DIY Outdoor 3-Tiered Plant Shelf

Elysia English shows how she built a 3-tiered easel plant shelf in just a few hours.

Elysia spends a lot of time on her deck. It’s a place to congregate with family, entertain friends, or just relax and enjoy the fresh air. The outdoor sectional and privacy fence make for a cozy enclave, but she felt it needed a little more. So Elysia decided to spend a weekend creating three new practical but beautiful additions to the space. Elysia decided to build a 3-tiered plant shelf. Elysia loves her plants, and this was a great way to get them off the ground and in full view to be admired. It’s also a nice platform to display a few outdoor décor items. Elysia’s local Home Hardware provided helpful advice along with all the supplies she needed.

Here’s a rundown of the steps Elysia followed and the tools and materials she used:

1. Joining the Easel Side Posts: The easel design is great because it allows for wider shelves at the bottom and narrower shelves at the top. This makes the whole unit less intrusive when placed against a wall and allows it to be folded flat for easy storage. I used 1”x3” Spruce to create the side posts (two pieces for each post), then screwed them together at the top with my cordless drill to allow for movement. 

2. Assembling the Easel Frame: I laid the posts down to make it easier to build the easel frame, then measured out the centre bracket spacing (16” apart). I used wood glue and wood screws to secure 1”x3” spruce brackets onto one side. Important! I made sure to attach them to the inner side posts only, to allow the easel frame to open and close. Then I stood the frame up and attached the brackets to the other side. I attached the back supports the same way, but to one side only of course. 

3. Building the Shelves: I used shiplap for the individual shelves (two pieces for the top shelf, five pieces for the middle, and seven for the bottom). I cut my shiplap pieces with a mitre saw, then attached them to wood supports at each end to create each shelf. The shelves just rest inside the frame, allowing for easy removal when I fold the frame up and store it away for the winter. 

4. Sanding: Once the plant shelf construction was complete, I sanded everything down by hand to create a good adhesive surface for the clear coat. 

5. Clear-Coating: With the sanding done, I applied two coats of clear polyurethane to protect the plant shelf from the elements.

That’s it! And it only took a few hours! Be sure to check out my two other outdoor projects, all done in one weekend! 

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