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Three indoor pot plants in a neutral room corner at varying heights with wooden stands

Overview

Elevate a plant to create more of a statement piece in your home, with this simple and gorgeous do it yourself plant stand. Here's how to make your own:

Steps

1Choose and cut your timber

Bunnings have a huge range of timber in a variety of different grains. Pick out the pieces that match your decor and cut to size – in our case, we cut four pieces to 22cm, four pieces to 28.5cm, and we cut the legs to 50cm to form the height of our stand. Once everything's cut (you can use a handsaw to do this), give the ends a sand with sandpaper and a block, and varnish.

A Bunnings team member holding a pot of varnish

2Choose the top of your plant stand

For the top of our plant stand we chose a piece of timber cut to 28.5cm x 28.5.cm. You can experiment with a variety of tops, but timber looks particularly good painted the colour of your choice.

Twelve lengths of wood cut to size

3Mark out your joins

Once you've got all your timber lengths cut to size, you'll need to mark where everything joins. We are affixing the top and bottom frames with wood glue and timber dowel for a beautiful, seamless finish. Use a square to find the centre of the ends of your short pieces of timber – we'll be drilling a hole here. Then mark the sides of your longer pieces – this is where your dowel will connect the two edges.

Wooden lengths for a plant stand being cut to size

4Drill a hole for your dowel

Use a drill bit the same size as your dowel. You only want to drill half way the length of your dowel, so line your dowel up against your bit and mark the halfway point with a piece of masking tape – this is the point you'll be drilling to. Use a clamp to secure your wood to a table, then drill your hole – wear safety glasses for this bit.

Holes being drilled in wooden lengths for dowel joints

5Affix your dowel

Take a dowel and push it into your longer piece then grab your glue – we're using Selleys Aquadhere Interior Adhesive – and pop some around the area. Connect the pieces together, making sure the corners are flush.

Glue being applied to a length of wood

6Assemble plant stand frame

Grab all your sides and connect together using the above method, making sure your corners are lined up. Once this is done, this will be your plant stand base. Wipe away any excess glue with a microfibre cloth – the glue should set within 30 minutes. 

Two parts of a wooden plant stand being joined together with dowel

7Screw legs to the base

Using clamps, secure your base and legs to the table before you screw them together (choose a slightly smaller diameter bit than the screw you'll be using). Because we are using dowel, make sure you drill slightly off-centre to avoid it. After you've made your pilot hole, you're ready to drill your screw. Repeat the same process for the other three legs.

A hole being drilled into a wooden plant stand frame

8Add your top piece

Once you've secured all your leg pieces, you're ready to add your top plate. We painted our top piece a grey colour to match our décor, but you can choose any colour you like, or choose to stain or varnish it instead. Once it's dry, place your top plate face down on an even surface and line up your base. Drill four pilot holes from the base into the top plate, then screw together. Handy hint: so you don't drill your hole too deep, mark it up with a piece of masking tape, as you did earlier.

A Bunnings team member adding a solid base to a wooden plant stand

9Admire your handiwork

Pop your favourite indoor plant on your stand, and you're done! And doesn't it look fantastic? Your plants are now the heroes of your room. Trust us – they'll thank you for their elevated status.

Three indoor pot plants in a neutral room corner at varying heights with wooden stands

10Watch more from the home office episode

Health & Safety

Asbestos, lead-based paints and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber are health hazards you need to look out for when renovating older homes. These substances can easily be disturbed when renovating and exposure to them can cause a range of life-threatening diseases and conditions including cancer. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer or visit our Health & Safety page.

When following our advice in our D.I.Y. videos, make sure you use all equipment, including PPE, safely by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Check that the equipment is suitable for the task and that PPE fits properly. If you are unsure, hire an expert to do the job or talk to a Bunnings Team Member.