Hammer, Gorilla Glue

Materials: Found table, Ikea legs & Screws, Planter box, Polyurethane, Acrylic paint, Doily, Spray paint, Calk, Craft paper, Spray mount

Resources: Ikea Hacker blog for planter & leg idea; the nice man at Home Depot who gave me the jigsaw tutorial

Share step by step instructions for how you completed the project:

1.) Rummage streets and garbage piles for sturdy table top in desired size. (Could be a found table or piece of scrap material suitable for a tabletop)

2.) Find or purchase 4 sturdy attachable table legs that will support your top (These were difficult to find on the mean streets, so I resorted to Ikea)

3.) If the found top has undesirable legs (as in my case), remove them. (I used a hand saw and hammer for this tedious procedure)

4.) Sand and prime table top and planter (I sanded the table edges then taped them off before priming to keep the natural wood accent)

5.) Measure planter dimensions; mark dimensions on table top in desired local

6.) Use a jigsaw to cut the hole for the recessed planter

7.) Screw legs to base of table (if using wood legs, secure with wood glue first--Ikea legs were easy as they came assembled with brackets, screws, etc.)

8.) Use water based paint on the top in desired color(s) or shades (I used cobalt blue, yellow, and green acrylic paint in spontaneous strokes)

9.) Spray mount translucent natural paper to top; most art stores carry a variety (I used a hand made lace-like paper)

10.) Using a cheap lace doily as a stencil, spray paint accents on planter and table top (I used a stainless spray paint to tie in the stainless-ish legs)

11.) Apply three coats of fast drying water based Polyurethane (I used minwax) to tabletop, edges, and planter

12.) Install recessed planter in place using Gorilla Glue to secure and calk as sealant (I used a cue-tip to push the calk between the seems in the table top and planter)

**Note: If planter table is meant for outdoor use: Drill hole in bottom of planter for water drainage. (Planter, especially a wood planter, should be thuroughly sealed)
For indoor use: a seperate removable container to hold plant should insert into attached planter--remove plant to water.