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Planter Shelf | Garden Chair

ByGail Wilson Published on Updated on
19 Comments

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I have done several styles of garden chairs, but this planter shelf | garden chair is a little different. It can hold a large planter, act as a shelf, or even as a portable potting table.

I got a deal on these two ladder-back chairs at only $3.99 each. The black chair was damaged, so I worked on it until I figured out exactly what I wanted to do and how to make the garden chair shelf.

thrift store decor team

This is our Thrift Store Day. Be sure to check out all the projects below.

You could do a project like this out of any old chair, but ladder-back chairs tend to be lighter in weight.

Pin it for later

Ladder-Back Chair Upcycle

But to keep it simple, I will share the step-by-step photos of the brown chair. At the end of this article, I’ll show you the final result of both ladder-back garden chair shelves.

Tools & Supplies Needed

  • Jigsaw
  • Compound Miter Saw (optional)
  • Nail Gun
  • Paint (I used Spray Paint)
  • Stain (optional)

To begin, I needed to cut off the little “nub” on the front seat of the chair. I would be using pallet boards and wanted them to lay flush. Had I not cut off the nub, I would have had to notch the pallet boards.

Add Pallet Boards to Make a Shelf

Digging through my stash of pallet boards, I found some that would fit from front to back without trimming their width. The length was cut using a miter saw. You could easily do this using the jigsaw or even a handsaw.

Related Content: Ladderback Chairs Get a Makeover

The same method was used for the lower rungs of the chair. But do you see an issue? That front rung is in the way. I removed it from the black chair, but I had so much fun making this garden chair shelf that I forgot to cut it.

Prep and Paint

I used the HTP deglosser to clean the chair before painting to ensure the paint adhered.

For more tips on prepping furniture see my article

How to Prep Furniture for Painting

I decided a bright color would look great in the garden, patio, or flower bed. Heirloom Traditions All in One Paint has the cutest little samples in fabulous colors. I chose Naples (yellow) for this project. The chair took about 1/2 of the container. I used the remaining paint to update a roadside find, a three-tiered plant stand.

While painting the chair, I remembered that I needed to remove that front rung. Therefore I didn’t paint it.

Remove Chair Rung With Jigsaw

After cutting the rung from the chair, I sanded the area smoothly and continued painting.

Yellow Pallet Seat Chair Plant Shelf

See how cute it is for holding potted plants? Wouldn’t it be sweet with a large fern sitting on the pallet seat? The small metal “bug” came from the dollar store. I drilled a small hole to place the stake on the metal decor.

Old Chair Into New Portable Potting Table for the Garden

Do you love it with all the pretty tools hanging from it? You can quickly turn this shelf into a portable potting bench using S hooks.

I felt like the pallet boards would look pretty with a dark stain. When I took the pictures above, I had not yet fastened the boards to the chair. I used Polyshades in a dark walnut to give the boards some depth.

Attach Boards to Garden Chair Shelf

I used a nail gun to attach the pallet boards. You could use small brad nails or a heavy-duty staple gun.

Yellow Garden Chair Shelf

yellow garden chair shelf

I do love it with the stained brown shelf, don’t you?

Red Garden Chair Shelf

garden chair shelf

The less-than-perfect black ladder chair was painted red, with natural pallet boards. Which garden shelf chair do you like best? Where would you use it?

Related Content: Easy Rustic Garden Flag

Fun Thrift Store Makeovers

fun thrift store makeovers

Be sure to stop by and visit my friends. Tell them Gail sent you!

Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.

19 Comments

    1. Thanks Bonnie!
      my friend said she liked them in the pictures, but when I asked her if she saw them in my booth she said she didn’t care for them because you can’t SIT on them. lol go figure!

      gail

  3. I just love the garden chairs! It’s hard to pick a favorite! But I do prefer the darker stained pallet boards. I would put this on my little “patio” that is outside my garage door. I currently have a white cast iron chair there with potted plants. These chairs would look great there as well. Now…off to find an old ladderback chair!

    Reply

  4. Well, Gail, red is not my color so I’d have to choose the yellow chair, but I’m not a great fan of yellow, either! Sooo..ooo—I do like the idea, though. If I were doing one I would probably use turquoise or a shade of green. But, I don’t use power tools (yet…maybe someday!) so I probably won’t do a chair make-over like yours any time soon. But, you never know, I might figure out how to come up with a version that is a bit simpler than yours in terms of carpentry! We’ll see… As always, thanks for sharing your project; I always love seeing the ideas you come up with!

    Reply

    1. Naomi,

      We all have to start somewhere! 🙂 I hope you take the plunge someday soon. A great place to start is a jigsaw. They’re use friendly, and very versatile for most sawing tasks.

      I’m wondering what short pieces of wood you could pick up at home depot? Maybe some garden stakes?

      I’m not a big fan of yellow or red either. Turquoise sounds great!

      gail

  7. Sooo cute !!
    So many different ways to add color / fun / function to a garden.
    I admire your carpentry skills 🙂 Thanks for your tutorials.

    Reply

    1. Lizzy,

      The pallet wood will stand up for years. As for the chair, because of the way it’s made, water won’t “stand” on it, so the only real problem would be the legs (feet) rotting from resting in the dirt.

      gail

  10. Gail, I absolutely love them both! Both colors are perfect for a garden. I think I’d go with the darker stain. I’m starting a rustic garden with my post for this month so now I have another project to add! Love it!

    Reply

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