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Difficulty: Beginner
Create a high-impact focal point in any space with this stunning artificial plant wall.
Whether it's an attractive feature for your alfresco dining area or used to add colour indoors, an artificial plant wall can offer a low-maintenance touch of greenery around your home.
Inspiration for this creation comes from the D.I.Y. artificial plant wall by accomplished Bunnings Workshop member @Nikkaz. Thanks again for sharing your wonderful project with us.
Steps
Step 1
Take your sheet of 15mm plywood and cut it midway at 1200mm. You might like to take advantage of our in-store cutting service for ease of transport.
Mark a central point at least 500mm in for all edges. Place a screw at this centre point. Now measure 500mm out from the screw and place a mark there. Put a loop in your string and place it over the screw. Create another loop at 500mm for your marker. Using the string as a guide, draw a circle on the sheet.
Step 2
Raise your sheet off the ground and cut the circle out with your jigsaw. Once you've cut out the circle, place it on top of the second sheet and transfer the outline onto it. Create a reference mark on the two circles by putting a dash at their edge. Once they are both cut out, you can marry up the reference marks and sand any rough edges.
Step 3
Take your piece of 70 x 35 treated pine and cut out nine spacers at 150mm long. You'll use eight of these around the perimeter of the circle and one in the middle.
Step 4
Roughly mark one of your circles into eighths. They don't need to be precisely accurate. It's easiest to mark out quarters and then a mark in the middle of those for eighths. Take a spacer and place it on the edge of the circle where you have marked it. Trace around the spacer as we'll use this as a guide when placing the screws. Do this for all eight marks.
Step 5
Pre-drill two holes per spacer within each outline using your drill bit. Screw the spacers into position with your 40mm treated pine screws. Follow the same method and install the ninth spacer roughly in the middle of the circle.
Once you have installed the spacers, add the second circle on top. Make sure to marry up the reference lines on the two circles. Although they're identical, they won't be perfectly circular. The reference lines assist in fitment. Pre-drill holes above the spacer locations and fix in screws.
Step 6
Put on your safety glasses and gloves. Take your three garden edging pieces and join them together by bending over the locking tabs. Drill three holes at the end of the edging. With your 30mm black screws, fix the edging to one of the spacers. Continue around the circle, drilling holes and fixing the edging with screws into the spacer locations. Once you reach the end, mark the edging and cut it off with your tin snips. Fix the edging so both ends meet neatly.
Step 7
The edging is slightly wider than the frame we have created, leaving a lip on one side. Locate this side and paint it with green paint to disguise the timber colour.
Lay your hedge tile over the frame and fix it with the 30mm screws into the timber. You'll find conveniently located screw holes in the hedging for mounting. Trim the excess hedge tile hanging off the perimeter of the circle. You might notice a lack of greenery in some areas. Cut strips from the excess hedging material you previously removed and screw those into the gaps.
Step 8
Drill two holes on your backboard approximately 30cm from the top and 30cm apart from each other. Fix the screw eyes into position. A screwdriver will assist in tightening them.
Step 9
Place a screw in a solid timber object. Put on your safety glasses and gloves again. Take three 600mm pieces of your wire and twist them around the screw. Clamp the other end of the three wire strands into your drill chuck. Slowly start the drill which will twist the three strands together. Remove the twisted wire from the drill and screw. Loop the wire through your screw eyes. Twist the wire several times back around itself to secure.
Step 10
Add your extra assorted greenery to suit your preference and cover any sections that look scarce.
You've now completed your artificial green wall. Try experimenting with different sizing and shapes. Perhaps a smaller version for your child's bedroom? Or be ambitious and create an architecturally-inspired green wall running the entire length of a building.
Materials
- Artificial hedge tile 1m x 1m
- Assorted artificial greenery
- One sheet of plywood 2400 x 1200 x 15mm
- One piece of treated pine 70 x 35 x 2.4m
- Three lengths of 1180mm Oxyshield garden edging
- 100 piece pack of 10G x 40mm treated pine screws
- 25 piece pack of 8G x 30mm black screws
- 30m roll of 1.57mm wire
- Two 50mm screw eyes
- String
- 500ml of green paint
Tools
- Jigsaw
- Cordless drill
- 9/64-inch HSS cobalt drill bit
- Tin snips
- Tape measure
- Marker
- Paintbrush
- Safety glasses
- Gloves
Images
