Making my 2" Thick Foam Planters

Well.. I was asked by a friend here..how I make my foam planters.Dolly.. this is for you . these are made of 2" thick foam.. much thicker than the insulation in your refrigerator.. it has the advantage of isolating the day heat to the roots of cooler loving plants.. like your brugs and perhaps clemantis plants... when you water with the 65* water..it keeps the roots at this temperature for a prolonged period during the hot day.. These palnters also will insulate the roots in case of a freeze.. and will also minimise premature thawing in the spring..when the late winter's hot sun wants to cause them to break dormancy ina thin plastic planter..only to freeze the following evening.. causeing stress..
first I start with a 2'x8 ' foam building panel... this is the pink or blue foam available at Lowe's.. and Home Depot... it's not the white styrofoam.. whichis made of the compressed white pellets.. although OK for use.. it isn't quite as strong.. but it is cheeper..
I figure out the layout and size of the pieces needed.. to make my desired sized planter.. I've made them many sizes .. lengths..widths..and heights from 2' deep and8' long... and some times only 8" wide to smaller ones.. for this project I wanted to get as many as big as possible from my 2' x 8' pannel. I'm making two planters... each 2' long x 1' high... and 16"wide outside..// I cut 8 1' wide pannels across the 2' width of the pannels.. getting 1'x2' planks.. removing the overlapping or indexing tabs on the edge of the 2x8 plank.. shown

This message was edited Oct 21, 2008 12:20 AM

I cut two of the1' x 2 ' planks in 1/2 forthe two ends of eack of the planters... then apply a constructon adheasive .. I prefer the home depot PL polyurethane premium construction adheasive shown here..

which ever construction adheasive you use.. make sure it SAYS it is good for use on foam

I then apply the construction adheasive to the cut inside edges of the end pannels... these will set inside the front and back pannels .. I apply a generous ammount.. but keep it away from the edges... to minimise excessive mess on the outside.. I apply in in a few lines along the edges

This message was edited Oct 21, 2008 12:08 AM

OK..I place the front or back pannel onthe end pannel with theadheasive.. and run a few [ 3 here ] of the 4"long exterior coated screws [shown in the second picture along with the adheasive tube ] into the pannels... now these screws don't really grab the other pannel all that much.. but do hold it together while the adheasive dires strong... but it doeswhen it goes therough the adheasive..coat the screw...so as it goes into the inner pannel it takessome adheasive in the hole made by the screw... so thethreads.. and the adheasive go in and help really lock them together when dry..
Here's Anthony.. my helper with the pannels being screwed together to form a box... then cut the bottoms to size to fit inside this square.. useing adheasive on the inside of the box before inserting the bottoms inside.. then screwsare put in through the front/back and ends.. to hold the inset bottoms in place

I then run a bead of adheasive all along the inside corners of my box... and push it into the cracks with a bit of plastic on my finger to form a tight seal on the pannels... locking them together some more... at this point this box will hold water if enough adheasive is used..
also shown in this photo is the Japanese style saw I use on the foam.. it has a thin edge and cuts it easily.. just be sure to keep it square with the pannel.. to give nice square edges

This message was edited Oct 21, 2008 12:26 AM

OK.. this is the basic box... I sand the top and other edges smooth.. and give a slight rounding over or radius to all corners.. to prevent chipping...
thiscan be painted now.. but I usually use a synthetic stucco..to cover mine.. giving the foam great durability.. and a cast concrete look... now the synthetic stucco recomends useing a fibergalss mesh cloth to wrap around all surfaces... this comes in different weights of cloth.. up to a real heavy one that you could walk on.. or slam with a baseball bat... it ties the tox together..on the edges... and nothing would ever harm or stress it.. I use it on all foam building projects ..or structural applications.. I don't usually use it on my planters though ..as I'll not stress them.. and will easily repair any chip or problem if one falls full of soil and a bit of an edge chips off.. but here it is as it might wrap a comercial job..

OK...I've built alot with the foam..it is a widely used construction format... before coating with the stucco.. you can add any additional embelishmentstothe planter.. molding... trim... designs.. any thing you wish to make it become something that enhances the look or matches the decor....this is afoam skylight house with a foam edgeing detail aroung the edge.. all of LAs vegas is made of this stuff... when they say it's created like New York.. it's more than likely a bunch of details of foam.. coated with a stone stucco covering.. trowled or sprayed on

here'safew more of the stuccoed foam detailing in the garden.. fluted foam columns... [oh a side line here.. do you know why columns are fluted around the outside of them.. the ridges going up and down the columns... it seems if you were hiding behind a smooth column..and someone shot at you with an arrow or spear.. on striking the column it would bend.. and in this bent form start to curve around the column..and it could strike you even hidden behind.. the fluting knocks this projectile down.. and prevents you being struck.. hiding behind it...] fulting wasa great invention in early urban warefare..kind ofmakesyou wonderwhythere is so much of it around today..anyway.. more garden foam.. this is all made of foam...even my fluted columns..

so this is also a long foam planter... about 10' long and 2' tall... blocks between the front and back are glued in to help keep it form distorting over such a long distance.. also bands can be placed over the top from front to back... this is a fine textured stucco.. it comes in a few textures.. and the color here I believe is steel gray.. a bamboo trellis is inset into the top edge on the back for vines.....
the stucco I use is Parex..thisisalink to their site..all of the things ... in the buildings is foam.. walls...window detailing design..color.. it's all covered by this stucco system http://www.parex.com/
and they havea bout everycolor or texture you might desire.. other companies make coatings looking like granite or other stone.. here's the color chart
http://www.parex.com/Stucco/Colors.html
they recomend a base coat.. /adheasive.. this I use for construction.. and strength.. and over the fiberglass fabric but for the planters as I said.. I just paint on or trowel on the finish coat.. of color..as it's a real low impact item...
WELL THERE YOU GO DOLLY... good luck with it... It has been a valuable part of keep ing my brugmansia Sang happy in the heat here on the hot roof..and should be helpful
in other hot locations.. for sencitive roots... Gordon
OH.. Ialways provide big drainage holes.. usually in the side of the planters.. maube 3/4" or 1" holes... I place lots of them in the sides at the bottom.. as holes in the bottom will not drain if the planter is sitting on anything flat...

This message was edited Oct 21, 2008 1:23 AM

Gordon, thank you for taking the time to post your container making project for me. Looks like a craft I would enjoy doing. What I really love are those beautiful fluted columns! I would love to incorporate those into my landscape designs.....arbors would be beautiful designed with those columns. How did you obtain the rounded, ridged-look on the backside of your column? I'd like to get this look to the front entry way of my nursery.......Lol, can I borrow that helper of yours ;) ?

I've got a very artistic nature, and already have a 100 different designs in my mind for flower pots. Your containers sound like the perfect planter for our hot Louisiana summers.

Have you ever made a small pond/waterfall using the foam & stucco? I wonder how well this would hold water, if it were wrapped in the mesh cloth?

Thanks again! Going now to check out those websites.

Dollie

Wow, thanks for all the detailed information! How creative!

Thank you Gordon for this wonderful information, i will certainly also try it for some of my Brugs, the Decorative Mexican Clay pots i use on some of them are just to warm, have to water 2 to three times a day.
Thank you again

Gordon, very interesting.
Question: Is the Japanese type saw easy to find? (Post #5697899)
farizona

Farizona... well thanks.. yes that type of saw is quitecommon now... stanley.. nickolson and a hoast of others...they have a few of them .. it's easy to keep aligned.. and it cuts quickly... it cuts on the pull stroke.. mark your line on the bad side of good woodwork.. .both Lowes and Home depot here have a few of them .. here's some decoration going on the outside of one..

brugele.. well if you water a few times.. it will keep them water cool most of the day..
Mary.. well thanks..the picture here.. uses the1 1/2 " foam.. to make a cool storage room for overwintering here in zone 7a.. it's designed to be broken down in the summer.. It is so well insulated and air tight..I can heat it with a small heater..
Dolly.. yes it would make a nice fountain.. I've never done a fountain.. although I did carve a hunk of it.. as a 20' long cloud.. with one side as the bathroom sink.. with the water comming out of the cloud.. up some stairs to the 6' x 6' bathtub.. with the showerbeing on a claper switch.. and down to the kitchen on the far side of it.. where the corner double sink was carved into the foam.. with a 16" thick butcher block inset into the foam.. I'd carved a toilet.. but there were lots of fluid dynamic flow aspects that I didn't care to work out.. so I imbeded a standard toilet into the foam... but...then again.. that was the 60's.. I did a bunch of growing pieces for my home then.. like replacing the window sills.. with interior planter boxes.. and a closet with it's roof as a planted lawn [ lights up inbetween the ceiling beams..] and a bed hanging from the ceiling on chains.. above the lawn .. but that was the 60's.. and before the days of string trimmmers.. and I had to cut the lawn with clippers.. and lots of other plant "art" pices there / then..
here's the cool wintering building.. 6' x 8' x 8' tall..in construction today
Gordon

Gordon, what talent you have! I plan to "try" making a few planters, goldfish pond with fountain, giving the front of my GH a new look this winter. I'll keep you posted on my attempts. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Gorden Like everyone I must say thank you for the infor. I love your projects,
I was able to follow you all the way until I got to the synthetic stucco. Can I buy it
from Lowe's or Home Depot. If I have to order from Parex, can you tell me what
I will have to order to make planters. On the Parex I did not see any synthetic stucco,
if another name is use I would not pick up on, when it come to building things, I'm not that
quick.

Dollie Pleaseeeeeee, share some of your planter designs with me. You sound like
you have a eye for designing.

Thank you both Gale

Aloha Gale...
Well.. synthetic stucco is what Parex sells... in their site.. for the planters I just use the topping color coat.. for ultimate strrength.. you'd wrap in the mesh.. then the bottom adheasive coat.. then a topping coat .. for ide or long planters...you might wish to tie the sides together with a fowm bulkhead.. wall...or wire or a threaded rod.. with nuts/washers inside and out tieing one side to the other..
here's the link to the PA dealers of Parex..there are other companies.. but at $60/ 5 gallons
I paint on two coats.. add a bit of water to it and roll it on.. or use a big brush.. for smaller items.. http://parex.com/locate.cgi
they trowel it on.....
http://parex.com/Stucco/Colors.html I pick a color [link ] and it gets mixed in a 5 gal bucket.. ..
you can put on any sort of detailing..or molding.. like I could have put a nice plastic crown molding around the top of my building.. or applied fluted 1/2 foam columns..but mine is comming down in the spring..
did you see the how too for containers in the container garden forum.. here at Dave's






pcolor coat.. find the

Gordon Thanks for the infor.

Gordon thank you for sharing your skills. I like long planter.