Create a House Number Planter Box From a Thrift Store Find!

7 Materials
$7
2 Days
Easy

A chalkboard message box get's new purpose on my front porch!

When I first found this metal box in the clearance aisle of our local thrift store, I had no idea what it was. But the longer I looked at it the more I began to envision what it could become.

I've been wanting to make a House Number Planter Box for some time now, and with a few changes and some paint, this metal box could be just that. The first step in giving new life to this thrift store find was to remove the chalkboard insert.

This was held in place by rivets not screws so it required a bit more effort than I had planned on. The top section of the rivet came out pretty easily with a drill but the bottom half had to be pried out with a pliers. Once I had the chalkboard insert removed, it was time to give the frame and the box a couple of coats of paint.

I chose a flat black paint for the frame and the box and used a piece of 1/4" plywood cut to size to replace the chalkboard insert.

I gave the piece of plywood two coats of stain and once that dried it was time to put my planter box together. We used rivets again (1/8") and let me just say it was a lot easier putting them in then taking them out!

For the house numbers I used inexpensive plastic numbers and painted them a soft gold. They each came with tiny nails for installation but I chose to use E6000 glue to attach them to the box instead.

We measured from center and then from corner to corner and used a piece of wood to keep the numbers aligned while we glued them down. Once in place I set a couple of heavy books on top and allowed them to dry completely overnight.

It's a little late in the season for container planting here in Minnesota, so I just used a few bunches of faux greenery and flowers I had on hand. In the near future I can change these out for fresh flowers or greenery.

The modern farmhouse style goes well with my front porch decor and I love that I can change out the flowers and greenery season to season. You can find the full tutorial and a few other thrift store ideas to make your own Planter Box over on the blog!

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