today’s final before & after project comes from d*s reader chad kelly. after seeing a converted file cabinet-planter at a local nursery (with a $600 price tag!), chad decided to try the idea in his own garden on a lower budget. chad found a great filing cabinet on craigslist for $10, put it on its side, made planter boxes for each drawer and then spray painted the entire piece a bright yellow. add succulents and voila! a budget-friendly planter made from an old filing cabinet. great work, chad!
[have a before & after you'd like to share on d*s? just shoot me an email right here with your pictures!]
73 Comments
What an amazing garden statement piece! So simple, yet so bold. And to think, this was created from an office filing cabinet. I love it!
brilliant!
clever!
Really cool idea–it came out great. I just looked at his blog and he’s got another great before and after on there involving a slab of wood and hairpin table legs.
i actually have a smaller filing cabinet I was planning on doing this very same thing to (crazy!) but, i hadn’t planned to put in the planter boxes (I’m lazy and again, mine is smaller) can I get away with skipping them?
Love the yellow! Love it!
Cool. I’d love to see the drawers get the same treatment and become 4 mini planters next to it.
WHOA! NOW I’m impressed. That is increds!
This is wonderful! I think I will try this because you could also make it portable.
nice!
i am most definitely trying this!
the yellow, fantastic. the idea, brilliant! ultra mod!
I’m new to this website, and it looks like I came at the right time. Clever, awesome idea! I love it!
karly, you should totally do it without the boxes… the small cabinet wouldn’t need that much soil!
OMG perfect for the bamboo screen I want to start!
This looks awesome! I wonder that the bottom of the file cabinet looks like though…
great great great!
Awesome! My deck isn’t big enough for something like that but it definitely gives me inspiration to try something new in the garden.
what a fantastic way to repurpose furniture!
this before-and-after is a slam dunk.
drainage?
It’s funny, my neighbor just took a couple of the drawers, leaned them against each other, and stuck a bunch of potted flowers in them. I couldn’t decide if it was trash or art.
I absolutely love it, but how were drainage holes integrated? Was a water-proof/rust-proof paint used? I would switch out the wood mulch for stone, grit, or gravel, as wood mulch tends to harbor moisture near the crown of the plant which increases the chance of rot. I’m totally going to run with this idea!!!
I had a question about drainage as well, but would it be enough to drill a couple holes into the bottom? I have a crappy old file cabinet that I don’t need for files, and I need a planter… so if this isn’t as poorly thought out as the rabbit hutch post was, then I would love to re-enact!
this is awesome! now i can’t wait til i find a discarded filing-cabinet by the side of the street so I can drag it home and try this out on my terrace! i’m also curious about the drainage issue though.
Love it, It’s funny you can see the yellow on the grass, I’ve had many colors of grass in the past. HA!
stella
a few holes should be more than enough, especially if you have a layer of rocks in there. :)
g
so clever!!!
Brilliant idea!
What a great idea!!
I noticed there are no photos of the bottom of the file cabinet (in its original position). They tend to be open, is it so for this one or was it boarded up or what?
love the yellow.
How many times did you have to spray paint the cabinet to get the color to be that even and bright? Thanks.
What a great idea! I love the yellow against the succulents.
What an excellent idea! Very creative!
wow, you’d never know what it once was!
thanks for the kindness! yeah, i used treated plywood loaded with gravel at the bottom of the boxes- hopefully it’ll drain and last a while. also, the cabinet had a finished bottom- mine was Anderson Hickey. Think it took about 4 cans of Rustoleum yellow to get the job done!
What a great idea!!
I think the color is so amazing–I would look at that and instantly think it had a HUGE price tag! Well done!
Wow this blog is brilliant! And Great idea!
OMG … this is such a smart idea!!
what a great way to repurpose those filing cabinets. Love it!
I am so stealing this idea for my yard! I LOVE it! I work at a school and they are constantly getting rid of old filing cabinets…New project time! Thanks so much for this clever idea.
OMG!!! I love this! I am in need of a long tall planter for both sides of my house and this idea is perfect and CHEAP!
GENIUS! it’s amazing that you took something boring, cheap, and ugly and turned it into something that looks professional, expensive, and beautiful!!
So clever! What a great use of something many people drop off at the dump…great work!
oh wow, that’s a brilliant idea.
BRILLIANT!
I’m hitting the garage sales this weekend!!! I was just thinking of how I could build one of these in an easy way! Geesh, some people are just so darn creative!!!! This is over the top in re-purposing!
Loved this before and after. Tis so easy, but has huge impact!
Great idea! I looks really nice in that bright yellow…now what to do with the drawers?
this is fantastic, reminds me of a good friend (has several of these filing cabinets & loves to putter in the yard). but what are we going to do with the drawers?!
That is so stinking awesome! Wow! If I have a garden someday, I hope to do this! What a great idea and a wonderful way to recycle a cabinet!
Very Brilliant!
WOT!!! That’s damn creative. Now that’s thinking out of the box.
Scouring Craigslist as we speak!
it’s fantastic, and i love that rich bright yellow. chad, as the succulents grow and multiply, please send us a follow up photo.
WOW! Love it! Brilliant!
great way to add a touch of boldness to a yard! looking at those file cabinets, i think they could work as unique indoor storage as well! maybe even a storage bench?
I love this iece, Its recycled but still looks clean and modern! I love a smooth surface and this planter idea is just that! Great creativity and execution!
Not only it is a great green project but am loving the colors and plants chosen. Well done!
I like this much more than my ikea pots.
Really a terrific Idea!! what a great way to make a planter. i could see doing a whole garden out of these!
thanks!
what type of paint would you use to keep a metal file cabinet from rusting outside?
this is the stuff i used here:
http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=24&sid=7747830
Brilliant! Thank you for sharing.
I am SO doing this…using my husband’s broken lateral files he will NOT get rid of
I can’t wait to go garage “sailing” and find a cabinet I’m doing it orange and planting bamboo like a previous blogger! Excellent site!!!!!!!
Amazing idea. I’ve got a couple in the garage that I’m going to plant up!
I am looking forward to trying this idea next spring! I love the yellow!!
Thanks for this blog! I was looking for a way to do this and I was able to make my own! I’ve listed some tips if you’re making your own!
Love this, I have a spot that kinda needs a little retaining wall and this could do the trick. I thought it would also be nice to put molding on the sides of the filing cabinet before painting.
Wow! I’ve been trying to design an outdoor room on a budget and low and behold, you have given me the perfect DIY for my planned boarding walls! What a wonderful idea!!!
I’m filing that under fabulous. I just picked up 8 free cabinets before they threw them away.
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