modern planters Archives

The Ultimate Recycling Statement

DeepStream Designs’ mantra: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” is evident in recycled plastic lumber planters and recycling bins created to reduce human impact on the environment. As I pointed out in a blog on Plastic Lumber Planters more and more customers are making the switch to recycled plastic lumber reducing environmental impact at the same time as maintenance costs.

Recycled Plastic Lumber is perfect for clients that are working on projects striving to integrate sustainable design into their projects. Using Recycled Plastic Lumber (RPL) for planters not only reduces tropical rainforest deforestation but it also greatly reduces maintenance for you saving you time, money, and effort.

The color of Recycled Plastic Lumber Planters Vs the color of 3 year old tropical hardwood planter like teak

For 10 years now, DeepStream Designs has been building planters with the same sophisticated design as the wood Mariner planter using HDPE plastic lumber made from 100% recycled milk jugs and also planters from Phenolic resin and 100% recycled cardboard. Recycled Plastic Lumber (RPL) combined with our trademark marine aluminum extrusions and aircraft aluminum frameless design is a no-nonsense “set and forget it package” perfect for restaurants, commercial installations, and residential projects where minimal maintenance is as important as aesthetics.

As with all planters, the plants themselves help cool the earth, cleaning the air by producing oxygen as they convert and trap carbon. In addition, RPL planters crafted by DeepStream reduce man’s impact on the environment because:

It’s RECYCLED and RECYCLABLE!

– Using recycled plastic lumber or cardboard and phenolic lumber planks eliminates the cutting of trees and uses far less energy to ship and manufacture.

– The plastic lumber DeepStream uses is made from recycled HDPE (high-density polyethylene) from milk jugs and other polyethylene packaging that might otherwise be destined for landfills.

– The planter and recycle bin liners are also both made from LLDPE ( low–density polyethylene).

– Aluminum, the world’s most available and abundant mineral, legs and straps, along with plastic components are 100% recyclable.

Maintenance Free!

– Uses no energy, chemicals, or materials to maintain.

– Recycled plastic lumber never needs to be painted, oiled, or stained and won’t rot, splinter or split an in DeepStream’s marine anodized frame with no paint or powder coating to fail it can be pressure cleaned.

5 HDPE Recycled Plastic Lumber standard color options Ipe Brown, Tropical Hardwood, Aged Hardwood, Concrete Grey. and Weathered Teak — 5 HDPE Recycled Plastic Lumber standard color options

3 samples of tropical hardwood options Ipe, Jatoba, and Cumaru — 3 Tropical Hardwood Options

– Proprietary extruded legs of 6063-T5 aluminum are finished with a durable etched marine anodized finish and HDPE non-scuff feet.

– Stainless steel fasteners are installed with dialectric paste to prevent corrosion.

– Modular design facilitates easy repair should a product be damaged. Recycle the damaged piece and receive a replacement piece at DeepStream’s manufacturing cost, using their Core Replacement Program. Don’t throw away that valuable product!

RPL Colors won’t fade – Ultra-violet stabilizers used in the lumber ensure colors look as vibrant decades from now as they do today.
Cost Effective – Working with 100% recycled plastic lumber and cardboard phenolic lumber not only reduces production costs, but it also requires NO MAINTENANCE, reducing the life-cycle-cost of ownership over time compared to wood Garden Planters.

While the 100% recycled plastic lumber specified for DeepStream is still full 3/4″ thick tongue and groove planking with a simulated wood grain, and only a few cents a square foot less than natural hardwood lumber, several aspects of Commercial LEED Garden Planters and Recyclers reduce the manufacturing cost without cutting quality so that DeepStream can pass along the savings to its customers:

Planter Boxes and waterproof liners with drainage are stocked in specific sizes to eliminate waste.
Planing, sanding, and hand-rubbed finish are eliminated taking hours off of production time and saving energy.

Optional drain attachments with overflow control on the liners allow planters to be used in any interior or exterior installations.

Planters with liners ship fully assembled, just add dirt, or they can be disassembled for shipping or flat storage in 15 minutes.

DeepStream's 100% recycled cardboard Phenolic lumber — DeepStream’s 100% recycled cardboard Phenolic lumber

Ipe Brown 100% RPL on top of natural Ipe

“Ipe” Brown RPL planters

DeepStream LEED 100% Recycled Plastic Ipe Brown Planter

“Ipe” Brown RPL planters

DeepStream' LEED 100% recycled plastic and aluminum garden planters — DeepStream’ LEED 100% recycled plastic and aluminum garden planters

Phenolic, cardboard and resin, planks look like leather and thrive in the harshest conditions.

Shown here with aluminum Zephyr banding separating the planks on a 36″ cube Mariner planter and stock liner.

DeepStream planter made with 100% recycled cardboard lumber

For more information on Sustainable Garden Planter Design click here.

DeepStream Planters will last decades while Carpenter built planter construction will only last 3 to 5 years.

DeepStream's Commercial Wood Planters have a hidden aluminum frame

DeepStream’s Planters are a 3-part engineered system modular assembly of replaceable parts which incorporates DeepStream’s trademark marine anodized aluminum legs, tropical hardwood or maintenance free recycled plastic lumber panels, and sturdy aircraft aluminum frame that supports a food safe, 100% recycled LLDPE waterproof liner.

Don’t confuse these planters with carpenter built planters that will fall apart in 3 to 5 years. Deep’Streams engineered system internal aluminum frame supporting the liner, with advanced drainage solutions, allows for a Lifetime Structural Warranty. The aluminum frame also allows you to add accessories like casters, screen wall, trellises, and more.

If you’re an owner or manager of a property where a wooden planter will be placed give serious consideration to planter construction techniques. Consider what it will mean in terms of cost and disruption to go back and replace or repair carpenter built planters, especially on rooftops and balconies, every 3 – 5 years.

Click to see more info on DeepStream's 3-component engineered commercial planter system with a hidden aluminum frame supporting a waterproof liner from trademark marine anodized legs. — DeepStream’s 3-component engineered commercial planter system with a hidden aluminum frame supporting a waterproof liner from trademark marine anodized legs.

With DeepStream’s wooden planter design all parts are replaceable making maintenance, refinishing, and repairs quick and easy.

DeepStream-7 year old unmaintained pre-refinished planter in place with liner removed

DeepStream 7 year old refinished planter back in place after sanding off .014″ and applying Ipe Oil.

Even stainless steel fasteners are galvanically isolated by using a proprietary dielectric paste so that they may be removed easily years later to replace parts or refinish the planter easily. the before and after pictures of the 7 year old planter shown in pictures above only had the original coat of factory waterproofing and no maintenance. The “fresh” look was achieved by sanding off just.014” of the 3/4″ thick planks exterior.

Why? Each plank of a wooden planter is cut from a different part of the tree ,or even different trees. This means each plank has its own differential rate of expansion, splitting, and warping when wetted. This makes dimensional stability using standard wood-on-wood construction in two dimensions impossible to maintain over time, and shipbuilding techniques and maintenance are far too costly for planter construction.

Tropical Hardwood properly maintained will last for decades in DeepStream's aluminum frame while recycled plastic lumber will be maintenance free — DeepStream Ipe planks after 7 years. Unmaintained on left. .014″ sanded off and and oiled on right

Wood on wood planter construction uses carpentry techniques that fasten wood to wood, and planters tear themselves apart with the expansive forces that wood exerts through repeated wet and dry cycles.

Problems with carpenter built wood planters

For centuries, wood dowels have been inserted into holes drilled into rock, then soaked with water. The expansion force of the wood is thus harnessed to crack blocks off marble and granite for construction, even though the blocks are hundreds of times thicker than the thin wooden dowel. This is the same action at work on a carpenter built wood planter splinting seams apart.

In addition, most wood planters lack adequate isolation from the soil and the deck or sidewalk, which promotes fresh water rot, water entering vertical planks creates cracks as you see above and below.

DeepStream uses proprietary marine anodized legs and stainless steel fasteners to clamp the wood and direct the expansionary forces up the channel so that the wood can expand and contract at different rates without affecting the planter’s structural integrity.

DeepStream Design’s proprietary marine anodized extruded aluminum legs are engineered to support a hidden structural aluminum frame which supports the waterproof liner and HDPE feet to isolate the planter from contact with soil and the ground.

Unless directed to do so by a customer, DeepStream never uses paint or powder coating, which will fail in 3-5 years. If you order environmentally friendly maintenance free recycled plastic lumber they may be cleaned with a pressure washer.

Virtually blemish free 7 year old proprietary marine anodized aluminum leg after simply wiping down with mineral spirits

Large Wooden Planter: comparing real wood to recycled plastic lumber. Click to see more about recycled plastic lumber planters — Large Wooden Planter: comparing real wood to recycled plastic lumber

For even lower maintenance cost and greater longevity consider ordering DeepStream’s recycled plastic lumber planters and do your part to save the World’s tropical hardwood rain forests.

The commercial grade rigid plastic liners, mounted on an independent aluminum frame, contain the soil and prevent contact between the soil and the wood, preventing rot.

16 sizes of rugged waterproof stock planter liners and custom welded liners to any size: click the picture for more information — Lightweight wood planters need liners to prevent them from rotting. Here you see 16 stock sizes of rugged waterproof, food safe, plastic planter liners with advanced drainage Custom welded planter liners are available in any size.

The waterproof planter liner with advanced drainage is an important feature of DeepStream’s commercial planter system. Container grown bushes, small trees, and perennials require repotting from time to time and DeepStream’s liners tapered shape allow for easy replanting and conditioning in the s p ring.

Tag: modern planters

Recycled Plastic Lumber makes a Garden Green

The Ultimate Recycling Statement

Wooden Planter Design

DeepStream Planters will last decades while Carpenter built planter construction will only last 3 to 5 years.