Please note: These tutorial instructions and photos were provided to The Rock Father Magazine by Trex. They have not been tested by The Rock Father. Results may vary from images shown.
The folks at Trex are known for their composite decking products, but what some people may not know is that there’s some other uses for Trex decking – like building weather-resistant planters that will last for many years to come. With summer almost here, those looking for a cool weekend project might want to take a look at building a planter box, and the folks at Trex sent over a 10-step tutorial on how to build a simple Trex Planter. And, for those who need a little more inspiration or want to skip the DIY aspect altogether, there’s some Trex Planters available for purchase at Trex Furniture as well…
How to build a simple but elegant Trex Planter in ten steps:
1) Using pressure treated 2×4’s – cut down your lumber to create the ‘walls’ of the planter
- Walls will be 24” long by 22-3/4” high
- -8 pieces @ 20-1/2” for your top and bottom plates
- -8 pieces @ 19-3/4” for your ‘studs’
2) Assemble to box so that all sides are equal (24” X 24”) using either 3” decking screws or galvanized framing nails.
3) Using pieces of Trex 1” X 12” wide FASCIA (Actual dimensions .7 in x 11.375 in wide) in the colour of your choosing, cut 8 pieces at 24” and screw them onto the walls using Trex colour match screws. Two pieces stacked on each side will cover the walls perfectly.
4) In either the same colour or a complimentary accent colour (preferable) rip down 8 pieces of Trex facia (using a table saw) 2” wide and cut to 22-3/4” long.
5) Attach 2 pieces per corner creating a corner accent detail with Trex colour match screws.
6) Cut 2 pieces of pressure treated 2×4 @ 17” and fasten them to the inside of the box approximately 15” from the top – on opposite sides from each other so that you can place Trex decking cut @ 17” into the box to create a “faux bottom”. Screw into place and leave some gaps to allow for water to drip through.
7) Line the box with a good landscape fabric, wrapping it just slightly over the top of the box.
8) Cut 4 mitred pieces of Solid Trex Decking (no groove) in the same colour as your corner trim accents. All pieces will be cut at 19” from the short point of the mitre to the short point of the mitre. This allows for the cap piece of Trex decking to come an inch into the inside of the planter box.
9) Place the cap onto the planter box, line up the mitres and screw into place using Trex colour match screws
10) Fill with desired soil and plants! Voila!
Trex decking products are available at Lowe’s and The Home Depot. Learn more at Trex.com. Tutorial and images provided to THE ROCK FATHER Magazine by Trex. Results may vary.
