DIY Air Plant Hanger

Give your air plant a home in an environment of beauty when you mount it against a backdrop of natural wood.

The mystical air plant subsists not on air as its name suggests, but absorbs moisture through unique structures on its leaves. Since it requires no soil, a wide range of display options are available to you for showing off your air plants. Embrace their natural beauty by crafting an air plant hanger out of a metal ring secured to a wood slice. Display several air plants in a cluster on your wall or brighten up your workspace with a little piece of nature.

Editor's Tip: Copper is toxic to air plants. We used copper-colored pipe hangers.

Working Time 30 Minutes
Start to Finish 3 Hours
Difficulty Projects Kind of Easy
Involves Cutting, Sanding, Staining/sealing

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What you need

Tools

Paintbrush
Hammer
Drill and drill bit
Sanding block
Needle-nose pliers
Phillips screwdriver
Wire cutters
Pencil

Materials

Wood slices
Bell-shaped pipe hangers
Flat, water-based polyurethane
Saw tooth picture hangers
Air plants
Scrap wood

How to do it

Step 1 Prep Wood Slices

Apply two coats of flat, water-based polyurethane to the wood slices, sanding between coats. Also brush poly onto the bell-shaped pipe hanger. Let the poly dry for 2 hours in between coats. This will seal your planter and protect it from wear and tear. Next, attach a picture hanger to the backside of the wood slice. Use needle-nose pliers to secure the nails for the hanger before hammering.

Step 2 Mark Pipe Hanger Position

marking pipe hanger position on wood slice

Position pipe hanger and mark position lightly with a pencil. (The hanger will cover up the pencil mark.) Use the air plant to help determine where you'd like to place the pipe hanger, then set aside.

Step 3 Drill Pipe Hanger Hole

Place a piece of scrap wood underneath the wood slice to protect the table you are working on. Drill a pilot hole through the entire wood slice. This will mark the center attachment point of your hanger.

Step 4 Attach Pipe Hanger

Snip the screw that is supplied with the pipe hanger to match the thickness of the wood slice. Screw the pipe hanger to the wood to secure it. All that's left to do is hang your wood slice up on the wall and add an air plant!