DIY Hexagon Plant Shelves – 2 Ways!

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Two things I love to include in any space when decorating: plants and shelves. So why not combine those two things and make some modern hexagon plant shelves??

These DIY shelves are easy to make and can be knocked out in a day.

Another thing I love about this project? You can make BOTH shelves with a single 1x4x8 board!

Alright, let’s start DIYing! 

Tools

• Miter Saw
• Jigsaw
• Drill
• Brad Nailer

How to Make Hexagon Plant Shelves

New to DIY? Download our free 5 Steps to Getting Start with DIY guide!

STEP 1: SAND

Before cutting your 1×4 down, I recommend knocking out the majority of your sanding. I always prefer to sand long pieces over small pieces. Sand both sides with 120, 180, and 220 grit sandpaper.

STEP 2: CUT

For the larger shelf, cut 6 pieces down to 7″ with a 30-degree bevel cut on either end. The 7″ will be the measurement of the longer side. For the shelf, we cut ours to be 10.25″ on the long side, but you could always make it shorter if you want it to sit lower in the hexagon. The shelf will also be cut with a 30-degree bevel on either end.

For the smaller shelf, cut 6 pieces down to 6″ with a 30-degree bevel cut on either end. For the front ledge, both sides will be cut with a 30-degree miter cut. The short side will be the same length as the short side of one of your hexagon pieces and the long side should measure approximately 9.25″.

It’s very important that the 6 pieces for the hexagons are the exact same length. Rather than measuring each piece, clamp a spare board to your miter saw fence to use as a stop.

STEP 3: CUT HOLE FOR POT

Start by finding the center of the shelf and then trace both the top and the bottom of your planter.

Drill through the center of the 1×4 with a drill bit that’s larger than your jigsaw blade. Insert your jigsaw blade into the hole and cut out a circle for your planter. Cut in between the two circles that you drew.

I’d recommend first cutting a circle that’s just slightly larger than the bottom of your planter. Then continue cutting the hole larger and testing the fit of your pot until you’re satisfied with how far down the pot sits.

STEP 4: STAIN

Before applying stain, it’s important to apply Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner to get the most even finish possible. Pre-stain helps prevent streaks and blotches.

When applying an oil-based stain, use the oil-based pre-stain. When applying a water-based stain, use water-based pre-stain.

After applying pre-stain, it’s time to add some color to the shelves using stain. We applied our stains using a Purdy XL brush and then wiped off the excess using a clean white rag.

One thing I love about Minwax Wood Finish Stain is that the back of the cans have clear, easy-to-follow instructions that include how to apply your stain, how long to wait before wiping off the stain, and dry times. You never have to memorize dry times or guess on how to best apply the stain. Everything is clearly laid out for you!

We stained the smaller shelf with Minwax Wood Finish Semi-Transparent stain in Driftwood and used Minwax Wood Finish Stain in True Black on the larger shelf. Both colors turned out exactly how we had hoped. They’re some of our favorite colors that we’ve used on past projects like this DIY dining table and DIY TV console.

Note: We stained this project in two waves (all the 1x4s were stained at this stage and then we stained the plywood after cutting it later on). You can go this route or stain everything all at once after assembly. We chose to stain in two waves because I’m always eager to stain (it’s my favorite step of any project!) and so that I didn’t have to navigate staining in corners.

STEP 5: ASSEMBLE

Check the back of your Minwax Wood Finish can to see the recommended dry time for your particular stain and wait the recommended time before moving onto assembly. It’s important to wait the full dry-time or else you might have issues getting the tape to stick. We let our stain dry for four hours before assembling.

To assemble the hexagon shelves, we’re going to rely entirely on glue–no nails or screws here! Since we’re relying on glue, it’s important to properly apply it, which means, you need to work quickly and apply generously.

Start by lining up the edges of your pieces, with the short sides facing down on the table. Apply 2-3 pieces of tape to the boards and then flip them over so that the short sides are now facing up towards you.

Apply a layer of glue to each of the end grains and push the glue into the end grain until it’s absorbed. Then apply a second layer of glue to each end grain and spread it across the entire end grain.

Adding two layers of glue will help give us a stronger joint.

Carefully roll your boards up until they form a hexagon. Tape together the two ends so that your hexagon stays clamped in place without you touching it.

Wipe off any glue that dripped out the sides.

STEP 6: ADD SHELF AND FRONT

Now that you have your main hexagons built, add glue to the sides of the shelf and front ledge and place them in your hexagons. Gently clamp them in place and let dry.

STEP 7: CUT THE PLYWOOD BACK

Place your hexagons on your plywood panel and trace the outside of the hexagons. Grab your jigsaw and cut out the hexagons.

We freehanded the cutting, but you can also clamp a straight board to your plywood to use as a guide if you don’t feel confident making straight cuts freehanded.

Note: If you decided to stain in two waves, you can go ahead and stain your plywood now. If you are waiting to stain everything at the end, you can attach the back, sand the edges of the plywood until they are flush with the rest of your hexagon, and then stain.

STEP 8: ATTACH BACK

Place the plywood on the back of your hexagon shelves and secure it using 5/8″ brad nails.

STEP 9: SEAL YOUR SHELVES

Rather than trying to get into the nooks and crannies with a paint brush, we used Minwax Polycrylic in the aerosol option. It’s super easy to apply and you only need to wait 30 minutes between coats. We applied a total of 3 coats to our shelves.

STEP 10: HANG YOUR HEXAGON PLANT SHELVES

Attach a hanger of your choice (we’re always fans of your d-rings or sawtooth hangers) to the back of your hexagon shelves and hang them on up.

There you have it! Now you know how to DIY hexagon plant shelves, not one, but two different ways! Which is your favorite–the shelf or the ledge?

Want even more DIY shelf ideas? Check out our roundup of over 40+ DIY shelf ideas! Or maybe you’re looking for more planter ideas? Check out our roundup of over 50+ DIY planter ideas.