Okay before we dive in, let’s get something clear. This isn’t a real planter.
Yes, you can put plants inside of these DIY hexagon planters. But no, you will not be planting your plant directly inside of them.
These planters are more so a planter cover. You can keep your plants in the generic pots from the store, or replant them into an ugly plastic planter. Then you can stick them inside of these hexagon planters for a more polished look.
There’s no bottom on these planters, so you don’t need to worry about drainage being an issue…I say as if I know anything about plants.
I don’t know much about plants, but I do know a thing or two about DIY. These DIY planters are surprisingly simple to make and you can knock them out in just a few hours.
Alright, let’s start DIYing!
Recommended Tools:
- Miter Saw
- Drill *
- Kreg Jig*
New to DIY? Check out our post on beginner woodworking tools to determine which tools to get!
What You’ll Need:
- (2) – 1x8x8 cedar boards (the number needed might vary based on your dimensions, but this is what you’ll need for the two planters that we provide a cut list for)
- (1) – 1×2*
- Wood glue
- Sandpaper (80, 120, 220 grit)
- Stainable wood filler
- Exterior Stain/Sealer – we used Thompson’s Water Seal
- Painter’s tape
- 1.25” screws*
*only needed if adding supports for a pot to sit on
Cut List
| For What? | Board Size | Quantity | Length (inches) |
| Small Planter Sides | 1×8 | 6 | 5.5 |
| Large Planter Sides | 1×8 | 12 | 8.25 |
| Large Planter Supports | 1×2 | 2 | 8″ |
The provided lengths are the measurement of the long side of the board. Both sides will be cut at a 30-degree bevel.
Prefer printable plans with 3D renderings? Grab your hexagon planter plans here!
How to Make a Hexagon Planter Out of Cedar
Okay, one last thing before we dive in. I don’t have any process pictures of these planters because I never intended on turning this tutorial into a blog post.
The good news is that this project is extremely similar to both our DIY hexagon shelves and DIY hexagon plant shelves tutorials that do have pictures. If you get stuck on one of the steps and want a visual, check out those posts.
STEP 1: MEASURE
These planters are meant to hide plastic pots and nursery pots. They don’t have a bottom to allow for plenty of drainage, but they also means you aren’t going to be planting your plants directly in these hexagon planters.
You can adjust the measurements based on what size pot you have.
To figure out how long your boards should be, you can use this free online calculator. Enter the width of your pot + 1.5” into the “S to S length” box. The 1.5” accounts for the width of your wood. The website will auto calculate all other measurements. The measurement you’re interested in is the “Side Length.” This will be the length of the long side of your boards.
The measurements provided in these plans can fit 8” and 12.5” pots at most.
STEP 2: CUT
Tilt your saw to a 30-degree bevel cut. Cut your pieces into trapezoids. The measurement you found in step 1 (or in the cut list) reflects the longer side of the board.
STEP 3: SAND
When I know I’m going to have a lot of nooks and crannies, I like to knock out the majority of my sanding before assembly.
For the inside of the planter, I sanded with 80 and 120 grit to get rid of any splinters.
For the outside, my cedar was already incredibly smooth, so I only sanded with 220 grit sandpaper.
STEP 4: ASSEMBLE
To assemble these planters, we’re going to rely on the power of glue.
Start by taping your boards together. The tape will be on the long side of the boards and you’ll place each of the boards side by side.
Once everything is taped, add glue to each angled side of the boards. Carefully roll your boards up until they make a hexagon. Add extra tape to the joints to act as clamps while the glue dries.
If you want to add extra reinforcement, you can add nails to the corner joints. But if you applied enough glue, you don’t need the additional reinforcement.
STEP 5: MAKE YOUR PLANTER TALLER
To make your tall planter, you’ll make two hexagons in step 4 and then glue them on top of each other.
It’s important to note that your hexagons probably won’t be the exact same, even if you were careful while cutting and assembling. Because of this, we want to glue the hexagons together immediately after assembling.
This way, we can adjust the top hexagon to better align with the bottom hexagon if needed.
STEP 6: ADD PLANTER SUPPORTS
For the support boards, you can use 1x2s, 2x2s, or other scrap boards that you have around.
You’ll want between 2-5 support boards depending on the size of your planter. 2-3 should be the sweet spot for most, but if you make a really large planter, you want to make sure you have enough boards to support the weight of a large pot.
Measure the distance between two of your boards and cut your support boards to this distance.
Drill 2 pocket holes on each end of each support board.
Decide how deep you want your support boards to sit so that they hold your plant at the desired height. Mark where you want your support boards to sit, then attach them with glue and 1.25” Kreg screws.
Note: Depending on the placement of your support boards and the size of your planter, you might need a 90-degree driver to get your drill to fit in the area to drive your screws.
STEP 7: FINISHING YOUR PLANTERS
Once all the glue has dried for at least 2-3 hours (the longer the better!), you can carefully start finishing your planters.
The first step is to add wood filler to any gaps or seams. I like to add it to any place that two boards meet, even if it doesn’t look like there is really a gap to fill.
Once the wood filler dries, sand off the excess wood filler and glue using 220-grit sandpaper. Since the glue is still fully curing, be very careful during this step. Go slow and do not apply any extra pressure.
After everything is sanded, wipe it down with tack cloth to remove any lingering dust.
Then, seal your planters with your choice of exterior sealer. I chose Thompson’s Water Seal in clear to bring out the natural color of the cedar.
There you have it! Now you have your very own hexagon planters.
Looking for more planter inspiration? Check out these DIYs!
