Build a plant stand, advice for protecting it?

[Maiden69]

Welp, a post I can finally add something to. I am a wood worker, or hobbyist luthier whatever you may want to call it... pressure treated wood have chemicals pressurized into them to make them resistant to mildew and rot. This chemicals take a few months to completely evaporate, and will not allow a sealer to fully penetrate the wood giving you a blotchy appearance. If possible, buy an inexpensive wood humidity meter from Amazon or any big brand hardware store and check the percentage of your stand. If it falls below 15% you should be ok to stain.

Also, you can use a decent water base stain of your choice in order to camouflage the ugly green/pink hue of pressure treated wood, unless you like it of course. As far as a sealer, the ones mentioned above are very good. Others to consider are Thompsons Water water seal and Rain Guard water sealer, I have read great reviews, but mainly for decks. For an "ornamental" piece I tend to use tung oil, even if it is used outside. I did a few benches years ago when I was living in Puerto Rico that my dad and me protected with tung oil that lasted a long time, and that was on a house less than a mile away from the beach. If preparation is a concern, then any of the spray on, wipe on, roll on, or brush on (paint it and forget it kinda products) will be ok. Tung oil is quite elaborate to get it done right.

In the future, consider hardwoods like ipe, teak, or mahogany, or softwoods like western cedar or redwood which will give you a far better visual result, while rivaling pressure treated wood weather resistance, but at a higher cost.

 

[Matt B]

Casters are tempting for the mobility but the bearings wouldn't last long in the wet environment, and I haven't moved the cheapo plastic shelf I have currently for months. Plus, it would ruin the aesthetic. Not like I'm not blowing the aesthetic currently with a Home Depot plastic storage shelf... LOL

I was thinking of something like those slippery plastic feet you nail into furniture legs, tucked under the frame so they couldn't be seen. That would be nice because they wouldn't invite mildew and (gasp) bottom rot like wood feet might. But of course they would rust out quickly because the nails aren't stainless. The surface the stand will be sitting on is textured painted concrete, if that helps.

 

[Matt B]

Welp, a post I can finally add something to. I am a wood worker, or hobbyist luthier whatever you may want to call it... pressure treated wood have chemicals pressurized into them to make them resistant to mildew and rot. This chemicals take a few months to completely evaporate, and will not allow a sealer to fully penetrate the wood giving you a blotchy appearance. If possible, buy an inexpensive wood humidity meter from Amazon or any big brand hardware store and check the percentage of your stand. If it falls below 15% you should be ok to stain.

Also, you can use a decent water base stain of your choice in order to camouflage the ugly green/pink hue of pressure treated wood, unless you like it of course. As far as a sealer, the ones mentioned above are very good. Others to consider are Thompsons Water water seal and Rain Guard water sealer, I have read great reviews, but mainly for decks. For an "ornamental" piece I tend to use tung oil, even if it is used outside. I did a few benches years ago when I was living in Puerto Rico that my dad and me protected with tung oil that lasted a long time, and that was on a house less than a mile away from the beach. If preparation is a concern, then any of the spray on, wipe on, roll on, or brush on (paint it and forget it kinda products) will be ok. Tung oil is quite elaborate to get it done right.

In the future, consider hardwoods like ipe, teak, or mahogany, or softwoods like western cedar or redwood which will give you a far better visual result, while rivaling pressure treated wood weather resistance, but at a higher cost.

Good thoughts on wood. I went with the PT because I know little about wood other than what any other financial advisor knows, which is near zip. I started the project with an idea for a quick-and-dirty bench which resulted in a trip to Home Depot for wood and fasteners. What little I have heard is that PT is used in decks and outdoor stuff, and I thought that sounded about right. Also, Home Depot is not reknowned for their selection in fine wood.

After I started building it I started making diagrams and precise measurements, and down the rabbit hole I went. Of course, when the project is underway, I didn't want to scrap it and start over, so I sanded the holy hell out of it to get most of the green off, and here we are. I ended up with a sturdy stand not because of knowledge or skill, but mostly obsessive compulsive measurements and selection of fasteners.

My confidence level in finishing this project with any technique that requires real thought and skill is not high, so that's why I am thinking something that is durable and will produce passable results for a noob with little skill, which brought me to a penetrating stain.

 

[Pitoon]

Welp, a post I can finally add something to. I am a wood worker, or hobbyist luthier whatever you may want to call it... pressure treated wood have chemicals pressurized into them to make them resistant to mildew and rot. This chemicals take a few months to completely evaporate, and will not allow a sealer to fully penetrate the wood giving you a blotchy appearance. If possible, buy an inexpensive wood humidity meter from Amazon or any big brand hardware store and check the percentage of your stand. If it falls below 15% you should be ok to stain.

Also, you can use a decent water base stain of your choice in order to camouflage the ugly green/pink hue of pressure treated wood, unless you like it of course. As far as a sealer, the ones mentioned above are very good. Others to consider are Thompsons Water water seal and Rain Guard water sealer, I have read great reviews, but mainly for decks. For an "ornamental" piece I tend to use tung oil, even if it is used outside. I did a few benches years ago when I was living in Puerto Rico that my dad and me protected with tung oil that lasted a long time, and that was on a house less than a mile away from the beach. If preparation is a concern, then any of the spray on, wipe on, roll on, or brush on (paint it and forget it kinda products) will be ok. Tung oil is quite elaborate to get it done right.

In the future, consider hardwoods like ipe, teak, or mahogany, or softwoods like western cedar or redwood which will give you a far better visual result, while rivaling pressure treated wood weather resistance, but at a higher cost.

Evaporation rate typically is 1" per year, could be longer in areas with higher humidity.

 

[August44]

I like the design. I think I would have turned the shelf flats on edge as they have way more strength than flat like you have them. If you put heavier trees on them as they are now, they will probably bow downward. Also, before I would stain it, I would put somewhere with a fan blowing on it for a week of so. That will do wonders to get rid of moisture in the wood.

 

[Maiden69]

Evaporation rate typically is 1" per year, could be longer in areas with higher humidity.

Yes, the rule-of-thumb is 1 year per 1" of thickness... but that is applied to freshly sawn timber, and it doesn't take into account moisture percentage. Most decent lumber yards will offer kiln dried wood (with an advertised 18% or lower humidity), which in my opinion would be the way to go for a piece of furniture like this. Most wood at big stores like HD, Lowes, etc... is good to go as far as humidity, but when compared with lumber yards their prices are higher.

 

[Matt B]

I like the design. I think I would have turned the shelf flats on edge as they have way more strength than flat like you have them. If you put heavier trees on them as they are now, they will probably bow downward. Also, before I would stain it, I would put somewhere with a fan blowing on it for a week of so. That will do wonders to get rid of moisture in the wood.

I was thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to use so much wood, yet I wanted to be able to have enough surface area to support small pots. If the slats were vertical and close enough for that support it would be too heavy. As it turns out, even the weakest cantilevered shelf can support 70 pounds with ease, and I sat on the wider center shelf. If it can take my 180 pounds, it can take about 18 of my heaviest bonsai stacked vertically. As it turned out, that wouldn't be necessary or practical. LOL

If you make one, don't go as wild as I did. Mine is wildly overengineered to hold a few bonsai.

 

[Matt B]

Yes, the rule-of-thumb is 1 year per 1" of thickness... but that is applied to freshly sawn timber, and it doesn't take into account moisture percentage. Most decent lumber yards will offer kiln dried wood (with an advertised 18% or lower humidity), which in my opinion would be the way to go for a piece of furniture like this. Most wood at big stores like HD, Lowes, etc... is good to go as far as humidity, but when compared with lumber yards their prices are higher.

Most of the small PT wood they had stacked in the bay was corded and sopping wet. I selected the straightest singles that were piled on the back of the shelf that didn't feel as wet. I Lined them up on the floor and ran a floor fan on them for a few days. That seemed to leave them fairly dry to the touch. Some of the 2 by 2 warped a bit after they dried and I attached the slats. Thats what the gravel buckets are there for. The main struts of the lbottom shelf were starting to go banana and lift at the ends, presumably because they are still curing.

So whats the verdict? Should I run a fan on it for a week then stain, ore use it for 6 months, then sand and stain?

And what are some good ideas for feet?

 

[Pitoon]

Most of the small PT wood they had stacked in the bay was corded and sopping wet. I selected the straightest singles that were piled on the back of the shelf that didn't feel as wet. I Lined them up on the floor and ran a floor fan on them for a few days. That seemed to leave them fairly dry to the touch. Some of the 2 by 2 warped a bit after they dried and I attached the slats. Thats what the gravel buckets are there for. The main struts of the lbottom shelf were starting to go banana and lift at the ends, presumably because they are still curing.

So whats the verdict? Should I run a fan on it for a week then stain, ore use it for 6 months, then sand and stain?

And what are some good ideas for feet?

If the wood you used was soaking wet let it dry slow. If you don't the wood will twist and cup.

 

[Matt B]

If the wood you used was soaking wet let it dry slow. If you don't the wood will twist and cup.

The wood i got was a bit damp from proximity to the other wet wood, but the pieces I chose looked like they were from an older batch that they put a fresh wet batch in front of. I had to do a bit of uh, climbing that would have probably not made Home Depot management happy...

It wasn't bone dry but was dry to the touch, and firm when I extended it horizontally. The wet pieces bent like damp noodles when I held them out.

 

[Matt B]

All that to say, I'll throw some plants on it and wait 6 months. I guess for the time being, I'll get some cheapo nail-in feet to keep it off the ground until I can find a more permanent solution.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I'd add some corner bracing to the 90 degree angles.
It doesn't look like it would take a whole lot of "push" to accordion the whole rack.

 

[Maiden69]

Force drying with a fan is not good. It will not be even and the wood will warp. Place it in the hottest place you can find, attic (if you have one in FL), garage, etc... if you're not expecting rain, set it outside. Small PT slats (1" thick) almost always warp, even for decks... that's why it is recommended that you use PT for the posts (to save money) vs cedar or other hardwood. If you can feel the wood "cold/damp" when you touch it with the back of your hand, it's probably too wet for sealing. If it feels dry, then go ahead and seal it.

Quoted from decksgo.com
"Generally speaking, cedar is naturally rot, decay, and insect resistant. It is also resistant to warping, twisting, and cracking when exposed to moisture. The biggest draw back of cedar is the cost. If you are building on a strict budget, using cedar may not be feasible."
"Pressure-treated southern yellow pine is most prone to warping and cracking because its grows so quickly and the growth rings can be as large as 1/4" per year. That means they retain more water and when the water evaporates the wood is more prone to movement."

 

[hinmo24t]

The top 5 shelves are for bonsai, the rest will be for a few bonsai in training, a couple houseplants and seedlings. The two cantilever shelves and in fact, the whole shelf are fairly solid, to the point of overkill. The blue 5 gallon sitting on the shelf is full to the top with granite gravel, to the tune of perhaps 60-70 pounds. I used a photo of a cheapo knockoff 50 dollar piece of junk for the idea, then obsessively overengineered it because I was concerned about it feeling rickety.

It turned out better than my meager woodworking experience and few tools would have led me to expect. If you look closely, edges of the shelves are overlapping as opposed to mitered, and nothing was detailed with a router or anything fancy, but its solid. Its like a Jeep, not conventionally beautiful or well crafted, but it won't let me down.

I used a drill, circular saw, tepe measure and sanding block for construction. Splurged on stainless trim screws. Now I just worry about it getting waterlogged, moldy and rotting into a pile of mulch.

well done, except jeep analogy (4 runner owner here, modded...im a jeep fan though too and would trade up for a rubicon)

 

[hinmo24t]

I was looking at an exterior semi transparent deck stain rather than spar varnish for three reasons. The prep is a lot more important and detailed on the varnish, the application technique is going to be a technical nightmare because of all the crevices and slats, and varnish will leave a shiny finish. The deck stain seems to be able to be slopped onto clean wood without any special prep, and will soak in and leave a decent finish without much effort. Is that an accurate perception?

Thanks for the tips on pressure treated wood, which I needed. If I'm understanding correctly, I can use the shelf and overspray from watering won't affect the curing process, or do I need to let it gas off for a few weeks dry before throwing stain on it?

theres teak oil too

 

[sorce]

Proximity Mines and a Sniper Rifle.

Sorce

 

[Matt B]

I'd add some corner bracing to the 90 degree angles.
It doesn't look like it would take a whole lot of "push" to accordion the whole rack.

Each upright has 3 five inch screws predrilled and countersunk. That leaves almost 3 1/2 inches of metal in the uprights. The number of uprights and shelves gives it even more structural strength. If it takes my 180 pounds sitting on one shelf and 70 pounds of gravel on one of the cantilevered shelves, 8 bonsai and a gust of wind arent going to flatten it.

 

[Matt B]

Proximity Mines and a Sniper Rifle.

Sorce

Sorce, mines would be counterproductive, they would damage the plants as well as any trespassers. Now the sniper rifle has some merit...

 

[sorce]

Only strong enough to take out a squirrel and not a pot! Lol!

Nice stands!

Sorce

 

[Matt B]

There she sits.