Learn how to make a very simple and chic DIY midcentury plant stand with hairpin legs. A plant stand is an easy way to make large plants look bigger and more intentional.
DIY Midcentury Plant Stand
I want to focus more on doing some quick and easy DIYs for those of you who don’t have either the time or the tools required for big builds. The truth is, smaller projects are probably more practical for most people…including me these days, if I’m being honest.
So today I’m sharing a quick and easy DIY midcentury plant stand I made for a beautiful plant I recently brought indoors for the winter. (I shared a post about debugging plants to bring indoors for the winter.) It looked great in the space but was just a hair too short. There’s something about even a small plant stand that makes large plants look more intentional.
While I whipped mine up using scrap wood from my wood pile, I’m also going to explain how you can make this if you don’t have access to any saws or a KregJig. For those of you with a tool collecting problem—I’ll also include the steps I took to make this using some scrap from my supply 🙂
DIY Plant Stand Supplies
(Affiliate links below; read more about those here)
- ¾” plywood
- If using scrap wood: KregJig and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Varathane water-based polyurethane in matte
- 6” hairpin legs and ¾” wood screws (the ones that come with the legs are too long)
- Drill
And here’s how to make a DIY midcentury plant stand with hairpin legs
Always take the proper precautions and safety measures before working with any tools or materials. Wear safety equipment and work with a professional to complete projects when necessary. Read my full terms of use and disclosure for more. Happy making and stay safe!
Step 1: If you’re using scrap wood for your stand…
I decided to work with scrap plywood I had left over from the 4×8 piece I used for my indoor cat house side table, my hairpin leg plant stand, and a hanging plant pot holder. Yes, after all of those projects, I still had materials left over! Talk about stretching one $50 piece of plywood as far as it can go.
The piece I had was longer and thinner than what I wanted to use. I wanted a square that was no smaller than 12” by 12”, no larger than 14” by 14”. The piece was about 8 inches wide, so I cut two 14 inch pieces from the scrap piece. I then trimmed one of them down by 2 inches, leaving me with one 8 inch piece and one 6 inch piece.
If you’re looking for an easier, saw-free option…
There are a few routes you can take if you don’t have a saw—or if your saw isn’t capable of ripping larger pieces of plywood. I’ll list my ideas below.
- Grab a piece of 2 foot by 2 foot ¾” sanded plywood at Lowes for under $10 and have an employee cut it down for you to your desired measurements.
- Find the poplar that you have cut in store and pay for by the foot. Here is a link to what I mean. Get a 1 inch by 12 inch board and have an employee cut off a 12” piece for you. The listed price online at Lowes is $5.48/foot.
- If you want to paint the stand and don’t mind not having a wood look, you can get a ¾ inch 2 foot by 2 foot piece of MDF and have them cut it down in stores. It’s listed on Home Depot’s website for about $5.50.
- If your plant is light enough, check out something from the craft store like this 14 inch by 14 inch unfinished wood pallet plaque or this 12 inch by 12 inch wood panel that’s ¾ inch thick.
Like DIY planters? Check out my roundup of my best planter DIYs, as well as my DIY plant propagation station!
Step 2: Assemble the plant stand’s main part (if using scrap wood)
Since I was hellbent on using scrap wood, I needed to attach two pieces to one another to create the size I needed. I did this by using my KregJIg K4 to drill pocket holes in the two pieces where I wanted to join them.
I then used 1 ¼” pocket hole screws to join the two pieces together. Since my plant was pretty heavy, I also decided to use the piece I’d trimmed off as a perpendicular support piece. I just drove a few wood screws in to reinforce it.
You can skip this step if you do not have to join pieces of scrap wood!
Step 3: Attach the hairpin legs
This would usually be my last step, but I decided to do it before finishing the piece. I thought elevating it would make it easier to apply the urethane on the sides.
I attached the beautiful 6 inch hairpin legs using ¾” wood screws. The screws that came in the package with the legs were too long to use.
Step 4: Sand and finish
After giving the entire wooden platform piece a light sanding using 220-grit sandpaper, I applied one coat of my favorite finish: Varathane water-based polyurethane in matte. I love the flat matte finish, and it provides superior protection.
I did three coats total, sanding lightly and wiping the piece down between each coat. After I was done the final coat, I let it dry completely overnight and then popped my plant on…and a few friends 😉
Easy as that! What do you think? You really can’t beat it, honestly. The larger elevated surface area also gives me some more growing space in a higher light area of our home. Gotta maximize all the space I can!
Want plant care tips for my favorite houseplants? Check out my roundup of the easiest houseplants to care for. You can also check out my favorite plants to propagate: snake plants, succulents, pothos, peperomia, string of pearls, rubber plants, and prickly pear cactus.
Pin my DIY Midcentury Plant Stand!
Brittany is a seasoned DIY home and garden expert, running a creative brand since 2014 that inspires others with approachable plant care guides, woodworking tutorials, and decor projects. She is a certified project manager and has completed extensive coursework in the art and science of growing your own plants. Her work has been recognized by major publications, and she routinely collaborates with fellow DIY industry leaders—but her favorite thing to do is inspire you! Learn more about her here.
Leave a comment