Like most of my projects, it all starts with a walk to the reclaimed wood pile that is hidden away on my husband and I’s property. We typically have a nice selection to choose from, but it’s very important to have at least a decent idea in my head of what I would like to construct. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, but some sort of visual is always helpful. For instance, the lines in my draft aren’t even straight!
As mentioned earlier, you can definitely customize this potting bench to any dimensions that you need for your space, but with this particular bench it measures out to be 6′ H x 7′ L x 2′ W. Needless to say, we plan on doing a lot of gardening once the warm weather starts rolling in. Let’s get started!
How to Build a Potting Bench from Reclaimed Wood
Materials Used:
- 2×4’s (reclaimed wood)
- 1x 8’s (reclaimed wood)
- fence pickets
- 1/2″ plywood 4’x8′
- 1/4″ underlayment
- salvaged windows
- wood screws
- hinges
- hangers
- 12″ x 12″ mosaic tiles
- tile mortar (adhesive)
- tile grout
- exterior wood glue
- stain and polyurethane or primer and paint
**all lumber is pressure treated**
Tools Suggested:
- drill and bits
- 3/16″ v-notched tile trowel
- foam rubber grout float
- jigsaw
- sandpaper
- level
- table saw
- miter saw or circular saw
- pencil
- screw gun
- measuring tape
- framing hammer
- nail gun (brad)
- ruler or anything with a straightedge
9.) We love these mosaics for their price and versatility in these types of projects. They were approximately $5 a piece.
Time and Cost Involved:
This project really depends on what you have on hand, and how ornate you would like to go with your bench. The more you can use repurposed items, and the less details that are used will require less time and effort. This particular project took us all weekend, but we also were creating the entire thing from scratch with many, many details.
I hope you enjoyed reading this tutorial, and happy building 🙂
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More ways to use reclaimed wood and pallets:

Build a frame for a wall-mount TV by Remodelaholic
That is an amazing potting bench and I am going to find someone to build that for me!
Thank you so much Lori! 🙂
Oh to have even a fraction of your woodworking talent!
Beautiful!
You are too kind Anele! Thank you so much 🙂
I like your ideas for reclaiming older products and furniture
Hi and thank you Linda! Repurposing is definitely my favorite way to create DIY projects 🙂
Fantastic potting bench! I got so inspired that I´m going to build one myself.
Like this side a lot
Hi Carina and thank you! I’d love to see a picture when you’re all done 🙂
I have an old piano I’m wondering if I could turn this in to a potting bench.
That sounds like a project waiting to happen! 🙂
What a great idea, Sheryl! I’ve always wanted an old piano to create a waterfall, but this would be absolutely gorgeous. You could add a few vintage windows to the bottom, and maybe even a piece of glass or plexiglass over the keys to preserve their look with the space you need. Best of luck 🙂
I absolutely love your bench and want to make one as a BBQ station. Do you have a printable version of the directions or even a PDF file? I’ve tried cutting and pasting but none of the images show up. And if I’m going to attempt this I need pictures 😀
Thank you so much!
Hi Denise, and what an exciting and great idea! I actually just recently worked on this same project with the super talented Ananda from A Piece of Rainbow. On her blog she has provided great drawings to definitely help out with this project. Definitely go check it out when you get a chance! https://www.apieceofrainbow.com/reclaimed-window-potting-bench/
Thank you so much!