Wood pallets are typically used during the shipping of huge items, hence a common sight in depots and warehouses. But today, creative do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts have turned to wood pallets as go-to building materials for different construction and home improvement projects.
This doesn’t come as a surprise because these pallets are eco-friendly and cheap. They also have a unique look thanks to their natural finish due to the exposure to environmental elements over time. Furthermore, they are readily available year-round and can easily be purchased in retail or bulk from suppliers like Challenger Pallet & Supply.
If you’re considering using wood pallets in your home, there’s an endless list of creative ideas to transform wood pallets. Here are six ways to creatively repurpose wood pallets for home use.
- Nightstand
Your bedroom isn’t complete if there’s no nightstand to place items such as your phone, watch or cup just before dozing off. Fortunately, you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to acquire one. You can use wood pallets to build yourself a nightstand. This process isn’t complicated, so you shouldn’t be intimidated about starting. But if you still need a helping hand, don’t feel shy to ask for help from an expert.
- Garden Chairs
Using wood pallets is a cost-effective alternative to store-bought synthetic and outdoor metal furniture. They are also environmentally friendly, which further boosts the ambiance of the natural spaces outside.
Designing these garden chairs is straightforward because you only need nails and wood offcuts in addition to the pallets. Consequently, you can also use your advanced woodworking skills to make more complex chair designs and structures.
Below are the steps for building a simple chair. It should not take up much of your effort and time for construction.
- Think of an appropriate design for your pallet garden chair. You can get inspiration from furniture magazines and home improvement websites.
- Get the dimensions of the space where you intend to place the garden chair.
- Paint the wood pallets with a mini roller for a uniform finish or brush for the harder-to-reach areas.
- Secure the base of your intended garden chair by placing one or a couple of pallets until you reach the desired height.
- Create the wood pallet chair’s back by placing another pallet vertically and ensuring it’s firmly secured in place using screws and drills.
- Add cushions to the wood pallet garden chair to make it comfortable. Ideally, use brightly colored pillows to add fun and personality to your garden chair.
Once complete, the garden chair will revamp the look of your outdoor space for several years and be the main area of attention.
- Pallet Bed Frame
In today’s contemporary lifestyle, the desire for most people is to keep things airy and light. And you shouldn’t worry about the durability of the wood pallets as they are capable and manage to carry hundreds of pounds when used during shipping. Therefore, they can also hold your weight and the mattress without sustaining the slightest damage.
To start building your frame, you need to thoroughly pressure wash the wood pallets and let them dry for a couple of days. After that, screw together the pallets at the middle braces. To complete the contemporary look of your pallet bed, consider adding a wood pallet bed headboard. Once you’re done building the base and headboard, you can let the wood maintain its natural finish to get a sophisticated yet rustic look. Likewise, you can apply satin polyurethane to coat it.
You may also add wheels to the bed frame if you tend to change the position of your bed and for easy cleaning.
- Shoe Rack
Wood pallets can also be creatively designed to set up a shoe rack. You don’t need a lot of DIY experience to make one.
A shoe rack made of wood pallet is a great addition to keep your shoes organized, especially if you like the outdoors. You can hang your dirty shoes without worry. It’s functional, durable, and customizable in size and shape to fit its allocated space.
Here are the steps to follow when building a shoe rack from a wood pallet;
- Measure the space you will station the shoe rack.
- Find a design you like and draw a simple layout to serve as a construction guide.
- Disassemble the wood pallet using a hammer to get the usable parts.
- Make sure to remove all the nails.
- Create the shelf according to your chosen design. Consequently, cut the smaller planks to ensure they perfectly fit inside. Ensure these wood planks are firmly held in place using screws and fit blocks.
- Add support by layering a couple of extra pallets.
- Sand the wood pallet to achieve a smoother finish.
- Wood Pallet Compost Bin
The compost bin provides you with a place to dispose of organic waste materials that are useful for farming projects. Rather than buying a compost bin, it’s even better to build yourself one using wood pallets. A DIY bin will also do an excellent job composting the garden, kitchen waste, and other organic materials because it’s well aerated. As a result, it helps boost the breakdown of organic matter further.
Moreover, opting for wood pallets makes them more environment-safe, and building one is more cost-efficient and almost effortless.
First, find adequate space in your garden. Then, you can hold them up in a standing position and have them lean against each other to create the walls. Finally, you use screws to hold them in place.
- Vertical Wall Planter
The lack of garden space is a common issue among most homeowners. While some have the budget to expand their lawns, setting up a vertical wall planter or a standing garden is an excellent alternative to avoid spending.
This vertical wall planter is ideal for making your garden stand out. Building the vertical wall planter isn’t challenging, and all you need is to set aside a couple of hours. You also need several pallets and a few materials, including nails, hammers, staple guns, landscaping paper, potting soil, and plants. Then, you can build yourself a vertical shelf to hold small pots or a soil-filled vertical garden to grow plants and herbs directly.
After setting up the vertical wall planter, you can either leave it as it is or paint it so that it’s colorful. You can also experiment with growing different plants to see which one best light up your garden space.
Takeaway
Designing your home and ensuring it has a distinct look is usually a daunting task for homeowners. They are sometimes put off by the high costs and the demand for more time. Because of these issues, homeowners have resorted to using wood pallets as an alternative material. They are environmentally friendly and cheap, and they are also versatile materials to create functional pieces that will bring up the aesthetics of your home.
