How to Make a Patriotic Potting Table

How to Make a Patriotic Potting Table

Would you like to pot those gorgeous plants on your own DIY Patriotic Potting Table? You can upcycle a few pieces of discarded furniture, decorate for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, plus have a practical, hard-working potting table for all of those planting projects you’ve been planning during the dreary winter.

Materials:

• an old computer table
• an old china hutch top
• drop cloth
• red spray paint  (we used 2 cans of Rust-oleum Apple Red)
• Apple Barrel Gloss 20424E Real Blue
• outdoor flag cloth (I bought 2 yards)
• an old yoga mat, or any other type of batting
• poster board
• glue gun and glue sticks
• hardware to attach the computer table and china hutch top-not pictured, my husband did this part
• paint brushes- 2″ foam, small angle brush
• clear acrylic sealer spray
• fabric protector spray
• sandpaper or sanding block
• decorative wooden Dollar Tree stars
• I chose not to use the faux hydrangeas, and the red metal star

Instructions:

I’ve had this potting table project in my mind for awhile. We had an old computer table in our little shed that I was using to store dishes for The Little Dish Cottage, my eBay store. I found the china hutch top at Goodwill for $16. My husband attached the two pieces by drilling holes, then screwing the two pieces together. The third picture below is the underside, where he added the screws.

Next, I wiped everything down, then roughed up my surface with sandpaper. I didn’t bother to prime the piece, because I wanted the blue surface to look distressed.

Start with Apple Barrel Real Blue. Use the small angle brush to get the corners, then paint the surface area with the 2″ foam brush. Rough it up with sandpaper, or a sanding block after it dries, if you want your potting table to look distressed like mine. Finish with clear acrylic sealer spray. I performed this step later in the process, but should have done it at this point.

Then, paint the hutch with Rust-oleum Apple Red spray paint. My husband did this part, and placed a drop cloth over the blue table top while painting. I wanted the potting table to look distressed and time-worn, and the hutch to look bright and shiny, to set off my decorations.

After painting is complete, place the poster board in one of the back sections to make a pattern. You will use this “pattern” as a base for upholstering the china hutch shelf wall with the outdoor flag material. I traced one side, then the other, and put them together. I wanted this element to be removable, in case I wanted to change it later.

The poster board should fit snug, but with a little space to add the batting and material. Lay the poster board pattern on the yoga mat, and cut the yoga mat to match the dimensions of the poster board. The foamy mat will serve as your batting.

Plug in your hot glue gun. Cut your outdoor flag fabric using the poster board as a pattern. Leave a 1″ fabric border all the way around. Place the fabric on the bottom, then lay the yoga mat batting, then the poster board. Pull the fabric tight, then hot glue the 1″ border in sections on the back of the poster board. Glue the corners as you go. When you turn the poster board over, you will have a gorgeous, upholstered backing for the middle shelf back of your china hutch. If it doesn’t fit securely, you can hot glue the piece to the backing of the china hutch, or use duct tape. This method works for upholstering anything. I have a hope chest that I upholstered using poster board, batting, and hot glue 30 years ago. It is still perfect today. Spray the fabric with fabric protector spray.

Decorate Your Patriotic Potting Table

You’re all done! Now, for the fun decorating parts! The area where we placed our potting shed was nothing but dirt. We’ve had the hardest time getting plants to grow there. We bought ivy, a metal trellis, and some inexpensive pink flowers that require partial shade. My husband planted those, then placed some 12″ bricks and small pebble rocks around everything. The yard is sloped in that area, so he had to use a brick paver to level everything. You can see where he took a brick from the trim on the side. My newly upgraded small porch is in the background, Read How to Live Big on a Small Porch, if you’re interested in seeing its transformation.

I further “patriotized” the potting table with some stars from Dollar Tree that were attached to a burlap ribbon before I peeled them off. They fit perfectly in the grooves. Down below, I have a lavender plant and another perennial waiting to be potted on my new Patriotic Potting Table! I can’t wait to use it.

Blessings.

Kristie

This post was featured in: Oh My Heartsie Girl’s Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Thursday Favorite Things

Linking up here

Read Hand Painted Black-Eyed Susan Flower Pots