Warning, I brake for roadside cast-offs. I can’t help it. If I see someone has put an old dilapidated piece of furniture in their curbside trash, I just have to bring it home. These little orphans are crying for attention and I plan on giving it to them.
Dressers missing drawers or just drawers, provide an abundance of ideas. These things are like sugar plums dancing in my head. Recently one dresser I rescued had a missing drawer. I decided to make things with the remaining drawers and also the dresser. Each item produced a different project. The first project was a dresser drawer potting bench. I needed a potting bench for my patio, so I decided one of the drawers would fit the bill perfectly. I wanted something that was pleasing to look at, but also functional.
This drawer potting bench is the perfect size for an assortment of clay pots, tools, potting soil and all the other accessories needed for potting my spring flowers. The height was decided for comfort. I can stand next to it and work, just like I would at a table or workbench. When making your own, use my measurements, or adjust them to best suit the person who will be using the bench the most.
Supplies for Building a Dresser Drawer Potting Bench:
Long deep dresser drawer
2 x 4 scraps, amount determined by size of drawer
Measuring tape
Pencil
Miter saw
Drill, small bit and screwdriver bit
2 1/2 inch wood screws
Leftover house paint of choice
Paint brush
Large stencil
Masking tape
Stencil brushes,assorted sizes
Acrylic enamel paints
Paper plate and paper towels
Steps for Making a Dresser Drawer Potting Bench:
1
Measure and cut four 2 x 4 lengths 30 inches long. These are the legs and will fit under the drawer. Turn the drawer upside down. If the sides of the drawer are not level with the bottom of the drawer, measure the length of the drawer from inside the sides. The legs will fit into each corner, inside the sides of the drawer. If the sides of the drawer are flush with the bottom of the drawer, measure the length of the drawer from the outside of the drawer sides. Cut two 2 x 4 lengths using one of these measurements. These are the length braces of the potting bench.
2
Lay two legs flat and vertically side-by-side on your work surface. Place a brace horizontally over the legs. Position the ends of the brace even with the outside edge of the legs. Measure up from the bottom of the legs 6 inches and move the brace up. Drill three pilot holes with the small bit, through the brace and into the legs. Insert 2 1/2 inch wood screws into the pilot holes and attach. Repeat with the other two legs and length brace.
3
With the drawer upside down, measure the width of the drawer the same way as the length. Measure the thickness of the 2 x 4s. This is very important, as the 2 x 4 size is the measurement before the boards are milled at a factory. The actual size is less than that. Take the width measurement of the drawer plus twice the thickness of the 2 x 4 and cut two more 2 x 4s for the end braces.
4
Stand the legs up and turn them so that one leg is laying horizontally on the ground and the other is horizontal on top. Place an end brace across the span between the legs, matching the ends flush with the ends of the front braces. Drill three pilot holes through the brace and into the side of the legs and end of the length braces. Insert 2 1/2 inch wood screws into the pilot holes and attach. Turn the leg frame over and repeat with the other brace on the other end.
5
Stand the leg frame right side up on the ground. Set the drawer right side up on the legs. Drill two pilot holes through the inside bottom corners of the drawer and into each leg top. Insert 2 1/2 inch wood screws and attach.
6
Paint the entire potting bench using a leftover house paint of your choice. Allow the paint to dry and repeat with additional coats until you have complete coverage.
7
Lay the potting bench on it’s side with a long side up. Center a stencil on the drawer side and tape in place with masking tape. Squirt dabs of acrylic enamel paint on a paper plate, in each color needed for the stencil. To stencil, dip a stencil brush in a color you are working with. Rub off most of the paint into a wadded up piece of paper towel. Pounce the brush on the area you are stenciling. Repeat for each color of the stencil. Remove the stencil and allow the paint to dry thoroughly. Turn the potting bench over and repeat on the other long side of the drawer.
Note: You could choose to attach the end braces first and cut length braces with the extra thickness of the 2 x4s. This would hide the ends of the end braces from the front of the potting bench.
