Wood pallet projects seem to be all the rage these days. They certainly have all the popular elements. Basically free. They look great. They reuse what would be trash and they are easy to find. Just one thing.., they could kill you. And I'm not talking about rusty nails or a bad splinter.
In most cases you should be totally safe but be sure to check out the warning at the bottom of this post. The last thing I need is for my blog readers to go dying on me. "Don't you go dying on me".
This entire adventure started from single picture that I posted on my Pinterest board. Well, technically it started when I made a sudden and compulsive decision on Sunday at 2:00pm to go ahead and start a project that's been renting space in my head since I saw this picture:
The wall in the photo above is being covered in wood strips from old shipping pallets. I think this look is really cool and I've been wanting to try it out.
Sunday. Around 2pm. Kids, asleep or "having quiet time". Wife, half asleep in front of the TV. Me, wired from drinking way to much iced tea and watching way to many HGTV shows. Time to do this! Time to take action and make something super cool from something old and free.
If it works out, I plan to feature a wall like this in the work room of my basement or as a dartboard backdrop. But my smaller test location is going to be the entrance to our house from the garage. I've been meaning to paint and decorate this wall anyway but the wood pallet idea seems awesomer. (yes, that is a word, 'cause I just added it to my dictionary)
Garage Entrance : Wood Pallet Target #1
Step 1 : Go and Get Some Wood Pallets
Prep the car - We have a 2003 Honda Pilot. Great car! I had to put the two back rows down. For me that meant removing 3 child seats. If you've never installed kids car seats, its super fun, like a horse kicking you in the head fun.
Find the wood pallets - I had been eagle eyeing some pallets for weeks. Once you start looking they are fairly easy to find. Just take a drive behind the grocery store or industrial type buildings and you'll spot some.
(since "some" people are freaking out about this let me be clear - don't steal pallets. The one's I got were in the trash. They trash them when they're no longer usable. If you're not sure, go into the store and ask the store manager - they'll tell you.)
Loading the pallets - I fit 6 pallets in the back of the Pilot. They are heavy and a bit awkward to handle. If you're 6' 3" and have arms that can wrap around the world with muscles on top of muscles…. like me... then you can lift and load them yourself.
Otherwise I suggest you trick a friend into helping you. Tell them you want to grab some ice cream and catch up. Then, once they're in the car and the doors are locked, thank them for helping you find and load some heavy wooden pallets. They will look at you weird, just stare straight ahead and keep driving. I did this once when I bought a slate pool table, works like a charm.
Tips for Wood Pallet Selection:
- Some pallets are made from über heavy compressed plastic. I'm sure there's a kick-ass project somewhere with those but for now skip them. We want the wood!
- Pallets with a lot of broken or cracked boards aren't worth the effort or the space. Old pallets are good (great color) but they need to be more or less in one piece.
- Look for color variation. You can try to get all the same if you want but most of the projects I've seen look best with variety. Plus, you don't have to spend as much time hunted for one shade.
Step 2: Remove the wood board from the pallets
"Listen to me now and believe me later" This is a pain in the A double S. You will not like it. It will hurt.
This is the part of the DIY show where the host gives the homeowner a crappy job to do overnight, then they show up the next day and it's done.
What you want to do is breakdown the pallets into usable strips of wood.
To do this you need a crowbar and a hammer at the very least. The first board I did took almost 15 minutes and it cracked a little at the ends. Time to get out the big guns.
I took my Milwaukee Sawzall, and cut off both ends. Who has two thumbs and just tripled his productivity… "THIS GUY". With both ends cut I just had to remove the nails from the middle board.
Here's a video of me and my Sawzall going to town on the end of the pallet boards. (credit to my daughter Charlotte for her videography skills, not bad for 7 years old)
It takes about 15 minutes end-to-end (excluding beer breaks) to break-down one pallet - using my patented "cut the ends first" method.
WARNING - Avoid Chemically Treated Wood
This is the "almost killed me" part. Props to @rokville for pointing this out. I had not seen this warning anywhere else. (ps: I sometimes tweet boring stuff @JasonMorgan77)
Some wood pallets used to be treated with dangerous chemicals to kill pests and disease. Today’s treatments are much safer. They simply heat the wood up to kill any living organisms.
Pallets without this stamp (left) probably aren’t a safe choice for indoor walls or surfaces where you might sit or eat.
What You Get - Wood from a deconstructed pallet
You end up with roughly 10 usable boards. Each board is roughly 36 inches long and 3 inches wide. I say roughly because there is a lot of variety in the board width and length.
One Honda Pilot load of 6 pallets therefore yielded about 60 boards, which I'm guessing is 70 to 80% of the amount that I need for my project. We'll know next weekend.
In the end, although it was rough work, I left the house at 2 and was sipping on a Dos Equis in the back yard by 6pm. All cleaned up. Car seats back in place. Rusty nails and sharp wood pieces more or less removed from the ground.
I decided to break this post into 2 sections. I wanted to publish the first steps with as much detail as possible. Often this is the part that's overlooked by other DIY web sites and TV shows.
My promise to you is to give you the real story, so you will know what you are getting into. This is going to be a two or three weekend project for sure.
I'm really excited for you to see the final outcome, I think it's going to look great.
If anyone else tries this type of project, please post pictures and comments here, I'd love to see how yours turned out.
Cheers - Jason
Check out Part 2 of this story - Pinterest Wood Pallet Project. Subscribe using the box below and get notified via email about other cool projects!
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I have a friend who did a similar project and turned it into a headboard. They have a beach them going and it looked really awesome. Like the planks of an old dock. Props for the Dumb and Dumber quote. "I got robbed by a sweet old lady in a motorized cart! ...And I didn't even see it comin!"
The sad thing is that I've seen that movie so many times that as soon as I thought of dying I thought of that line. -Jason
Your daughter is a great little videographer.
Thanks Marlane. I'm biased but she is amazing. I told her one time - hold it steady, shoot me, then zoom in and get a close-up of the saw cutting the wood. Boom, first take - she nailed it. Genius kid.
Hey,
The pallet idea has been around for a great while... Hit the big box stores for damaged pallets that they may be throwing out. A friend of mine used to collect oak pallets. THESE are the valuable ones! Also, once you have your number of boards...get or rent a planer/shaper, so that you can shave the boards to a consistant thickness. This also gets rid of any nasty grime or other 'stuff' that may be on the boards. And obviously, take all the nails out first.
To make your projects stand out...stain first before applying to project, then see the beauty come out.
Karl, you read my mind. I almost bought a planer for this project but I thought I'd just test out the idea first. That's why I'm just doing a small wall in the garage. Although, it's looking so good, Jenn wants to add a bit more. I'd love to find an oak pallet, I'll have to do some more hunting. - Jason
Make sure to wear a mask when planing these boards. I use them for a lot of projects. Also, check out some spa dealers and motorcycle dealers for some great pallets!
Hmmmmm... never thoughts of spas and motorcycle places - great idea! - Jason
Love this!! My husband and I saw an installation of this at our local home show, although I don't think they used strictly shipping pallets. We plan to do this in our entry......some day. For now we are starting small with making a compost bin and some raised garden beds.
I was thinking of doing a compost bin this fall, be sure to let us know how it turns out.
Jason,
Really like the idea of the pallets, just one word of caution that stores especially grocery store get charged for the pallets in alot of cases, so be sure to tell your readers not just to take them. (A theft charge might not be worth it.) They need to ask permission to take them. I own a grocery store and get charged $15.00 a pallet from my main supplier.
Thanks
Cam
Cam - Absolutely! No stealing guys. But, I will assume that if they are in the trash or stack up next to a dumpster, they intend to trash them. The older ones have the best color anyway, newish ones are a bit boring. - Jason
Hey, could you frame walls with wood pallets instead of traditional framing? Seems like there would be plenty of space for electrical and could seriously simplify the framing process... lol
Just thinking out of the box. Thoughts? ;)
Negative ghost rider. You need to use standard dimensional lumber to frame your basement. I guess, technically, it could work - but it would never pass an inspection.
Good thought though - I love thinking outside the box, it's so much more refreshing.
Jason
That would work great for a Dog House ! But don't tell my wife ! I would be out there building my vacation home ! lol !
Hey Jason if you do more pallet projects an easier way to get the pallets apart is use your sawzall to cut through the nails. I use a 9" metal blade. The nails are still in the boards, which is great if you want a rustic look. Tried the crowbar and hammer method when I first started using pallets.....never again!!
Good point V, at the time I had just bought that saw and didn't even think about just cutting off the nails. I will definitely do that next time. - jason
Great post! Thanks for the HT notification, did not know that. I', in the process of coming up with a wood pallet fence/wall outside my RV parked in Slab City year round...need to create more shad on the rig for the hot summer months. If you see pallet fence ideas, let me know. Thanks!
Will do Robi.
If you flip the skids over they are a great flower box/ veg garden . Staple some plastic inside it to keep the weeds out then add dirt and veggies !
There are plenty of wood pallet projects on Pinterest I have posted several on Facebook myself take a look see you will be amazed, at all of the great inspiration! Good luck do-it-yourselfers gang!!!! Starting my project this weekend. Going to turn my little cabin into a natural made love nest!!! Cheers. ....Lol
What's wrong with HT? I think that means heat treated. I read that heat treated is okay since it doesn't use chemicals. I read that DB, HT, and EPAL are safe to use.
Did you just screw/nail them directly into the studs? Would it be possible to use this same awesome look on a masonry wall? I'm wondering if I need to install external studs to my masonry wall and then screw in the palette planks to that. Any thoughts would be great!
Your wall looks fantastic by the way!
Thanks Alex. I used a trim nail gun, the nails were about 2.5". For a masonry wall you'd need a different approach, the nails will not go through the concrete or cinder block. You could glue them on, that would work. Use something like liquid nails. Or you could attach two vertical wood beams with a "tapcon" screws then attach the boards horizontally to those supports. Hopefully that gives you a few ideas. Cheers - Jason
Haha seems I'm 2 years behind but came across ur blog just now that has very little to do with what I Google besides the pallet part. Funny how hgtv squirms it's way under your skin and you find yourself constantly thinking of what next to do with your home. I'm stuck on the channel and find myself more like your wife (half asleep in front of the tv) when I should be more like yourself (putting thoughts into action). It's great to hear a dad's point of view of things. I cracked up imagining u shoving all the pallets in after arranging the car seats and sarcastically enjoying the removal them. The joys of parenthood and saving a buck! Kudos to you. Now I'm heading back to my original Google search of how to attach pallets (or then pieces of wood) together without using a nailgun)...
I've been thinking of a way to hide my TV/Receiver cables when i saw your blog. I was able to talk my wife into using a raised wood "idea". I never thought of using pallets. My only cost will be paint and nails. I may even use some laminate flooring that was left over and glue those into some 1x2 boards.
We just finished the wall near our entry. Thanks for the inspiration and advice, it turned out great.
okay, I'm about to do a very similar project in my shop. I will use horizontal boards with a spacer between them mid-wall (think of an H) and the same method for top and bottom of the wall (think of a U). This way I can slide in the vertical slats with minimal nailing and the option to remove if needed. Will post photos once I get started
I want to do a pallet wall in my son's room, but my dad and husband have almost talked me out of it! They are saying it will be a haven for spiders (which they know is my weakness) and bugs, and also that the wall would be terribly uneven due to the different thickness' of the pallet boards. What is your opinion on the bugs and stuff? So glad I stumbled onto your post! I was wondering if the board were treated or not, and whether they'd be safe for a bedroom!
Bugs? I don't think the wall will create more bugs or spiders. Yes, it's true that there will be more "cracks" and such where they COULD live, but that's only if you already have a spider/bug issue in your house. My recommendation - Just take a strong vacuum to the wall every month or so to suck out any developing webs/dust etc.
Yes, the boards have a variety of widths, but that's what makes them so cool looking. Yes, only use heat treated boards (almost all are these days) Look for a a stampe "HT" on the board or pallet somewhere. Do NOT use a chemically treated wood pallet, or one that isn't treated.
Good luck! And don't let those guys scare you away from a great project.
Cheers - Jason
hi,
I have been collecting pallets since last year. I don't have many but with your suggustion I think I'll do ok.
I have a dining room-living room/TV room combo with a fireplace right in the middle of the areas. The room is about 15'x30'-long and skinny. I wanted to use the wood in the TV area. At the fireplace the is octagon little windows in each side. Where would you start and stop?
HELP!
Hi Heidi. That sounds a bit weird... ummm Welcome Heidi! That's better. Start in the middle of the wall and next to the fireplace then work your way out, up and down. This way if you have to make any adjustments it's not right in the focal point of your wall. Because the boards will not be perfectly level or of the same width it's difficult to have exact uniformity... that's okay though... we don't want exact and perfect - the whole point of a pallet wall is to get that natural and at ease look.
Good luck! - Jason
Is it possible to attach the pallets to our basement wall without disassembling them? Would liquid nails work?
Just wondering if you've noticed any shrinkage in the pallet boards?
Hi Tony - No shrinkage at all. They use a heat process to treat the wood for bugs and other junk so I'd imagine that drys it out pretty good. Just a guess. Look for a symbol that shows it was heat treated. Otherwise, I guess you could let it sit in a dry room for a couple weeks before you use the boards. But no, no shrinkage for me, unless I've been swimming... - Jason
If you have any truck loading docks near you like a Holland or an Estes or Roadway they use Old pallets to brace in freight. More than likely they will have Truck Loads of OLD skids ! Our does thats were I get mine and usually they are newer skid types . Working on a Wall today and I like the plainer Idea but I also like the depth of uneven boards . It adds a bit of character.
I did that last year , from August to September. I framed up a laundry room and then planked the lower half. Then moving to my office area..I planked all three walls. Well I loved it so much that I went upstairs to spare room, I took the planks ( some sides were thicker than others..perfect) I made it look like shiplap. One more room to go but ran out of pallet boards. I usually just get the boards instead of the whole pallet. Makes it easier on me
Jason, I want to start some pallet projects. My ? Is .. Do I need a nail gun or can I use screws & screw gun? I want to make an outdoor bench, 2 headboards and garage shelving! Any tips to get started ? TIA
Oh hi Angella - You can definitely use screws or glue or both. I happen to have a nail gun from my basement project but it's possible (but slower) without. Good luck! - Jason
I'm seriously thinking of doing a wall in my room and living room. I would be doing this on my own. Any tips or trick for me?
Hi Jodi - Yes, the article above are my tips and tricks for installing pallet wood in your home. Good luck! - Jason
Im curious to know im looking at doing a temporary wall divider so not straight on the wall but inbetween two rooms. im curious to know in a basement with a cement floor how i could go abouts on proper support at the very base as well as a safe way to connect the pallates or do you literally break it all apart and rebuild it?
Hi i did a project in my basement Before. It was bar/countertop/room divider. I used a nail gun to shoot the wood into the concrete floor and it lasted (for about 18-20 years ) until my brother dismantled it and he had a very hard time taking it apart (with tools) . So yes I recommend a nail gun. Though I'm not sure the size of the nail but measure your wood and I would want an extra 3 inches into the cement for security . All the best. God willing.
Well I'm in the middle of a pallet wall 11x10 and thank you for not saying oh it's sooo easy like the cute blogging housewives on Pinterest that say it only cost them $20 and done in a weekend by their husbands. My project is looking great but I'm short on wood so off I go exploring for more pallets. I've purchased tools on the cheap from harbor freight but I've definitely spent more than $20. Sand paper, stain, Brad nails. Can't wait to be done.
Hear hear! It's hard work!
The pallet wall is in the bathroom with the shower. The wood is HT stamped and i sanded each board and stained. They each dried for 5 days. Started and have the equivalent of one pallet up. Two weeks have passed and I have some time to finish. Problem is, it smells like mildew or mold and I dont know how to rid if it. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I would try a sealer, comes in a spray can. Home Depot should have it. I was told by friend at work spray both sides before putting it up. Going to do my bath room as well.
I purchased my pallet boards already disassembled. How would I know if they have been heat treated? Also, is there any cleaning process that needs to be done prior to installation!
Look for a "HT" stamp somewhere on the pallet. Unfortunately it may not be on every board, it could also be on the cross-braces. - Jason
Cleaning vinegar goes a long way to get rid of mold/mildew.
I am going to install pallet walls in my kitchen and very small entryway. I will also be installing pallet slats on the ceiling in the entry. My house is old and the walls are plaster and lathe. I am wondering if I need to install furring strips, or if I can use Liquid Nails and glue the slats directly to the walls and/or ceiling? I am not worried about the condition of the plaster if I ever need to remove them. I don't plan on removing them and if I ever did, it would be for a much more major renovation which would likely include removing the plaster anyway. What's your best suggestion? Thanks!!
Hmmmm... liquid nails should work, I'm just wondering though if you'll get a smooth contact between the glue the boards and the ceiling. I'd try a test board or two with the liquid nails and see how it goes. - Jason
Please - double check your information. That stamp you are referring to is a HEAT TREAT stamp. There is absolutely NO CHEMICALS used the heat treating process. The wood has been 'dried' at very high temps in a heat treat chamber. The only thing used is propane to heat the chamber. You would WANT this kind of wood as 99% of the moisture has been taken out of the wood AND it also kills any bugs and their eggs. If you would like to test me on this, fine. I work for a pallet yard that has a heat treat chamber and goes through the RIGOROUS restrictions from the FDA and all international shipping authorities. You can find a lot of information on the Timber Product Inspections website.
Um, yeah, he says this several times in the article and the comments.
I wanted to use pallet wood in the bathroom. How does it look painted white? Should I seal both sides of the wood with Kills to keep moisture out? Thanks for all of your ideas!
I think it looks great painted white! I'm not sure you need to seal them though, the paint should seal it pretty well. - Jason
I’ve washed so many pallet wall videos but I none of them does it say to use the same thickness of boards. And I can’t tell on the videos if the pallet boards are the same thickness or not. I know it’s probably up to one’s preference but I sure would like to know if you used the same thickness.
Hi Denise - The thicknesses of my boards varied. Not by a lot but they certainly weren't perfectly even. I actually like the variation, I think the depth differences look better. Hope this helps with your pallet wood wall. - Jason
Is it practical/possible to sand the pallet wood after the wall has been put up? I've been able to acquire broken-down hardwood pallets for $7Cdn and plan to create a wooden wall in the bathroom. I'd like to sand after it's up, than apply a clear sealer over it. Is this advisable? Both the later sanding and sealer?
Hi Susan - Sure, absolutely, you can sand once it's installed. If you like the look of the sealed boards you can do that too - shouldn't be an issue. - Jason
Thank you for this post, I've often thought there are a lot of great projects I could make with the pallets behind grocery stores but I've been too chicken to actually ask a manager if they could be mine for the taking - now I'm inspired to do so! Also I really appreciate the video and tip about cutting the edges off with a Sawzall - great time and energy saver!
I would have to say that the HT stamp information in this post is misleading. Pallets are required to be HT stamped if they are going to be shipped internationally. If pallets are shipped domestically they are not required to be heat-treated. That doesn't mean that the non stamped ones are slathered in chemicals as there is no point to doing that. They are just plain old wood. I would be more concerned about what has been shipped on the pallets, HT stamped or not. This is where your chemicals come in (example: I have seen battery acid soaked pallets from batteries being shipped). Heat treating is not intended to get rid of chemicals, it is to get bugs out of wood which old dry pallets don't typically have anyways. (If you want to get technical, HT can off gases but pallets are only required to be held at temp for a short amount of time to be considered HTed). Also, just because it may have started its life as a pristine new HT pallet doesn't mean it wasn't used multiple times for other things (or that before it was HT it wasn't used for other things). I would say it's very unlikely that you'll die from pallet wood You're more likely to find chemicals in some of the barn wood people use as they can be made with treated wood. Sleep easy in your new pallet lair, be suspicious of pallets with stains and powders on them not missing stamps. Experience: I have managed the HT operation of pallets.
Kat - Thanks for the info.
- Jason
I want to use pallets for a Wall-less shower in a basement bathroom to save space. I’ll use a rainfall shower head to direct the water straight down for the most part. Any suggestions for treating wood that’s going to get wet?