How To Waterproof Your Plant Pots [5 Minute DIY]

Raise your hand if you’ve ever lifted one of your indoor plant pots or saucers only to find a water ring underneath on the surface of your furniture. It’s happened to me more times than I care to count, so a long while back I came up with a simple DIY to moisture-proof the bottoms of my pots that I want to share with you.

My simple DIY will keep your furniture safe plus it will repurpose a material that otherwise usually ends up in a land fill, (the dreaded styrofoam) so it’s a win-win!

Check out this super simple 5 minute DIY project. (Or click the link if you’d rather watch a quick video.)

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Even if a pot or saucer is glazed on the bottom and has protective pads, water can often still seep through. Yes, even when I thought I had a “safe” pot bottom, I’ve been dismayed when I lifted them for watering and surprise! - there’s a ring on a my furniture.

POT WATER-PROOFING MATERIALS

• Your plant pot or saucer

• Styrofoam meat or produce tray

• Craft glue

• Pencil (or any pointed edge that can score the styrofoam)

• Scissors

I now scavenge those styrofoam trays, especially white or black ones since they blend better with most of my pots. I recently spotted 3 XL sized ones from Costco that held steak sitting in my mom’s trash awaiting the landfill. I whisked them out, gave them a wash, and brought them home.

PLANTER WATER-PROOFING DIY

1. Place your saucer or pot on top of your styrofoam and trace an outline using a pen or pencil. Drawing an outline isn’t important; the styrofoam is soft, so you just need a pointed edge that will score the pot or saucer’s outline.

2. Use scissors to cut out the styrofoam on the inside line of the outline you drew. The outline is already a bit larger than you need, so you’ll get a better fit if your cut just inside the line.

3. Place the pot or saucer on top of your styrofoam circle and see how it fits. Trim as needed.

4. Apply glue to your styrofoam circle and place the pot on top. Double check for a good fit between the styrofoam and the saucer. Let it sit until it has dried.

5. Pop your saucer back underneath your planter or else pop your plant back into the pot.

My giant staghorn fern, Platycerium superbum fits in this pretty faux-bois pot for now (they get really big if given growing room). If you’re curious about why I opt for non-draining pots with plastic liners, check out the post on picking pots based on how you like to water.

Watch how quick and easy this DIY is on the video below:

SHOP THE POST

Hand Glazed Cement Planter, Amazon

Giant Staghorn Fern - Platycerium superbum, Etsy

Stainless Multi-Purpose Shears, Zwilling-Henckels

Kenyan Fair Trade Bone Beads, Amazon

Wood Bead Garland, Amazon

Grey Cement Planter With Drainage, Amazon

Voila! Now your saucers and pots are water-proofed and your furniture surfaces are safe!

Now I just need to work my way through my indoor plant pot inventory and glue styrofoam to every single pot. (OK that would take a while :) Time to run to the market for more meat and produce!

If you try this out, let me know how it worked - leave a comment below.

[Want more design inspo and helpful plant tips? Let's hang out on Instagram!]

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• DIY Trellis for Climbing Indoor Plants

• How To Repot A Fiddle Leaf Fig (Planter Size, Soil, Drainage, & Fertilizing)

• Best indoor plant pots based on how you like to water

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