How to Make a Potting Bench From a Door
If you have an old door lying around, reclaim it and use it to make a custom potting bench. Any wood door will work, from a hollow core closet door to a solid wood entry door. You might be able to use a metal or fiberglass door, but these will be harder to work with. Use a door with a glass insert only if you plan to remove the glass and patch that spot or use the opening in your design. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Door
- Paper and pencil
- Screwdriver
- Sandpaper
- Paint and brush
- Saw
- Dishpan
- Storage baskets
- Two trash cans
Instructions
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Plan and Prepare
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1
Draw a rectangle to scale on a sheet of paper. List beside it the types of projects for which you will use your potting bench. List what tools and supplies will be needed for these projects. Finally, consider where and how you might store these tools and supplies on, in or under the bench, and design a spot for them. See below for suggested features.
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2
Prepare the door for use. Remove all hardware, such as doorknobs, locks and hinges. Remove any weather stripping along the edges. Repair any damage that will interfere with its usefulness as a potting bench.
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3
Inspect the finish on the door. Do you want to sand it down and repaint or stain it? If so, do this at the beginning because a flat surface is easiest to work with. A high gloss, durable paint will make the surface easy to wipe clean.
Construct Your Potting Bench
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4
Mark the design features that will need to be cut out on the surface of the door. For a soil mixing bin, set a good-sized dishpan on the door and draw around the bottom of it with a pencil. For storing tools, draw circles through which the handles of your tools will fit, perhaps in a row along the back edge.
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Cut the holes, test for size, and adjust as necessary. Your dishpan should hang on its lip down through the door. Tool handles should slip through the holes. Sand any rough edges.
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Attach hooks along a short edge of the door on which to hang other tools and supplies such as twine and scissors. Attach wire storage bins and/or baskets to the door for storing pots and small supplies.
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7
Lay the door across two trash cans of the same size, minus their lids. You could store bags of potting soil in the cans, but getting them out would be difficult and require a helper. Alternately, lay the door on saw horses, or attach it to a convenient wall. Store large supplies underneath the bench in bins.
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Tips & Warnings
Re-use the doorknob: re-attach it near one edge, and hang a bag or bucket on it for collecting waste and trimmings.
Make sure your table is stable, and cannot tip off its supports. For added safety, secure the door to the legs or trash cans.
