How to Make and Hang a Window Box on Vinyl Siding

Add some farmhouse style character to your outdoor spaces by adding a window box – learn how to hang a window box on vinyl siding, and whip up the window box!

This window box idea from the beginning took a lot of convincing that it was absolutely, positively, 100% necessary for survival. Andrew doesn’t drill holes in the vinyl siding, ever. I get where he’s coming from, I really do. I don’t want water leaking in the walls or anything, at the same time, I need flowers in beautiful boxes under the window.

I’m happy to report that I finally broke Andrew down to use some of his reclaimed wood haul for a window box.

Victory!  That window is naked, boring, and right over the deck where we hang out.

Naked enough for the Inspired Makers May Challenge. My friends and I are so excited to show you our fresh outdoor projects!

Join us the last Friday of each month for a different Inspired Makers Challenge

Follow with #InspiredMakers and #InspiredMakersChallenge to see more amazing projects  each month!

The rules are simple – whatever the project is, it has to fit the monthly challenge theme, which is something different to inspire you each month!

May Challenge: Porches and Outdoor Spaces
Load up on all the Outdoor Inspiration from your hosts:

Lisa @ The Purple Hydrangea | Kim @ Farmhouse Made | Sarah @ 1915 House
Kimm @ Reinvented | Denise @ My Thrifty House | Anika @ Anika’s DIY Life
Kellie @ Gratefully Vintage | Sam @ Raggedy Bits 
Leanna @ Faeries and Fauna | Victoria @ Dazzle While Frazzled

Let’s make this window box…

We pulled a few pieces that fit the length and width we wanted, after measuring the window. We cut and cussed the wood as it split and fell apart in a few places. The trials and tribulations of using 50yr old wood!

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After it was all cut, I tried to strip the paint – some was blue, some white, all gross. It ended up an ugly muddled grey, so we hit it with the sander and settled for what we got. We glued and screwed it together, then stained with Early American (Minwax) and sealed it with a clear satin poly.

Remember I mentioned that siding? To hang a window box on vinyl siding, there are literally a few options: clips, brackets, DIY

• These siding clips are a great idea if you’re using a coconut liner wire-style box, that is amazingly lightweight even when wet.
• Corbel style brackets are what I wanted in the first place, but I couldn’t find any anywhere in the stores in my town, and I was running out of time.
• We went with the DIY method of making our own french cleat out of pressure treated scrap lumber. You can buy the metal version (they’re amazing – we used a big one to hang our salvage door as well as our oak door headboard), but a wood version was going to be the best for the profile of the siding.

We made the cleat by cutting a piece of wood at a 45-degree angle, and mounting the pieces on the wall and the box – each with the short end facing in (so the pointy ends are away from the flat area of the wall/box).

After we had our pieces ready, we realized the french cleat wouldn’t fit the profile of the siding at the window after the siding was going to be pulled in by the screws, and it wouldn’t hit the studs in the wall under the window because it was a bit short. We got the idea to add a spacer piece of wood on the wall piece, but the studs were still an issue.

Moving on to plan B. Story of my life, am I right?

Andrew had the idea to hang it on the garage instead  – we could see the studs from the inside and measure for sturdy (read: over-engineered) perfection. It’s right next to our farm and gardens in the back yard, so it’s perfect.

There are plans for the rest of the blank area on the other end of the garage, but we decided to incorporate the window box above the peppers, green beans, and carrots, and we added a hand painted sign on the same wood right above it. I used a different technique than my usual wood signs, and I loved it so much I’d love to share how I made this sign soon!

This mini Magnolia Silos-vibe farm garden area of the yard is going to be perfect once it’s all finished!