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DIY Cedar Planter Box using a Snap Together Frame

Add some curb appeal to your home with this DIY cedar planter box. These cedar planter box plans use a SnapFence frame that literally snaps together, making this a simple build even for new DIYers. If cedar isn’t your thing, you can easily customize the frame with a different material.

I am always a sucker for a great planter or flower pot. I couldn’t snatch up a swan planter quick enough at a yard sale the other day even though the guy selling it made sure to point out how badly the paint was chipping. I’ve also been on the lookout for a donkey flower pot ever since I spotted the most adorable one at a yard sale, but sadly they weren’t for sale.

I also love a great planter box that can pull double duty as an address marker.

This post is sponsored by SnapFence. All opinions are 100% mine.

DIY Cedar Planter Box with Shrubs

Isn’t this one great? This DIY cedar planter was made using SnapFence components, which are rails and connections made of PVC that is built to withstand the elements and make outdoor building projects a whole lot easier.

Cedar Planter Box DIY

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For reference, the overall dimensions of my cedar planter box is 24″ high x 18″ deep x 36″ long.

Materials and Tools Needed: 

Steps

Step 1: Assemble the SnapFence frame.

Cedar Planter Box DIY Frame Materials

Use the instructions found here to assemble the SnapFence frame for the planter. Working from the bottom up, use a rubber mallet to secure all the rails into the connectors. The video below shows how easy it is to build the frame.

If you aren’t a video person, then you can use the photos below as a guide.

Cedar Planter Box Plans - constructing the frame.

Literally, the instructions lay out exactly how to connect the frame. It took me less than 10 minutes to assemble the frame.

If you’re curious about how well the rails and connections truly stay snapped together, well I can assure you, they are pretty darn tight. In order for me to get both the video and photos of the process for you, I had to put the frame together, then take it apart and put it together all over again. (Yes, if I were a smart person, I would have stopped to take photos the first time around, but I forgot.) Anywho, I had to really bang on some of the rails and connections with my rubber mallet in order to get the frame broken down. This stuff is very well made and very secure when it’s put together.

Step 2: Attach the cement board.

Once you have your frame in place, use the included screws to attach the cement board (concrete board / backer board / whatever you want to call it) to the SnapFence frame.

DIY Cedar Planter - assembling the side panels.

Step 3: Finish the Planter Box.

At this point, you can choose to stucco the planter box, paint it or whatever else your little heart desires. I opted to clad mine with cedar planks.

You’ll want to start with the short sides of your planter box.

Place two uncut cedar planks along the bottom of each long side, flush against the cement board.

Building a cedar planter box.

Measure the distance between the two planks and cut five cedar planks down to this size. For each cut, use a new cedar picket. Don’t cut again from the same picket. Instead, set these pickets aside and they will be long enough for the long sides of the cedar planter box.

Lay the planter box on the opposite short side you are working on.

Applying cedar to a planter box.

Lay one of your cut cedar planks on the bottom of the short side. You want it to go past the cement board but not extend past the SnapFence PVC feet. Think of the cedar planks as “floating” just above the ground. Make sure there is roughly the same amount of plank hanging over on each side where the long side planks will eventually be placed.

Put Fuze It on the back of the cedar plank, then clamp into place.

DIY wooden planter box using cedar.

Take the rest of your cut exterior wood boards, apply Fuze It to each of those, then line them up and lay them out across the rest of the exposed cement board on this side, pressing each firmly in place as you go.

Applying cedar boards to the diy planter.

Once you have them all in place, place a few heavy objects on top to help the glue get a good bond with the cement board.

Step 4

After a few hours, repeat Step 3 on the other short side of the cedar planter box.

Step 5

After both short sides have been clad with cedar planks, use the same process to cover the long sides of the planter box with cedar. This time when measuring to cut the cedar planks, you’ll just measure from end to end of the cedar boards on either short side, rather than between them.

DIY Cedar Planter Box with House Numbers

Attach house numbers to the front of the planter if you wish.

Place the planter wherever you wish. I think it would look great beside a mailbox, on the front porch or near a garage.

Related: 10+ Creative Flower Pot Ideas

Cedar Planter Box DIY with shrubs planted in it.

Fill with plants and enjoy! I opted to go with tall boxwoods for our planter. With big planter boxes like this, I like to always have something in them that will stay green all year long and then add in annuals as the seasons change. This cedar planter would also be great for planting bulbs in. If you don’t want to fill the entire planter with soil, then fill the bottom of the planter with plastic bottles and jugs to take up space.

If you want to protect the wood, then apply a coat or two of exterior water seal.

You can also use Snapfence post ground pilings that can be attached to the bottom connections and anchored into the ground. I opted to forgo those as after I got the entire thing put together it was pretty heavy as is – I couldn’t lift it by myself. I knew that filling it with dirt was only going to make it even heavier and keep it in place, so I didn’t think I needed those.

I love DIY planter boxes because you can customize them to your home’s exterior. This one is no different. If the cedar look isn’t your thing, you can absolutely go another route! Just think of the SnapFence frame as your blank canvas. 😉 SnapFence also makes lots of other Snap n Build kits like pet enclosures, garden walls, fence kits and more. And yep, you just snap ’em together. 🙂

What would you cover your planter frame with?

Want more outdoor project ideas and tips?

Creating a Cut Flower Garden – perfect for beginners!

DIY Painted Planter Pots – take basic planters and kick ’em up a notch!

Want to remember this planter for later? Just pin the image below!

Cedar Planter Box Plans using a Snap Together Frame

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Susan the Farm Quilter says

    Great planter and a perfect way to get your address out there and visible!! What an easy way to create the frame of the box. How deep is the box and what did you do for the bottom? Yeah, not a video person, so I just enjoyed your pictures!! If the whole thing is filled with dirt, that would be expensive and drainage would be questionable. So many questions only you can answer!!

    Reply

    • Jenna says

      The overall dimensions are 24″ high x 18″ deep x 36″ long. Meant to include that in the post and neglected to – sorry! I left the bottom open, but you could put a bottom in it and/or fill the planter halfway up with fillers (milk jugs, 2 liter plastic bottles, etc.) to keep from using so much dirt. I opted to fill the whole thing with dirt because with shrubs like this, I just feel like they need to have plenty of dirt to get a good root system. If I was just doing annuals in there though, I’d totally use fillers before putting dirt in there. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Bets says

    This turned out beautifully! I noticed that in one photo, there was no bottom to the planter. Did you use anything to cover the bottom, or was it left open? Also, did you use dirt to fill the entire box or did you use some kind of filler to take up most of the space before adding the dirt?

    Reply

    • Jenna says

      Thanks, Bets! No, I didn’t use anything to cover the bottom, just left it open and I didn’t use fillers either, but you absolutely could cover the bottom and/or use fillers so you didn’t have to use as much dirt. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Glenda says

    Hi Jenna: Love the planter!! Buying a house soon & this will be my first project!! I have a question about Step 3. You said “Place two uncut cedar planks along the bottom of each long side, flush against the cement board.” but you don’t say what the length of each board is. The planks I looked at are 6 feet long. The box is not 6 feet long is it? So if I don’t cut them then is there shorter planks you can buy? Thank you so much for the project. God bless you & yours.

    Reply

    • Jenna says

      Hi Glenda! So glad to hear how much you like the planter! Me too! I was trying to be as clear as possible with that step, but still didn’t seem to find the right wordage! Sorry about that! So first off, the overall dimensions are 24″ high x 18″ deep x 36″ long. On Step 3, you are just placing those uncut pieces of cedar along the long edges in order to measure between them to get the length for the short edge piece of cedar. You aren’t actually attaching those pieces to the long sides, you’re just putting them there to get that one measurement for the short side. Does that make more sense, Glenda? The planks are 6 feet long, but the box isn’t that long. You’ll have to cut the boards, but not until after you do the short sides. Let me know if I’m still being unclear!

      Reply

  9. Michelle Williams says

    I love this garden bed!!! I want to try it for tomatoes and peppers. Two questions: 1) Is it possible to customize the height for this bed? 2) Will I need to line the inside of it for growing vegetables? I’m excited to read your reply. Thanks

    Reply

    • Jenna says

      Hi Michelle! It would be great for vegetables! Yes, I do believe you could customize the height. You would just have to buy all the pieces separately. They make shorter vertical rails you could use and they also do custom size rails. As for lining the inside for vegetables, I don’t see why you would have to do that. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  10. Molly says

    I love this! I need some planter boxes in the same size/shape for my front porch. I am so happy to know about this because I think it would cost a fortune to find some ready-made that are this large. I wasn’t confident that I could build them, but now I think it’s totally possible. Here’s my question – I need a different look than cedar to go with my house. Do you choose your finishing material just based on going to the lumber section and choosing what you want, or does this system offer a variety of finishing products that go with their system? Does that question make sense?

    Reply

    • Jenna says

      With this system, you could top the box with just about anything you want, although they don’t specifically offer products for that. Snapfence will send you the snap together pieces to build the frame and after that, you can go to your local hardware store and top it with whatever. You could cover it with stucco, you could use pressure treated wood and then stain or paint that or just about any other weather resistant material you want to use. Does that help answer your question?

      Reply

  14. Theresa Huse says

    I love using planter boxes in the garden and front porch. We used to garden a lot more before all the drought. I hope we can get a good rain season. Then it would be nice to make a few of these planters. Thanks for sharing the diy at the inspiration spotlight party @DearCreatives pinned and sharing.

    Reply

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