This is a very simple project. It measures 8' x 8' and is 11" high. I simply used eight 2" x 6" treated pine boards and one 8' 4" x 4" treated pine post. I used an 11" 4 x 4 cross member in each corner and an 11" 4 x 4 in the center to connect the 2 x 6's. I used 2 coats of a water based natural cedar deck stain as a finish. I connected everything using 3 inch deck screws.
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Water based deck and fence stain (natural cedar). I used 2 coats applied with a brush.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Comments
Cindy from Indiana (not verified)
Sat, 03/10/2012 - 07:58
That looks beautiful! Quick question...
Wow! That turned out beautifully! We are looking at starting a raised bed garden as well. Yours turned out great.
Quick question/concern, though. Are you growing edibles in yours? If so, what did you do to block the treated lumber so it doesn't leach chemicals into the soil?
You did a fantastic job!
windjamer812
Sun, 03/11/2012 - 01:37
Pressure Treated Lumber Is Safe
The chemicals used to treat lumber today are safe. Even with growing food. I can attest that the plants will not be dwarfed by it either. My tomatoes reached heights of 6 feet. I have included a link to a PDF file from Purdue University explaining that. The stain is simply an exterior water based deck stain called natural cedar. The chemicals in stain that are used today no longer contain arsenic. This was eliminated in 2003. This includes oil based stains. I hope that answers your question.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hort.purdue.edu%2Fe…
Cindy from Indiana (not verified)
Mon, 03/12/2012 - 08:28
Thanks for the response!
Hey windjamer812,
Thanks for the response and the link! That's good to know as it really opens up the materials available to me. I'll go check out that PDF as well.
Your project turned out beautifully. I'm excited to start something similar.
Thanks, again!
Cindy
P.S. Go Boilermakers! ;-)