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Is your DIY home project list a mile long like mine? I have been admiring the DIY planter string lights project for YEARS and I’m excited to say that they are finally done and they are a must do for you! The impact that this DIY home project has on our backyard is wild! We use the lights so often, especially as the weather warms up! I’m thankful that Steven saw my vision and eagerly headed to Home Depot with me to purchase the supplies to get this DIY project completed!
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The bottom line is that the Planter Posts with string lights project is a super easy DIY home project in design and concept! YAY! Now… I can’t say it was easy as far as the work that had to go into it. Mixing 9 bags of cement, about 180 lbs per barrel, took time and muscle power! However, when you take it down to the basics, it was fun and it definitely gives our backyard the wow fact that it definitely needed!
Supplies List
Firstly, I’ll start with the list of materials. For our particular project and backyard, we determined that we wanted 3 barrels for our patio. You can visualize from the photos that we had some obstacles to overcome and consider. I originally purchased 4 wooden barrels and contemplated adding one next to the stairs and making a rectangle, but when setting up the barrels around the patio, we thought that one next to the stairs was unnecessary and that the string lights would hang too low and would result in us and our guests doing the limbo. Well.. perhaps not me, but more so our vertically blessed family and friends!
- 26-in round wooden barrels (3)
- 60-lb cement bags (9)
- 4 in x 4 in x 10 ft pressure treated timber (3)
- 4-in Everbilt corner braces – 2 pk (6)
- 1 in x 6 in x 8 ft pressure treated timber (1)
- 1 1/2 inch screws
- 3/8 in. X 4 in eyebolt (3)
- Potting Soil
- Flowers
- String lights
- Black Outdoor Weatherproof Paint
Step by Step Instructions
To begin, take the 3 10-ft pieces of wood and drill a hole directly in the middle into the top. This is where the eye bolts will be placed for stringing the lights. Next, you’ll want to take a power saw and cut the 1 x 6 into 6 pieces. These don’t have to be perfectly cut pieces of wood. These pieces of wood are necessary so that when you put the 10 ft piece into the barrel, you have something to screw into and secure the 4 x 4s. Also, because my barrels had holes in the bottom, I needed something to cover the holes so that the wet cement didn’t seep out. I took the piece of wood and just took a pencil and marked where I wanted to cut the pieces. It’ll be based on the bottom of your barrel. From the bottom of the barrel, I screwed the pieces of wood to the barrel. It does not matter that the screws stick up as this will be covered by cement.
Next, I suggest leaning the 10 ft pole over something and attaching 4 of the corner brackets to the pole, one on each side at the very bottom. Try to get the corner brackets as flush to the bottom of the pole as you can. I learned after the first pole how hard it was to try and screw in the brackets from the side while in the planter. The brackets are mainly there to make sure your pole is straight and stable as you add the concrete. Once the brackets are on, grab a friend to hold the pole in place while you screw the poles into the barrel!
Now it’s concrete mixing time! Make sure there are a couple of rain-free days ahead of you! You’ll want to mix everything outside and in the spot that the barrel is going. Each barrel will get 3 60lb bags! I read the directions on the bag and started mixing directly in the barrel. A little water, a little mix, a little water, a little mix! Then keep mixing the layers together as you go! It should be about the consistency of brownie batter! Once complete, verify with a level that the pole is level and move on to the next barrel! For fun, I came back the next morning and carved our initials!
Next, you’ll drill holes in the planter right above the cement for water drainage and to prevent mold from building up. From there, it’s smooth sailing and just creating all the aesthetics you’re looking for!
I painted the wood black so that at night it doesn’t stick out too much. From there, add potting soil and any flowers of your choice! Lastly all that is left is, it’s just stringing the lights! I obviously decided to paint after I added the flowers, but it would be so much easier to do that first!
Check out more of the sources for our backyard space here!
”It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project” – Napoleon Hill
