Flower Trough Centerpiece Made From Recycled Fence Posts

As I was perusing through the Pottery Barn catalog one day, I came upon a photo with this flower trough centerpiece with beautiful hydrangeas sitting on it.  It immediately made me think of the old pile of fence slats that I trash-picked inherited from my neighbor.  I knew it would be simple and free to recreate.

The one in the styling of the PB shot looks metal but I think my weathered wood one looks just as amazing.

pottery barn flower trough

Overall dimensions of mine: 20” x 3 1/4” x 3 1/4”

Supplies:

2 old fence slats (mine were 3 1/4” wide)

miter saw

air brad nailer and stapler

old thin belt (optional)

scissors

tape measure and pencil

1.  The fence slats were 3 1/4” wide so the first two pieces I cut were 3 1/4” x 3 1/4” for the length on the ends.

2.  Next, I cut 2 of the sides at 20” and then the bottom piece at 19”.  (Since you won’t have the same slats that I did just take the thickness of your board and times it by 2 and then subtract that number from your sides to figure out how big your bottom piece should be).

DIY flower trough

3.  Once all the boards were cut I used my brad nailer and nailed the sides to the bottom piece.  Then I attached the front and back pieces.  Simple as that!

Weathered Wood Flower Trough 4.  You can leave it as is or try and find a grayish color paint to paint the ends since you can see the original color of the wood once cut.  I opted for an old belt that was way too big for me and cut two pieces to 13”.  Then I air stapled that to the sides to give it handles.  Functional and cute!

Flower trough tutorial weathered wood flower centerpiece

5.  Then I put a cry out for some hydrangeas to fill it and my friend Lisa came to the rescue.  I filled it with these gorgeous blue and purple hydrangea blooms from her yard.

hyrdrangea flower centerpiece

flower trough

flower centerpiece

Do you like weather wood?  Check out the other projects I have made with the stolen inherited fence slats. (Links below)

old fence projects

Eat, Surf Pray Art (with free printable), Pallet Silhouette Art, Barn Wood Frames, How Sweet It is to Be Loved By You art piece

Don’t have old wood sitting around? You can still make one with purchased wood. Check out a couple of my friend’s tutorials here:

Shanty 2 Chic Planter Box Centerpiece

Ana White’s Herb Garden Planter

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37 Comments

  1. The PB version looks like an old card catalog drawer. Or a metal version from an old tool chest. My dad had some old steel drawers like that.

  2. This container is SUPER cute! I love how you thought to use your leather belt for the straps–co clever! As good as the PB or better–better actually–I want one!

  3. Really nice piece! Thinking of the belt for handles is what makes you so amazing!

  4. I LOVE this look! I am into old wood and rustic decor. Looks fairly easy to make even though I don’t have a saw like this. Very clever with the handles and I think it looks better than the PB photo!

  5. So many times I have thought about making one of these. I have TONS of old fence boards. It never occurred to me use them for this project, but they are perfect. What a gorgeous idea, and I have Hydrangeas! Pinning this project, and will hopefully complete it before my Hydrangeas finish blooming!

  6. Awww, thanks so much! Thanks to my fence slat stash I have started to incorporate more rustic decor into my home. Glad you enjoyed it!

  7. It doesn’t get too much easier than this, and it’s just perfect for hydrangeas. Let me know if you give it a go. 🙂

  8. Love, love, love it! And you can dry the hydrangeas if you want to keep the arrangement for a long time. I like the color contrast with the white and the blue. My friend and I built a platform (tree house) when we were kids out of her parent’s old fence slats.

  9. Love! And I think my favorite part was how you “casually” threw in the part about the belt that was too big for you and so you go and make custom leather handles…..so smart!

  10. Hi Deborah, Thanks for the tip about drying the hydrangeas. That’s a great idea, especially since I had to hunt down the hydrangeas! 😉 I’m glad my little centerpiece could bring back happy childhood memories for you. Thanks so much for reading!

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  12. I’m just curious… I trash picked a bunch of old fencing hoping to repurpose it for home decor, but I read online that it might not be safe for indoor use because of the weather treatment. Do you have any idea about that? Because I LOVE this project!

  13. Hi Connie, I am so glad you like it! The fence posts would be fine by now. However, newer wood that hasn’t been aged is iffy because of the chemicals they use to preserve outdoor wood products. However, if it has been outside for years it is usually safe for indoor use now. Hope that helps!

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