Alright, so I needed a better spot for one of my bigger plants. It was sitting on the floor, and honestly, watering it was always a bit messy. Water would spill, you know how it is. I figured a stand would be good, lift it up a bit. And definitely needed a tray to catch the extra water.
Didn’t want to buy anything fancy. I remembered I had some leftover wood scraps in the garage from another project. So, I went digging.
Gathering the Bits
Found what I needed, mostly:
- Some pieces of 2×2 lumber, different lengths but enough.
- A few smaller flat pieces for the top maybe.
- Had a box of wood screws handy.
- Grabbed my trusty saw, drill, measuring tape, and some sandpaper.
- Found an old plastic tray, the kind you put under pots. Hoped it would fit.
Putting it Together
First thing, cut the legs. Decided on a height, measured four pieces from the 2x2s. Tried my best to get them straight and equal. One ended up a bit short, typical. Had to re-cut that one. Patience isn’t always my strong suit.
Then I made the top part. Just a simple square frame using more 2x2s. Laid it out on the floor, made sure it was square-ish. Attached the legs to this frame. Drilled pilot holes first – learned that lesson the hard way before – then drove in the screws. Gave it a wiggle. It was okay, maybe a little shaky.
Adding Stability and the Tray
To make it sturdier, I added some screws diagonally at the joints. That helped quite a bit. Could have used glue, but screws felt faster.
Now for the tray part. I measured the inside of the top frame I built. The plastic tray I found? It actually fit right inside! Pretty lucky. It just rests on the lower edges of the frame pieces. Didn’t even need to secure it. Perfect. It sits snug enough.
Finishing Up
Took the sandpaper and just quickly went over the sharp edges and any rough spots. Didn’t spend ages on it. I wasn’t going for a showroom finish. Considered painting or staining it, but decided against it for now. The plain wood look is fine, feels kind of rustic.
So, there it is. Put the plant on top. The tray sits nicely underneath, ready to catch any spills. It’s not perfect, a bit rough around the edges, but it’s solid, does exactly what I needed it to do, and used up some wood scraps. Saved me a few bucks too. Good enough for me.
