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July 23rd, 2009
before & after: chad’s filing cabinet planter

chadbefore
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!]

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69 comments
Kathy said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:05 pm

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!

tara said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:08 pm

brilliant!

Ludid said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:22 pm

clever!

Sarah said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:28 pm

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.

July 23rd, 2009 - 2:29 pm

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?

Dawn said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:34 pm

Love the yellow! Love it!

July 23rd, 2009 - 2:35 pm

Cool. I’d love to see the drawers get the same treatment and become 4 mini planters next to it.

July 23rd, 2009 - 2:35 pm

WHOA! NOW I’m impressed. That is increds!

July 23rd, 2009 - 2:39 pm

This is wonderful! I think I will try this because you could also make it portable.

jasmine said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:47 pm

nice!

Lizzie said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:49 pm

i am most definitely trying this!

Susan said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 2:49 pm

the yellow, fantastic. the idea, brilliant! ultra mod!

Cher said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:13 pm

I’m new to this website, and it looks like I came at the right time. Clever, awesome idea! I love it!

chad said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:18 pm

karly, you should totally do it without the boxes… the small cabinet wouldn’t need that much soil!

Tia said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:20 pm

OMG perfect for the bamboo screen I want to start!

Martina said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:24 pm

This looks awesome! I wonder that the bottom of the file cabinet looks like though…

Karina said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:28 pm

great great great!

July 23rd, 2009 - 3:29 pm

Awesome! My deck isn’t big enough for something like that but it definitely gives me inspiration to try something new in the garden.

Dawn said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:29 pm

what a fantastic way to repurpose furniture!

July 23rd, 2009 - 3:35 pm

this before-and-after is a slam dunk.

kristina said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:45 pm

drainage?

Kayt said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 3:59 pm

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.

Rachel said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:00 pm

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!!!

stella said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:06 pm

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!

Eliza said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:13 pm

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.

Jocelyne said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:14 pm

Love it, It’s funny you can see the yellow on the grass, I’ve had many colors of grass in the past. HA!

grace said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:16 pm

stella

a few holes should be more than enough, especially if you have a layer of rocks in there. :)

g

robin said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:21 pm

so clever!!!

July 23rd, 2009 - 4:35 pm

Brilliant idea!

July 23rd, 2009 - 4:35 pm

What a great idea!!

stella said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 4:50 pm

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?

james said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 5:06 pm

love the yellow.

Nicole said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 5:11 pm

How many times did you have to spray paint the cabinet to get the color to be that even and bright? Thanks.

yansy said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 5:24 pm

What a great idea! I love the yellow against the succulents.

July 23rd, 2009 - 5:33 pm

What an excellent idea! Very creative!

July 23rd, 2009 - 5:59 pm

wow, you’d never know what it once was!

chad said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 6:01 pm

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!

Liz said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 7:15 pm

What a great idea!!

July 23rd, 2009 - 7:21 pm

I think the color is so amazing–I would look at that and instantly think it had a HUGE price tag! Well done!

July 23rd, 2009 - 7:45 pm

Wow this blog is brilliant! And Great idea!

Cecilia said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 8:14 pm

OMG … this is such a smart idea!!

Christina said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 9:36 pm

what a great way to repurpose those filing cabinets. Love it!

jenjems said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 9:40 pm

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.

jenny said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 9:48 pm

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!

dinah said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 10:00 pm

GENIUS! it’s amazing that you took something boring, cheap, and ugly and turned it into something that looks professional, expensive, and beautiful!!

July 23rd, 2009 - 11:34 pm

So clever! What a great use of something many people drop off at the dump…great work!

July 23rd, 2009 - 11:37 pm

oh wow, that’s a brilliant idea.

lynne said:
July 23rd, 2009 - 11:51 pm

BRILLIANT!

Teri said:
July 24th, 2009 - 12:04 am

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!

Jo in NZ said:
July 24th, 2009 - 12:56 am

Loved this before and after. Tis so easy, but has huge impact!

July 24th, 2009 - 1:02 am

Great idea! I looks really nice in that bright yellow…now what to do with the drawers?

July 24th, 2009 - 1:35 am

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?!

July 24th, 2009 - 5:20 am

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!

Kim said:
July 24th, 2009 - 7:36 am

Very Brilliant!

Celia said:
July 24th, 2009 - 8:30 am

WOT!!! That’s damn creative. Now that’s thinking out of the box.
Scouring Craigslist as we speak!

July 24th, 2009 - 9:11 am

it’s fantastic, and i love that rich bright yellow. chad, as the succulents grow and multiply, please send us a follow up photo.

Amy said:
July 24th, 2009 - 9:54 am

WOW! Love it! Brilliant!

Teresa said:
July 24th, 2009 - 11:49 am

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?

Christina said:
July 24th, 2009 - 12:11 pm

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!

Sarah said:
July 24th, 2009 - 12:15 pm

Not only it is a great green project but am loving the colors and plants chosen. Well done!

LeighS said:
July 24th, 2009 - 12:55 pm

I like this much more than my ikea pots.

July 24th, 2009 - 5:21 pm

Really a terrific Idea!! what a great way to make a planter. i could see doing a whole garden out of these!
thanks!

AlisonP said:
July 25th, 2009 - 3:55 pm

what type of paint would you use to keep a metal file cabinet from rusting outside?

chad said:
July 25th, 2009 - 8:39 pm
July 29th, 2009 - 5:52 pm

Brilliant! Thank you for sharing.

Debbi S. in Texas said:
July 30th, 2009 - 1:11 pm

I am SO doing this…using my husband’s broken lateral files he will NOT get rid of

Jill said:
August 3rd, 2009 - 11:48 am

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!!!!!!!

Sunshine said:
August 24th, 2009 - 2:01 pm

Amazing idea. I’ve got a couple in the garage that I’m going to plant up!

Laura said:
September 23rd, 2009 - 11:38 pm

I am looking forward to trying this idea next spring! I love the yellow!!

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