DIY Potting Bench

By: James A. Baggett

If you’re tired of making a mess when potting plants, watch our step-by-step video to see how to upcycle an old drop leaf table into a handy potting bench!

Are you tired of using the picnic table for potting up seedlings? Do you repot houseplants on top of the dining room table? If so, then this DIY potting bench is guaranteed to make your life easier. We found this drop-leaf table at a flea market for $25 and transformed it into a great-looking upcycled potting bench that you can customize to suit your garden needs and sensibilities. Watch the video above or follow our step-by-step instructions below to find out how we did it.

Make a sturdy potting bench

Many of the ready-made potting benches are made with thin boards and can be wobbly to work on. And the potting benches that are sturdier and better built come with a hefty price tag. Repurposing an unused table solves both issues. Look for a table with sturdy legs and one that’s large enough to provide adequate work space as a potting bench. Keep in mind the size of the drop leaves, as that will determine the size of your final work surface.

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DIY-potting-bench-bowl-with-soil: This enamelware bowl is a handy addition to your potting bench perfect for holding potting mix or catching debris when repotting.

Add stylish and handy features

We added a shelf and cut a hole for a built-in and removable enamelware bowl as a sink, a handy feature for mixing up potting soil, for cleaning tools or for catching plant trimmings. The colors for the table are a neutral gray (for the surface and backboard), light gray (for the legs) and black (for the trim) for an on-trend and elegant color scheme.

DIY-potting-bench-customize-with-accesories: Antique faucet knobs and a wire basket adds style and function to this upcycled potting bench.

Customize your potting bench

The best part about making a DIY potting bench is that you get to customize the design to suit your style and gardening needs. We added lots of fun details like vintage faucet knobs as tool hooks and a wire basket to hold miscellaneous items like garden tools or gloves.

How to make your own DIY potting bench

Check out the materials and tools list to see what you will need. Then click through the slideshow below to see how we created this one-of-a-kind potting bench.

Materials

Drop leaf table
Enamelware bowl or galvanized tub
Wooden garden tool handles or dowels for shelf legs (at least 1¼ inch diameter)
(3) 1½×1½-in. black corner braces (L brackets)
(12) #7 galvanized Phillips flathead screws
(5) 8×1½-in. GRK fasteners or deck screws (2 for shelf legs, 3 for backboard)
Shelf 4 in. shorter than the width of the table (ours was a 6-in.-wide piece of 1-in.-thick plywood with a decorative routed edge)
Semi-gloss exterior paint
4 black rubber tips (for legs)

Tools

Drill
Jigsaw with downcut blade
5⁄16, 1⁄8 and 3⁄32-in. wood drill bits
Masking tape
Permanent marker
Sandpaper

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Find a drop leaf table to upcycle

We found this drop-leaf table at a flea market for $25. Make sure the table is sturdy so that you have a stable work surface when the project is complete.

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Trace bowl placement on the tabletop

Using a permanent marker, trace the outline of an inverted 14-inch (8 quart) enamelware bowl in the center of one end of the tabletop. We covered the area with masking tape to help prevent splintering when cutting out the hole.

Then measure a circle that is ¼ inch smaller than the bowl’s outline to hold the bowl snugly in place. You will use this as a guide when cutting the hole.

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Cut out table top to fit bowl

Drill a 5⁄16-inch pilot hole for the saw blade and, using a jigsaw, cut out the hole in the tabletop for the bowl. You want it to fit snugly. Remove the tape and sand the edges smooth.

Tip Drill the hole just inside the dashed cutting line so it will not appear when the circle is cut out.

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Remove one of the drop leaves

Remove the hinges from the underside of one drop leaf. Later this will become the backboard for the potting bench shelf.

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Sand & paint the table

Sand the surface of the table and paint all exposed surfaces with a semi-gloss exterior paint.

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Install the backboard with L brackets

To form the backboard, position that drop leaf perpendicular to the tabletop. Evenly space out the three corner braces (L brackets) on the front side and drill 1⁄8-inch pilot holes before screwing them in.

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Cut shelf legs to size & drill pilot holes for installation

We used handles of worn-out gardening tools that weren't being used anymore, but dowels would work fine as well. Cut the wood handles off or cut dowels down to size. Make sure they are at least 3 inches shorter than the backboard to help keep gear from toppling over the back.

Drill 3⁄32-inch pilot holes into the one end of each wooden handle or dowels before attaching to the shelf.