DIY Two-Level Plant Stand

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DIY Two-Level Plant Stand

⏱ A weekend 💰 About $60 🪵 All wood from Home Depot

Finished weathered grey two-level plant stand in front of a window, holding a large white potted peace lily on the low level and a spiky plant in a white pot on the tall level

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The idea

A very sturdy plant stand built from lumber you can pick up at Home Depot. If you plan to put heavy plants on it, you want to make sure the stand properly supports them. This one has notched 2x3 posts and a plywood panel under every platform, so the weight is carried by the frame instead of just the slats.

Heavy plants: A big pot full of soil and water weighs a lot more than it looks. Take your time with the cuts and the notches, and don't skip the plywood panels under the platforms.

Materials

(1) 2x3x8 board, cut into (4) 18″ pieces and (2) 12″ pieces, for the posts
(2) 1x6x8 knotty pine boards, cut into (9) 15.5″ pieces, for the platforms
(1) 1/2″ × 24″ × 48″ spruce handy panel, cut into (1) 15.5″ × 15.5″ piece and (1) 15.5″ × 31″ piece
Norton 60 grit sanding sponges (2-pack)
Norton 120 grit multi-angle sanding sponge
Varathane Ultimate oil-based interior wood stain in Weathered Grey (236 ml)
(4) 1″ zinc-plated corner braces (4-pack), to fix the plywood to the 18″ posts
1½″ screws, for the plywood into the 2x3 posts
1″ screws, for the pine boards into the plywood
A drill and a jigsaw
A table saw for the cuts (or have Home Depot cut the boards for you)

Cedar or pine? The sketch says cedar, which is what I originally planned. I went with pine for costing purposes. Skip the saw: Home Depot will make all of the cuts for you except the jigsaw part around the 4 legs.

What we did

Step 1: Sketch it out

Before cutting anything, I sketched the stand with its measurements. It has two levels: a tall platform on four 18″ posts, and a lower level that runs 31″ long and steps out from underneath it.

Hand-drawn sketch of the two-level plant stand in red pen with measurements: 15 and a half inches square, 18 inches tall, 31 inches long

Step 2: Cut the wood

Cut the 2x3 into four 18″ posts and two 12″ posts, the 1x6 boards into nine 15.5″ pieces, and the plywood panel into one 15.5″ × 15.5″ piece and one 15.5″ × 31″ piece. I used a table saw, but you can also ask Home Depot to cut the boards to size for you.

Step 3: Notch the posts

Use a jigsaw to notch out the posts around the 4 legs. This is the one cut Home Depot won't do for you.

Step 4: Assemble the frame

Start with the bottom platform and support the left side while you work (I used books). Screw the plywood onto the two 12″ legs, then use the L-brackets (corner braces) to fix the plywood to the four 18″ legs. Next, screw the top plywood onto the four 18″ legs.

Wait until everything is in place and looks the way you like before you move on. Then add the 1x6 pine boards: three on the 15.5″ × 15.5″ panel on the tall level, and six on the 15.5″ × 31″ panel on the low level. I used 1½″ screws for the plywood into the 2x3 posts and 1″ screws for the pine into the plywood. No glue was used.

Unstained plant stand seen from above, with a tall three-board platform and a long low platform made of six boards

Front view of the assembled unstained plant stand on a hardwood floor, with the plywood edge visible under each platform

Step 5: Sand everything down

Sand every piece. I start with a 60 or 80 grit sponge, then work my way up to 120.

Step 6: Stain it

I used two coats of Varathane oil-based stain in Weathered Grey.

Plant stand stained weathered grey, shown on a balcony before any plants are added

Result

A very sturdy two-level plant stand that holds a big, heavy pot on the low level and a second plant up top.

Finished weathered grey plant stand by a window with a large white potted peace lily on the low level and a spiky plant in a white pot on the tall level