Turn An Old Pile Of Tiles Into An Open-Bottom Planter With A Savvy DIY
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Do you happen to have a pile of old tiles in the garage that are left over from a long-forgotten renovation? If you keep looking at it and waiting for inspiration to hit, you might want to explore a few unique ways to reuse old tiles in the garden. All it takes is four tiles joined together to create an open-bottom planter that's both modern and surprisingly easy to make. The design works especially well with large-format porcelain or ceramic tiles, giving the finished planter a clean, minimalist look. Thankfully, TikTok creator Chantal had the idea and created a video to show you how it's done.
All you're going to need for this project is four large tiles, a tube of Le Page PL Multipurpose Construction Adhesive, a caulk gun, and some painter's tape. Since this planter won't have a base, you'll want a spot outside in your garden where you can position it, either on soil or at the edge of a lawn. You don't want to place it on a solid surface because water will drain freely and stain the concrete or pavers. Of course, you'll also want some potting soil to fill your planter, plus some lovely blooms and foliage to complete the picture. If it's going to be quite large, remember that you can easily fill your planter with a scrap you can get for free from your yard, such as shrub and tree trimmings. This reduces the amount of potting soil required while also improving drainage.
Making your open-bottom planter
For this project, all you have to do is glue the four tiles together to form a box. Use painter's tape to hold the tiles in place until the adhesive dries completely. Don't forget to add a line of adhesive along each inside seam for extra strength. You might even want to strengthen each of those joints further by covering them with something like icanfly Clear Caulk Tape. It's a good idea to let the planter cure for around a week or follow the manufacturer's recommended curing time before filling the planter.
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You're now ready to take your planter outside and put it where you have planned. Fill the box with good quality potting mix, and select some pretty plants to grow in it. You might want to choose some annual flowers, like petunias, to add some color, or you could consider growing some edible greens, like lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard. If you have more tiles to use up, why not make another one that you can position near your kitchen and use it to grow a few herbs?
This is such an easy project that you might even be inspired to go out and purchase some smaller Moroccan tiles to make bespoke planters for your indoor plants or succulents. Or, this could be another genius way to use leftover tile from your pool build. You could even use five tiles so that these planters actually have a base, or, if you're using small tiles, cut down a soda bottle to squeeze inside the cube. The bottle will hold the soil and plant.