Recently, creative trends in the handmade style have been quite popular. Even workshops have appeared that make furniture from the most ordinary household pallets or pallets, as they are also called. But why pay for the expensive services of a craftsman when you can simply make a bed, a dressing room or a table from pallets with your own hands. In addition, wooden interior items will look interesting, quite expensive and with a twist.
- Tools and woodworking
What is a pallet?
Pallets, or, as they are otherwise called, pallets, are made from rough, untreated, but very durable boards that can withstand heavy weight, assembled into a two-tier structure of a specific configuration.
Standard pallet
If you have a good imagination and know how to work with your hands, you should try making furniture from pallets. To do this, you should first get a few used pallets sent to a landfill, and then create something original out of them that will help make the decor of your home unique or personal plot.
Relaxation area with sofas made from pallets
Naturally, you will have to find time for preparatory work, clean and smooth rough surfaces, take the necessary measurements, purchase fasteners and accessories, varnish and paint, but even with all this, it is initially obvious that the financial expenses for small things will not compare with the amounts who are asking for new furniture of a similar type, especially one produced in one copy. The time spent and the effort invested will be more than compensated by the appearance of a new piece of furniture that keeps the warmth of your hands.
Pallet sofa in the garden
A sofa and chairs made from pallets will brighten up any area, and don't be too quick to say no to this great idea. After all, what is stopping you? Even if several cheap pallets are damaged, nothing critical will happen, but if you are lucky, you will get a piece of furniture that will certainly become an interior highlight, and for this it is worth trying.
Stylistic decision
The lion's share of pallet furniture ideas is made in the loft style. As a rule, these are simple projects made in a more familiar manner and for everyday needs.
True, if the finished product is painted, it will fit perfectly into the interior design in the Provence style. And Japanese minimalism will be a very good solution.
Features of the use of pallets and their advantages.
The average weight of a standard pallet is 15-20 kg. There are two main types of pallets; their overall dimensions, depending on the purpose of use, can be as follows:
- 120x100x12 cm (standard pallet);
- 120x80x12 cm (Euro pallet).
The wood used in the production of these structures must be strong and durable so that they can withstand a load of up to one ton. After one or two transportations, pallets often remain intact, without cracks or chips, despite this they are usually written off or sold, so even used pallets can find a new life, serving faithfully as unusual and functional pieces of furniture in landscaping for many years.
Kitchen table made from pallets
At the moment, furniture made from pallets occupies a leading position among design solutions in the popularity ranking. Some decorators produce entire collections in eco style, embodying the most unusual ideas using standard transport pallets. Taking your favorite ideas as a basis, you can easily bring them to life in your own way.
Advantages of furniture made from pallets.
DIY furniture made from pallets has a number of undeniable advantages:
1. Fashion trend, popularity, gaining momentum. When creating interior images, unusual elements made from pallets are increasingly appearing, and this stylistic branch continues to actively develop, representing a new stylish trend.
2. Practicality, accessibility and versatility. Anything made from wooden pallets will be much more efficient to use and much cheaper than anything produced in an industrial environment. Typical chipboard models are significantly inferior both in non-standard design and in quality characteristics.
3. Natural, 100% environmentally friendly. The boards from which the pallets are made are not specially treated with any paints and varnishes (stabilizers, impregnations, stains and antiseptics), so they do not carry any hidden threat. Only wood, and nothing extra - what’s not the main tenet of eco-style?
4. Complete freedom of creativity, the opportunity to bring all your bold design fantasies to life.
5. An interesting activity for all family members. In the process of processing pallets and making furniture from them for a home, cottage or plot, everyone can find a job within their capabilities, thereby making a contribution to the common cause.
Tools
Furniture made from pallets is a kind of construction set made up of several pallets fastened together. The manufacturing process is not particularly difficult. It is enough to have the simplest devices.
Tools for working with pallets:
- A screwdriver is a power tool that allows you to quickly screw in and unscrew confirms from wood. The device can be battery or battery operated. In garden conditions, the latter option is more useful, since furniture from pallets is assembled in the open air, where it is not always possible to connect to the network. A drill-driver allows you to quickly and efficiently sand boards with special attachments.
- Grinder is an electric circular saw for cutting wood and metal.
- A wood hacksaw is a hand saw that replaces a grinder.
- An electric jigsaw can be used to cut boards or make shaped decorations.
- Screwdrivers, hammer, pliers are standard hand tools.
When working with wood, you need to wear protective equipment - glasses, gloves.
For painting you will need painting tools: brushes, a rubber spatula for filling cracks and small holes. A nail puller is indispensable when dismantling pallets. The tool allows you to remove old fasteners from boards. Pallets are nailed together with rough nails, which are much more resistant to tearing than regular nails. It will take twice as much effort to pull them out of the boards.
Assortment of wicker furniture, features of combination with the interior
Grinder screwdriver
Wood hacksaw
Electric jigsaw
Hand tool
Painting tools
nail puller
How to choose a suitable pallet?
This is almost the main question that arises in the process of searching for used and used pallets, and it is not accidental. There are actually several types of packaging. They differ in size and condition. It is worth purchasing those options that comply with EUR or EPAL standards; they are easily distinguished by the presence of a special mark.
Pallets with stamp
Pallets made in the USA and Canada have excellent properties; in their manufacture, wood of a higher quality is used than in domestic samples, and there are also product stamps that can be turned into original decorations.
If you can’t get anything like this, you don’t need to be upset; Russian pallets, after processing, will also look very decent.
What function does a coffee table serve?
A coffee table can be used in a variety of ways, here are the most common uses.
- For drinking tea and chatting with friends in the living room.
- You can place books, newspapers, and handicrafts on the coffee table. This will avoid a mess in the room.
- You can work with a laptop or papers behind such furniture.
- Quite often, various decorative items are placed on the table.
- If the tabletop is upholstered with soft fabric, the model can be used as a seat.
- There are original coffee tables, which in themselves are an interior decoration.
Where can I get pallets?
Pallets, despite their unusual shape for containers, are considered packaging material, which means you need to look for them in warehouses and retail outlets of enterprises involved in logistics or sales; many companies use them only once, after which they are written off and sold at cheap prices. You can stock up on designs by looking for an advertisement for the sale of used packaging on the Internet (this kind of information is not uncommon on thematic portals), or you can resort to the old fashioned way - look in newspapers or pay attention to stands with information, the role of which in Russia is often played by poles and fences. The cost of products is most often purely symbolic, but they are usually sold in bulk.
Pallets in warehouses
You can directly contact pallet manufacturers and logistics companies involved in cargo transportation. Many will be happy to give you used materials absolutely free of charge. It is expensive for them to dispose of it themselves, and storage requires a lot of space, which can be used for storing goods and products.
You can also make pallets yourself, in which case you will have to buy boards with a 15-20 mm section and 70 mm timber. They will need to be cut according to the dimensions of the future structure, and then fastened in the standard way, mainly with nails or self-tapping screws.
Kitchen table
To make a dining table, you will need four meters of timber with a cross-section of 2 x 2 cm and several pallets: square, 1 x 1 m in size (for the tabletop), and standard - 1.2 x 1 m (for disassembling into parts).
From a standard pallet you will get eight boards for the table legs, the width of each of them is about 7 cm, and the length is 66 cm. From the timber, cut four 7 x 68 cm sections for the table frame and eight spacers 32 cm long (along the long edge). Cut the ends of the spacers at a 45 degree angle.
Now you can start assembling. If you like the natural texture of wood, sand the parts and coat them with clear or colored varnish before assembly. Step-by-step instructions:
- Put together a frame of four boards.
- Place two boards at 90 degree angles and connect them with metal squares or glue and screws. These will be the corner legs.
- Attach the legs to the frame, additionally connect the frame and legs with supports.
- Secure the square pallet to the frame with the base facing up and place a sheet of thick glass on it. The glass for the tabletop can be transparent or colored; it is glued with transparent glue or a glass plate is drilled and fastened to the frame with large bolts.
The tabletop can also be made from boards from a disassembled pallet, stuffing them with a solid canvas on top of the frame. For niches inside the table, drawers are made from boards or plywood - in them you will store cutlery, napkins and kitchen items. The limiter for the drawers is the middle part of the base of the pallet, and the “extra” openings are filled with wooden cubes cut from thick timber.
Preparation of material
Wood pallets are convenient because they can be used in a variety of ways. They are convenient to separate and fasten, cover with fabric and paint, combine with other materials and complement with rollers, fittings and other accessories.
To use pallets for the production of workpieces, it is necessary to prepare the material, for which they must first be cleaned of dust and dirt.
The most convenient way to carry out the work is to process the wooden surface with a special tool (sanding machine). For safety reasons, it is better to carry out cleaning in a well-ventilated area, wearing a protective mask and goggles.
Pallet sanding
It is not necessary to grind the entire structure; you can process only that part of it that will be in direct “contact” with the body, for example, all flat surfaces. To create blanks of non-standard dimensions, it is recommended to first disassemble several pallets. To simplify the work, it is better to sort the cleaned boards by condition and dimensions.
If you plan to place future furniture outdoors, you should take care to protect it from moisture, weather conditions and other external factors. To do this, it is advisable to cover the surface with a layer of primer intended for outdoor use, which has a moisture-repellent effect.
DIY nightstand
It’s easy to build a bedside table from pallets; it’s better to start making furniture with it. If you put a wooden structure on wheels, you get a coffee table. Necessary tools and consumables:
- nail puller;
- hammer;
- screwdriver;
- wheels;
- fasteners;
- 1–2 pallets;
- paints and varnishes.
Assembly sequence:
- clean pallets;
- sand the boards using a drill or sandpaper;
- disassemble the pallet, pulling out the fasteners with a nail puller;
- make a tabletop from tightly laid edge-to-edge boards, securing them to two transverse planks nailed on the inside;
- nail a few more boards from the inside of the tabletop to create a place to store magazines.
If you need a coffee table, you can screw on the wheels - you get a low, flat structure, inside which it is convenient to store books and magazines. By combining two such items, they form a bedside table. From the remaining boards you can make drawers.
Clean the pallets and sand the boards. Disassemble the pallet, removing the fasteners with a nail puller.
Make a tabletop and side walls of the bedside table
By nailing a few more boards from the inside of the countertop, you can organize additional storage space
What is important to remember when making
Today, many owners of their own home or any other premises want to make their territory cozy and stylish. To make such a desire come true, you can use the services of famous designers, you can do everything you need yourself. True, in order to complete this task on your own, you will have to work hard and first study more than one master class and read the advice of famous masters. But in any case, the effort and time spent are worth it, because the result will truly amaze with its originality and beauty.
Interior set of pallets
Based on everything that was said above, it becomes clear that, if desired, anyone can make their home even more comfortable and practical, and for this it is not at all necessary to have great financial resources or detailed knowledge. A little perseverance and patience are enough.
Well, you definitely need to think about the external design of such products, because they must fit harmoniously into any interior. Therefore, this issue should also be given special attention before starting the production of wooden structures.
Step-by-step instructions for making furniture
If you have already decided what exactly you want to make, but have no idea how to do it, we offer you several furniture options, from simple items to truly exclusive ones. The master's work is feared, and you can easily cope with the work.
Note! In addition to pallets, in some cases you can use wooden boxes for storing vegetables, or even combine these materials in one product. Below we will present a couple of options.
Coffee table or bedside table on wheels
It's probably worth starting with the easiest to make, especially if you're new to carpentry and working with pallets for the first time. For a coffee table you will need 1-2 pallets, and in addition to them:
- drill;
- hammer;
- nail puller;
- screwdriver;
- screws;
- wood glue;
- wheels for the table;
- primer;
- varnish;
- brushes for primer and varnish;
- simple pencil.
Let's get to work.
First of all, the pallet needs to be cleaned and sanded. Wipe it thoroughly from dirt and dust, then sand it using a drill with a special attachment for woodworking. You can sand the surface with sandpaper.
Clean and sand the tray with a woodworking attachment
Disassemble the pallet, carefully removing the nails using a hammer and nail puller. After this, stack the boards tightly together into the tabletop. Glue them together and nail them with two boards on the inside for security.
Disassembled pallet
Wait for the glue to dry, then reinforce the tabletop from the inside with several more boards. This way you will have a place to store your magazines.
Add a few more boards on the bottom side
Cover the countertop with a primer and, when dry, with a layer of varnish. Now try on the wheels. Attach them to the bottom of the tabletop, and use a pencil to mark the locations for the screws.
Try the wheels on the underside of the tabletop
Arm yourself with a drill and drill holes for screws in the designated places. Secure the wheels.
Secure the wheels in the marked places
A simple but very cute coffee table ready to use. As you can see, its production took very little time and effort.
A simple pallet table is ready
Video tutorial on making a table from pallets
Pallet chair
Since we're done with the table, it doesn't hurt to make a chair to go with it. Let's deal with it right away, since the tools needed are the same as in the previous case.
First you need to cut the pallet in two, and you need to do this along the board located in the middle. Cut the resulting halves in half. You will get a seat, a back and two armrests.
Cut the pallet into parts for the chair
Sand all the details. Select the one that will become the back, make a cut on one side at a slight angle: the part needs to be installed at an angle.
Connect the backrest and seat at a slight angle
After connecting the backrest and seat with screws, secure them between the two armrests designed to hold the chair. To make the product strong and reliable, fasten the parts with nails and screws.
Secure the back and seat between the armrests
When you are finished connecting all the parts, coat the finished chair first with a primer, then with varnish. If you want to put such a product in a room, you can paint it in a suitable color and decorate it with pillows or soft seats.
Paint the chair and put soft pillows on it
Sofa with drawers
Let's move on to more complex structures. Pallets have space between boards in which you can store small items. But if you try, you can make a sofa with drawers. For it you need 6 pallets; Pre-disassemble three of them into separate boards. And you also need:
- plywood sheets;
- drill;
- Bulgarian;
- jigsaw;
- screws;
- four wheels;
- handles for drawers;
- primer;
- wood paint or varnish;
- brushes or roller;
- sandpaper;
- cushions and seats.
Before work, pallets must be cleaned and sanded.
One of the whole pallets will serve as the base of the sofa, to which you need to immediately attach wheels. If possible, buy skates equipped with brakes at the store.
Attach wheels to one of the whole pallets
The second pallet will become the backrest. Cut it to 47 cm in width and 91 cm in length.
For the back, cut the pallet on both sides so that it is smaller than the base
Make armrests from the third pallet. Cut the pallet into two parts measuring 47 x 80 cm.
Another pallet, cut in half, will serve as armrests
The back and seat of our sofa need to have solid surfaces, so we need to fill in the spaces between the pallet boards. To do this, you will need pallets, disassembled at the very beginning. For reliability, the joints can be coated with glue.
Fill the openings with boards from disassembled pallets
Using screws or self-tapping screws, attach the backrest to the base.
Attach the remaining 2 parts of the pallet - the armrests - to the sides of the sofa. Cover the sofa with a primer, top with varnish or paint, and leave until completely dry.
In the meantime, start making two identical boxes from sheets of plywood. The height of each box corresponds to the height of the hole between the bottom and the top board of the pallet minus 5 mm, the width and length are 37.5 cm each. Cut 2 parts for the bottom and 8 parts for the sides, connect with screws or glue. Attach the handles on the outside. It is advisable to nail a cross board at the bottom of the pallet, which will hold the inside of the boxes before inserting them.
Assemble all the parts of the sofa, make drawers, paint the product and let dry
A comfortable and stylish sofa made from pallets is ready. All that remains is to lay out the pillows, and you can enjoy your holiday cuddling with your favorite cat.
Your pets will also love this sofa.
Video tutorial: making a sofa from pallets
TV table
We continue to arrange the apartment. Good modern technology and the surroundings need to match, so we will make a spectacular bedside table for the new plasma TV. And not simple, but functional: you can put discs or magazines in it, or put a DVD player in it.
Easy to make functional TV stand
You will need:
- 4 pallets;
- 6 wheels;
- dye;
- sandpaper.
The bedside table can be decorated by laying out decorative stones or attaching a Christmas tree garland around the perimeter.
After cleaning and sanding the pallets, they need to be primed and, if desired, painted.
Prime and paint prepared pallets
Now start assembling. To begin, cut the pallets in half, and sand each cut with sandpaper: the surface must be thoroughly sanded. Screw the wheels to the bottom of the base tray and paint again. Place the pallets on top of each other.
Assemble prepared pallets into a structure
When the paint has dried, decorate the cabinet: attach decorative elements, lighting, and stones to it.
Decorate the almost finished cabinet with decorative elements and lighting
All that remains is to fasten the pallets to each other with screws or screws.
Fasten the pallets together with screws
As you can see, this cabinet is very roomy and comfortable. When necessary, you can easily move it to another place.
Simple pallet bed
In order not to waste a lot of time and effort, we suggest you make a simple version of the bed. For it you will need:
- three pallets of the same size, you can take 120 X 80 centimeters;
- self-tapping screws;
- nails;
- drill;
- screwdriver;
- sandpaper;
- wood primer;
- varnish or paint;
- hammer;
- tassels;
- roller
Try to choose good, strong, intact pallets so that you don't have to spend a lot of time cleaning them.
Carefully process the prepared pallets with sandpaper or a drill with a special attachment. When finished, wipe everything with a damp cloth.
Sand the pallets with sandpaper
Coat the pallets with primer using a roller - it's much faster than working with a brush. Wait until the surfaces are completely dry.
Using a roller, coat the pallets with primer.
Now it's time to paint. Apply it in at least 2 layers (each previous layer must dry completely). Instead of paint, you can use varnish or stain.
Apply paint in several layers
After the paint has completely dried, proceed to connecting the structure. The fastening is done along the long side. Drill holes in the pallet boards and screw in the screws. On the reverse side, which will stand close to the wall, strengthen the frame with wooden boards.
All that remains is to place the mattress, blanket and pillows on the finished frame.
Assemble the bed frame, secure and lay the mattress on it
Using this principle, you can make a frame for a double bed using 6-8 pallets. If you need a higher frame, stack the pallets in 2 or 3 rows.
Video tutorial: making a bed from pallets
Rack made of pallets or wooden boxes
The easiest way to make a rack from a pallet is to remove the crossbar from it and build in 2 or more boards at the same distance from each other, securing them with self-tapping screws. These boards will serve as shelves. Of course, the product needs to be sanded and varnished or painted.
A little modification to the pallet - and you have a rack with shelves ready
All that remains is to fix the rack on the wall. Using a building level, mark 2 horizontal points on the wall surface. The distance between them should be slightly less than the width of the rack, about 5 cm. Drill holes at the points with a drill, insert dowels into them. Screw in the screws so that their heads are not tightly screwed. On the top board of the pallet rack, mark the same points, drill holes, screw the hinges to them with self-tapping screws. Loops can be metal or rope.
You can add legs from an old table to the shelving unit to give it an antique feel.
Hang the rack on the wall. If you think it necessary, you can screw vintage legs from an old table to the bottom shelf: this will further strengthen the structure and give it a retro style feel.
You can also make a rack from wooden boxes used for storing vegetables. Here everything is even simpler: you will need 12 identical boxes in good condition. Sand them thoroughly and cover them with stain or dark varnish. However, you can use any wood paint to match the color of the interior. Fasten them together on all sides with nails or screws. The design is quite stable due to its wide surface and does not require additional fastening to the wall.
Several drawers fastened together will create a spacious shelving unit for a pantry, dressing room or living room.
This shelving unit is not only suitable for a pantry or basement, it will also look great in the living room.
Video: how to make shelves from pallets
Assembling a simple shoe rack
When entering a house from the street, it is customary to take off your shoes. But to keep it from getting underfoot, it needs to be placed somewhere. We offer you a very simple option for making a shoe stand.
First of all, you need to select a suitable pallet and sand it or sand it with a machine.
Sand the pallets with a sander
The most difficult thing in this activity is choosing paint. But this choice depends only on your desire and imagination. The main thing is that it is a special paint for woodworking. You can even combine several colors.
Choose paints, you can have several colors at once
Prime the tray and when dry, paint it in your chosen colors.
Prime and paint the pallet
That's all the work! Place the finished shoe rack in the corridor near the entrance and use it for its intended purpose - just place the shoes in the slots of the pallet.
Place the finished shoe rack near the entrance to the house.
There is another option for making shoe stands, and it is just as simple. You can use wooden vegetable boxes. Simply sand them down, paint them the colors you want, and place them on the floor or hang them on hinges on the walls.
You can make shoe shelves by painting and arranging vegetable drawers in the desired order
Those who have already made furniture from wooden pallets claim that this is an excellent activity for the whole family, allowing them not only to spend time usefully, but also to have fun communicating and discover their talents. We hope that you will like this work, especially since you can not only make furniture according to our recommendations, but also add something of your own.
DIY bench
A bench in the garden simply must be present; below you can see various examples of benches made from pallets; the blue bench with rope decor looks especially impressive.
Back and seats
To connect these two parts you will need screws: the back and seat are tightened with self-tapping screws. You may need an assistant, because first you need to attach the parts tightly to each other and fix them in this state.
Do everything strictly step by step in the exact sequence, and then the bench will last a long time and withstand more load.
If the bench is designed for several people to sit on it, then it is better to fasten its parts with double slats on the sides. Then the structure will definitely be strong.
Legs
Structures for sitting adults are made with legs; they are usually made low but wide to make them more stable. Experienced craftsmen advise securing them with metal corners from the inside.
In this case, screws will not provide the required reliability . If you intend to move the bench to different places, then it is better to make it on wheels. But this is no longer applicable for the street version, but for places such as a large gazebo, terrace, balcony, summer kitchen - in places where the surface is not ground.
More complex options
If you want to make a more complex design of garden furniture from pallets, you will have to disassemble them into boards. The easiest way to do this is with a nail puller or pliers. It is convenient to pry up the boards with an ax. Each board is sanded on all sides.
The traditional bench design is a rectangular frame with boards for the seat on top. The back can be straight or inclined. The width of the bench seat can also be changed at will.
If you plan to use wheels, then you need to take reliable ones that can withstand heavy loads. It is not advisable to save on them. The structure can be lengthened by connecting two pallets together. It's nice to lie on the long bench. A stand in the form of a table is attached to the side, on which a glass of juice, a couple of sandwiches and a softcover book fit. What else do you need for a good holiday?
In addition to the bench, tables or chairs are made from pallets. If you put several benches together, placing them at right angles, you will get a good area for holding conversations, master classes, and just fun get-togethers. There are options in which the benches are separated by a high back and installed in bars and cafes.
