Beautiful metal planters - made from filing cabinets!
Metal file cabinets aren't just for keeping paper files: a lot of people use them as planters!
The Internet is filled with do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) who have converted metal file cabinets either purchased from a thrift store or leftover from an office move or redesign into beautiful, ultra-sturdy outdoor planters for their patios and walkways.
Converting metal filing cabinets into outdoor planters, instead of buying new metal planters, helps keep items out of landfills and means you aren't contributing to more items being manufactured and shipped from overseas, and that, in turn, greatly helps our environment by reducing fuel emissions!
The Forest Grove always has a lot of filing cabinets, in a variety of sizes, that could easily be converted into such outdoor planters.
What does it take to convert a metal filing cabinet into a planter? Based on what DIYers say online, here's some basic guidelines for how to do this:
Choose a filing cabinet that is in decent condition and is as big, or as small, as you need for your space.
After moving it to the space where you will work to transform the cabinet, take out all the drawers. You can discard these (check your area for how to properly dispose of metal) or consider also using the drawers as planters as well; some people use them as in-the-ground planters for plants that they don't want to spread. In the gallery below this blog, we have photos of cabinet drawers also used as planters
If there are wheels on the bottom of the cabinet, remove them. You may want to move these later to what is now the back of the cabinet (but which will eventually be the bottom of your planter).
Wipe down the now-empty cabinet shell. Usually, just water and a cloth are fine for this cleaning - there’s usually no need for solvent.
Drill drain holes in what is currently the back of the cabinet (in what will become the bottom of your planter). This is absolutely essential! Without drain holes, your plants will not grow properly - they probably won’t survive without these!
Spray paint the cabinet your desired color. The Forest Grove ReStore often has a large selection of brand new spray paint in a variety of colors and at a great price!
Give the cabinet plenty of time to dry. You may want to give it a second coat of paint.
If you have wheels that you removed from the bottom of the cabinet, you can drill holes in what is now the back of the cabinet, so that the planter is easier to move (you will see examples of planters with wheels in some of the photos that accompany this blog).
Your cabinet is now ready to be moved to your desired location!
Some people also put drip tubing throughout the planter. If you don’t do this, then make sure you choose a location that is easy for you to handwater the plants, for those times when there isn’t enough rain.
And now... you are ready to plant! You can fill the planter with planting soil, as is, or you can insert planting vessels into the spaces where the drawers used to be and put your planting soil, and plants, in those, as one of the photos we' have included here shows.
Most bloggers that have shared their stories about converting metal filing cabinets to planters say that the metal planter should be used strictly for non-edible, decorative plants. Many say it's particularly good for bamboo, since bamboo is notorious for spreading where you do NOT want it to. We have tried to show a variety of decorative plants in such planters, including flowers and succulents.
We have put a lot of photos from various sources here so you can get an idea of the variety of ways a planter converted from a file cabinet can look.
We would like to see YOUR ideas! If you have converted a file cabinet into a planter, please send your story and photos to photos@westtualityhabitat.org.
If you have recycled and re-imagined something you bought at the Forest Grove ReStore, or have bought something and placed it in your home, as is, and you think it’s particularly beautiful or interesting, we want to hear from you! Please send your story and photos to photos@westtualityhabitat.org. And if you have a blog idea for the Forest Grove ReStore and want to submit a drafter, we would love to hear from you!
