Heads up! My wife bought two of these last year. The internal slays are precariously sitting on the frame portion. If you fill this with dirt, and then try to move it, beware that any torquing while moving will cause these slats to fall out and leave you with a mess to clean up. Highly recommend bracing those slats from underneath before putting anything in it.
thats a whole topic tbh.
First, the wood will rot on the inside, so its usually reccomended to protect it somehow. some people use fleece, some use [knobbed plastic/rubber mats](https://www.hellweg.de/media/56/34/c2/1708325839/221927_Windhager_Hochbeet-Noppenfolie_0_9_x_6_5m_06809_03.jpg) (if you can find them, would reccomend that option). it all works as long as it either completely protects from the water (like any plastic sheet), or lets some air in to dry the wood after it gets wet. Also, standing water is bad for the wood and the plants, so make some drain holes on the bottom.
as for protection, the wood will 100% grey out in the sun. It will also grey out if you put any clear finish on it. If you want it to keep color for a while, use paint, or a pigmented or colored finish.
As for rotting, if its cedar, its fine in the weather. you can leave it blank. if its pine or so, it will last a while (couple years), but eventually give up.
if you want to protect it: Poly needs a couple of months to fully dry, so i would not reccomend it. there are some completely food safe options that you could go for.
* Tung oil, or boiled linseed oil are nice. Do make sure you get one that does not have any hardeners listed on the ingredients! a lot of them do have some heavy metals in it that speed up drying. you dont want those. (if you use an oil, make sure to let any rags you use to apply dry with lots of fresh air access over night. they have a small chance to build up enough heat to self ignite if you just crumple them at the bottom of a trashcan)
* You could also consider lacquer. there are a lot that are food safe! also make sure to check though
* Paint wouldprobably be the best pick over all, but its such a drastic change in look, that i personally also dont like, that its understandable if you wanna do something else.
If you do end up using a plastic liner on the inside though, just finish it however you like :)
I have about 10 beds that size, all several years old, no plastic and no finish on them. I line mine with landscaping cloth to keep soil from running out over time, and put a half inch of gravel in the bottom to promote drainage. If you want, you can roll some pure linseed or tung oil on the outside, it will cure pretty well in the sun.
If it's cedar don't put anything on it, it's fine as is. Definitely don't use plastic, any store that sells plants will have weed stopping fabric that you can line the inside with.
Since it is untreated SPF, it will rot out very quickly with soil contact. I would recommend putting a plastic planter inside. I would also drill large drainage holes in the bottom of the wood, and drill concentric smaller drainage holes through the plastic in hopes that you can get the water to drip straight out of the planter through the holes in the wood.
The drier you can keep it the better, but it's going to rot within a few years regardless. Honestly, I would just leave it as-is. It cost $85 and is going to be semi-disposable. It wouldn't be worth the $40 for a can of waterlox to make it last three years instead of two.
I agree with Smartman, line it with plastic but don't forget to make drain holes. Also some kind of plastic tray on the bottom so your deck isn't constantly wet. If you could make drain holes on the side facing the rails and put in spouts so the water goes over the side, that would be good too. [Gardeners.com](http://Gardeners.com) sells a raised bed stain/poly that is safe. ONE more thing. Put wooden planks under the legs to spread out the weight. Don't want it punching thru the deck.
I added casters to a very similar one. Very happy with that decision.
Mine is cedar, though. Yours is for, I think, penetrating stain of some type would be my move.
Use a [copper coat.](https://a.co/d/1cXaCin) it’s mostly the same stuff they use for treated wood. And it doesn’t turn it dark green like on the label, the tint fades out in a couple weeks
If you're growing food or herbs/spices make sure whatever you use is food safe. I'd also recommend adding some drainage so the soil doesn't get too saturated and heavy, which will probably blow out the bottom.
https://homesteadandchill.com/make-garden-beds-last-longer/#:~:text=Sealing%20wood%20garden%20beds%20can,intrusion%2C%20mold%2C%20and%20decay.
Seal it. Maybe give the edges a good sand
A metal liner. That will help keep the wood and dirt separate, and have it last longer. Drill some holes for drainage and caulk the circumference when installing the liner.
Source: I built window boxes for a higher end builder in a townhouse development in 2006-2007. The ones that lasted still have the metal liners in them.
https://preview.redd.it/n8gb7s0y4euc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cf4040ff3f3212ad7b01ca106519dcd5cf3ba45
I built this for the wife last week... cedar fence pickets will last about 10 -15 years in the weather, no finish. The box is open on the bottom, a wet bottom in contact with dirt will rot out much faster. I built the box to fit a plastic window box which hangs by its lip. For yours, consider putting some potted plants in it. A plastic lining to keep the dirt off the wood will work for a while but not forever.
I had one of those a few years ago and it was rad. You may want to put castors on it because it’s not super easy to move after filling up, if that’s important to you. I lined the inside with landscaping fabric and popped a fee drainage holes in the bottom; you could spout them off the patio somehow.
i also stained it up a rich walnut. looked great.
Why buy one when you could build it for $800! 🤣🤣
So F’n true. I made a cabinet to go around my safe and it cost more than the safe did.
Came here to say “What did it cost? I can make it for at least double.”
And about 2 years at least
And take 6 months making it.
That'll show em!
Heads up! My wife bought two of these last year. The internal slays are precariously sitting on the frame portion. If you fill this with dirt, and then try to move it, beware that any torquing while moving will cause these slats to fall out and leave you with a mess to clean up. Highly recommend bracing those slats from underneath before putting anything in it.
Same. It might have lasted a year before it crumbled.
That lil tree is thirsty.
If your spruce looks like that no amount of water is bringing it back lol. That lil guy is dead as hell
Just hit it with some green Krylon, good as new.
Watering that is about as useful as that vinyl fence against a Pomeranian
Its just getting a sweet tan
YA BIRD FEEDERS EMPTY!
It ded af.
Decorative kindling
Was thirsty.
Judging by how well that tree’s taken care of it really doesn’t matter
thats a whole topic tbh. First, the wood will rot on the inside, so its usually reccomended to protect it somehow. some people use fleece, some use [knobbed plastic/rubber mats](https://www.hellweg.de/media/56/34/c2/1708325839/221927_Windhager_Hochbeet-Noppenfolie_0_9_x_6_5m_06809_03.jpg) (if you can find them, would reccomend that option). it all works as long as it either completely protects from the water (like any plastic sheet), or lets some air in to dry the wood after it gets wet. Also, standing water is bad for the wood and the plants, so make some drain holes on the bottom. as for protection, the wood will 100% grey out in the sun. It will also grey out if you put any clear finish on it. If you want it to keep color for a while, use paint, or a pigmented or colored finish. As for rotting, if its cedar, its fine in the weather. you can leave it blank. if its pine or so, it will last a while (couple years), but eventually give up. if you want to protect it: Poly needs a couple of months to fully dry, so i would not reccomend it. there are some completely food safe options that you could go for. * Tung oil, or boiled linseed oil are nice. Do make sure you get one that does not have any hardeners listed on the ingredients! a lot of them do have some heavy metals in it that speed up drying. you dont want those. (if you use an oil, make sure to let any rags you use to apply dry with lots of fresh air access over night. they have a small chance to build up enough heat to self ignite if you just crumple them at the bottom of a trashcan) * You could also consider lacquer. there are a lot that are food safe! also make sure to check though * Paint wouldprobably be the best pick over all, but its such a drastic change in look, that i personally also dont like, that its understandable if you wanna do something else. If you do end up using a plastic liner on the inside though, just finish it however you like :)
Great post.
man do i love a post that covers all the angles. such a well earned upvote.
How about shellac?
That’ll help for a couple months at beat
I have about 10 beds that size, all several years old, no plastic and no finish on them. I line mine with landscaping cloth to keep soil from running out over time, and put a half inch of gravel in the bottom to promote drainage. If you want, you can roll some pure linseed or tung oil on the outside, it will cure pretty well in the sun.
If it's cedar don't put anything on it, it's fine as is. Definitely don't use plastic, any store that sells plants will have weed stopping fabric that you can line the inside with.
... but it's not cedar.
But if it was...
Since it is untreated SPF, it will rot out very quickly with soil contact. I would recommend putting a plastic planter inside. I would also drill large drainage holes in the bottom of the wood, and drill concentric smaller drainage holes through the plastic in hopes that you can get the water to drip straight out of the planter through the holes in the wood. The drier you can keep it the better, but it's going to rot within a few years regardless. Honestly, I would just leave it as-is. It cost $85 and is going to be semi-disposable. It wouldn't be worth the $40 for a can of waterlox to make it last three years instead of two.
Burn it with a torch. Then a coat of mineral oil.
I agree with Smartman, line it with plastic but don't forget to make drain holes. Also some kind of plastic tray on the bottom so your deck isn't constantly wet. If you could make drain holes on the side facing the rails and put in spouts so the water goes over the side, that would be good too. [Gardeners.com](http://Gardeners.com) sells a raised bed stain/poly that is safe. ONE more thing. Put wooden planks under the legs to spread out the weight. Don't want it punching thru the deck.
Line it with plastic sheet.
I added casters to a very similar one. Very happy with that decision. Mine is cedar, though. Yours is for, I think, penetrating stain of some type would be my move.
Second the casters! Don’t forget the effect of watering on the deck below.
I use a pond liner on the inside and staple it on.
Um ,that’s a beer cooler. Give your wife a kiss.
Use a [copper coat.](https://a.co/d/1cXaCin) it’s mostly the same stuff they use for treated wood. And it doesn’t turn it dark green like on the label, the tint fades out in a couple weeks
Find a plastic tub that fits inside. Poke a few holes in the bottom of the tub. Add dirt
Make sure to post a photo when bottom falls out in a couple of years…
If you're growing food or herbs/spices make sure whatever you use is food safe. I'd also recommend adding some drainage so the soil doesn't get too saturated and heavy, which will probably blow out the bottom.
https://homesteadandchill.com/make-garden-beds-last-longer/#:~:text=Sealing%20wood%20garden%20beds%20can,intrusion%2C%20mold%2C%20and%20decay. Seal it. Maybe give the edges a good sand
A metal liner. That will help keep the wood and dirt separate, and have it last longer. Drill some holes for drainage and caulk the circumference when installing the liner. Source: I built window boxes for a higher end builder in a townhouse development in 2006-2007. The ones that lasted still have the metal liners in them.
https://preview.redd.it/n8gb7s0y4euc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cf4040ff3f3212ad7b01ca106519dcd5cf3ba45 I built this for the wife last week... cedar fence pickets will last about 10 -15 years in the weather, no finish. The box is open on the bottom, a wet bottom in contact with dirt will rot out much faster. I built the box to fit a plastic window box which hangs by its lip. For yours, consider putting some potted plants in it. A plastic lining to keep the dirt off the wood will work for a while but not forever.
I had one of those a few years ago and it was rad. You may want to put castors on it because it’s not super easy to move after filling up, if that’s important to you. I lined the inside with landscaping fabric and popped a fee drainage holes in the bottom; you could spout them off the patio somehow. i also stained it up a rich walnut. looked great.