How To Make Furniture From Pallets (pallets) With Your Own Hands: Step-by-step Instructions, Assembly Diagrams, Etc. + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Simple ideas for your interior: we make furniture from wooden pallets

Coziness in the house is very important for each of us, and many owners are ready to spend a lot of time and money to create a beautiful, comfortable interior. However, we already know that it is possible to achieve the desired result without special costs, using available means for this. It turns out that such unassuming-looking items as wooden pallets can serve you well: you can make almost any furniture for your home and garden with your own hands from them.

Content

• 1 Garden furniture and furniture in the loft style from wooden pallets - the reasons for the popularity and manufacturing features

  • 1.1 Wooden pallets as raw material: selection rules, drawings
  • 1.2 How to handle pallets before use
  • 1.3 Tools for handling pallets

  • 1.4 Furniture items most often made from pallets

    • 1.4.1 Stands, tables, coffee tables
    • 1.4.2 Beds
    • 1.4.3 Armchairs, sofas
    • 1.4.4 Decor elements
    • 1.4.5 Country and outdoor furniture
• 2 Photo gallery: products from wooden pallets

• 3 Step-by-step instructions for making do-it-yourself pallet furniture

  • 3.1 Coffee table or bedside table on wheels
  • 3.2 Video tutorial on making a table from pallets
  • 3.3 Pallet armchair
  • 3.4 Sofa with drawers
  • 3.5 Video tutorial: we make a sofa from pallets
  • 3.6 TV stand
  • 3.7 Simple pallet bed
  • 3.8 Video tutorial: we make a bed from pallets
  • 3.9 Rack made of pallets or wooden boxes
  • 3.10 Video: how to make shelves from pallets
  • 3.11 Assembling a simple shoe rack

Garden furniture and furniture in the loft style from wooden pallets - the reasons for the popularity and manufacturing features

Interior designers have long ago embraced the idea of minimalism when decorating premises, and are quite successfully implementing it. Recently, the "loft" style has been very popular (loft from English - the top floor of a warehouse, workshop, industrial premises). You can easily recognize it by its rough brick walls, ventilation ducts left outside, and rusty floor beams. As if a group of students, unable to find suitable housing, decided to settle in an abandoned warehouse and furnish it with basic necessities. In this case, furniture can be found at a flea market, or even made from improvised means.

Loft style implies roughness, roughness of the room, and furniture from pallets fits perfectly into it

Wooden pallets or pallets have become such improvised means. It turned out that with the proper approach, they can become not only comfortable, but also original furniture. In addition, items made from this material have found themselves in styles such as country, minimalism, rustic, and Provence. In addition, wood is a very popular material in construction, finishing work, furniture and decorative items.

Wooden pallets as raw material: selection rules, drawings

Wooden pallets, or pallets, are used as packaging material that simplifies the transportation of various goods. The weight of a pallet is usually 15–20 kg, and the dimensions vary depending on the purpose:

• standard pallet - 120x100x12 cm;

  

  Scheme of a standard wooden pallet

• euro pallet - 120x80x12 cm.

  

  Diagram of a wooden Euro pallet

For the manufacture of pallets, wood is chosen, which is distinguished by its strength and durability, because during operation the structure must withstand a load weighing up to 1000 kg. Most often, the most common types of wood in our latitudes are used: pine, linden, oak. So you can safely use used pallets for the manufacture of furniture, they will perfectly withstand new loads.

Marking stamps on the ends of Euro pallets will become an additional decoration for future furniture

Since the main purpose of pallets is to be a packaging material for transporting goods, it is not difficult to get them. You can buy pallets (new or used) according to the announcement on the respective portals. Or you can contact the manufacturer or the company that regularly uses pallets. Disposal of obsolete packaging materials often requires a lot of money and time, so the company will gladly give you pallets for free or for a nominal price.

With certain skills in joinery, you can make your own pallets. To do this, you need wooden beams with a cross section of 60–70 mm and boards 15–20 cm thick. Cut blanks of the required size from the boards according to the dimensions of the future structure and fasten them according to the standard scheme.

How to handle pallets before use

Wooden pallets are very convenient, because you can use any way to use them: disassemble, fasten together, combine with other materials, paint or cover with fabric. But in any case, primary processing and preparation of the material is required. After all, used pallets could be used for food products, building materials and much more.

1. First of all, it is worth cleaning the pallets from dirt and dust. It is best if you wash them with hot water and soap and dry them well in the fresh air.

2. The next step is to remove burrs and roughness. Since you are going to sit on chairs or sofas made of pallets, often touch the tables from them, you need to make their surface smooth. You can wipe the pallet boards with medium-grit sandpaper, but if there is a lot of material, it is better to use a sander. In this case, be sure to wear a protective mask and carry out work in a ventilated area.

   

   Be sure to sand the pallet boards with sandpaper or a sander

3. You can not grind the entire pallet completely, but only those surfaces that will directly contact the body during operation. But if you plan to create a complex structure, it is better to disassemble the pallets before processing and sand each board from all sides.
4. It is advisable to take care of protecting future pallet furniture from high humidity. If you plan to place furniture in the yard or garden, then you must do it. Cover the pallets with a water-repellent outdoor primer. Otherwise, the wood from the effects of atmospheric phenomena will begin to turn gray, and the lower boards in contact with the ground will rot in one season.

Pallet handling tools

So, the main working material - pallets - is already at your disposal. Before you start making furniture, stock up on the following tools and materials:

• metal corners;
• electric drill with a drill;
• washers with bolts and screws;
• protective equipment (glasses and gloves);
• medium grit sandpaper or sander;
• primer;
• measuring device - tape measure or ruler;
• brushes.

If you do not have an electric drill at hand, you will have to work with a hammer, respectively, replacing the bolts and screws with nails. True, such work will take more of your time, and the result will not be as high-quality.

For work, you may need power tools with spacers, nails, bolts and screws, a tape measure, a screwdriver

If you want to give the product a more presentable look, use varnish or paint for woodwork, choosing the color of your choice. In addition, for the manufacture of more complex structures, you may need accessories and additional elements from other materials: wheels, metal legs, fabrics, glass.

Furniture items most often made from pallets

It only seems that the pallets are suitable for the simplest structures, on which you can only sit in the garden. In fact, with some effort and imagination, you can create a real piece of design art, which, in addition to its functional purpose, can become a home decoration. Observing a single stylistic direction, you can easily furnish your house with handmade furniture made from pallets.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself in more detail with the options for interior items created from such a simple material.

Stands, tables, coffee tables

It is believed that pallet tables are the easiest to design, which is why they are popular among home craftsmen. Even without special experience in joinery, you can easily and quickly build a small table from a couple of pallets.

There are a lot of manufacturing and processing options. You can simply sand the finished product or varnish it to give a warm color to the wood and protect it from the external environment. You can paint the table and even apply drawings to it in accordance with the style of the interior in the room. Designers recommend placing a sheet of glass on top as a table top: this will not only give the table an original modern look, but also greatly facilitate the care of the wooden surface of the product.

It is easy to make a desk or dining table from three pallets, and a sheet of glass can be placed on the tabletop

It will not even be difficult for you to make a writing or dining table. To do this, it is enough to place several pallets perpendicular to the pallet used as a table top. Drawers can be fitted in the openings between the top and bottom of the pallet.

Beds

Pallets are great for making bed frames. For example, it can be a base of pallets in a single row and you get a simple, versatile Asian-style bed where all the furniture is low. And you can fix pallets in 2-3 tiers or put them on wooden supports, as in the classic version of the bed. In any case, you don't have to worry about ventilation of the finished product. But there is also a minus: it is better not to jump on such a bed, the boards of the frame may not withstand the intense load.

The pallets will make an original bed and a headboard for it

In addition to the bed itself, pallets are great for constructing its headboard. If the interior of your bedroom is designed in loft, country, minimalism style, this option is a wonderful find. You can position the pallet as a headboard horizontally, vertically, and even build a narrow shelf for books and lamps.

Armchairs, sofas

Most often, pallets are used for the manufacture of garden chairs and sofas, but with proper processing of the material and the addition of additional elements, such furniture will perfectly fit into the home environment. You will most likely need soft seats and backs, but sofa cushions can easily fulfill their role.

Just two pallets - and you have a great comfortable chair at your disposal

A big plus of making such chairs and sofas is that you can adjust the height and width of the product at will, as well as add or remove armrests if necessary.

The pallet sofa can be of any height and width convenient for you

With enough building pallets on hand, you can easily build an entire ensemble consisting of a sofa (even a corner one), a couple of armchairs and a coffee table. The main thing is to adhere to the same style and scheme for connecting pallets into a single structure.

Decor elements

This is where there is a lot of room for imagination, so it is in the manufacture of products involved in decorating the room. And pallets in this matter will come in handy. For example, you can make a panel of dies of the same size, on which you can apply a picture or attach small shelves for small things.

Very convenient shelf for various little things

The upper part of the pallet with the boards shifted close to each other will serve as a tray; it is enough to attach interesting handles to it.

Attach handles to the top of the tray - and you get an original tray

And if you have a pet, cat or dog that loves to lie around, then he will surely appreciate a cozy resting place. The process is even simpler than making a sofa or an armchair: connect two pallets perpendicularly and lay a soft backing. Holes can be made to accommodate bowls of water and food.

Your pet will be happy with such a comfortable bed.

Country and outdoor furniture

Against the background of nature, wood furniture looks especially organic, even without special processing. If your dacha has a barbecue area, then pallets will help you make it more comfortable. Tables, chairs, benches, swings, seats and dish racks, and even a fence with flower containers - all this can be made from ordinary pallets.

Furnish your summer cottage with comfortable and beautiful pallet furniture

Photo gallery: products from wooden pallets

Easy-to-manufacture sofa: pallet, castors, soft pillows

One pallet is enough for such a coffee table.

Paint in the desired color, apply an interesting drawing - and the new coffee table will harmoniously fit into the interior

Just one pallet and your shoes have their own comfortable place

Convenient, practical and inexpensive pallet swing

A couple of pallets can be used to make beautiful flower stands

There must be a bench in the garden, and pallets are great material for it!

From pallets you can make a rack for storing books and all sorts of little things

Such a comfortable set of table and chairs will look great both in the kitchen and on the outdoor patio.

Very comfortable bedside table on wheels for TV

Do-it-yourself step-by-step instructions for making pallet furniture

If you have already decided what exactly you want to make, but have no idea how to do it, we offer you several options for furniture, from simple items to a real exclusive. The work of the master is afraid, and you can easily cope with the work.

Coffee table or bedside table on wheels

Perhaps it is worth starting with the easiest to make, especially if you are new to carpentry and are working with pallets for the first time. For a coffee table you need 1-2 pallets, and besides them:

• drill;
• a hammer;
• nail puller;
• screwdriver;
• screws;
• glue for wood;
• wheels for the table;
• primer;
• varnish;
• brushes for primer and varnish;
• simple pencil.

Let's get to work.

1. First of all, the pallet needs to be cleaned and sanded. Thoroughly wipe it from dirt and dust, then sand it using a drill with a special attachment for processing wood. You can rub the surface with sandpaper.

   

   Clean and sand the pallet with a woodworking attachment

2. Disassemble the pallet by carefully removing the nails with a hammer and nail plier. Then fold the boards tightly against each other on the countertop. Glue them together and for reliability, nail with two boards from the inside.

   

   Disassemble the pallet into planks and fold them into the countertop

3. Wait for the glue to dry, then reinforce the inside of the countertop with a few more planks. This will give you a place to store your logs.

   

   Add some more planks on the bottom side

4. Cover the countertop with a primer, and when it's dry, a coat of varnish. Now try on the wheels. Attach them to the bottom of the countertop, mark with a pencil the places for the screws.

   

   Try on the casters to the underside of the tabletop

5. Arm yourself with a drill and drill holes for screws in the marked places. Secure the casters.

   

   Fasten the casters in the marked places

Simple yet very cute coffee table ready to use. As you can see, it took very little time and effort to make it.

Simple coffee table on wheels

Video tutorial on making a table from pallets

Pallet armchair

Since we're done with the table, it doesn't hurt to make an armchair for it. Let's deal with it right away, since the tools are needed the same as in the previous case.

1. First you need to cut the pallet in two, and this should be done along the board located in the middle. Cut the resulting halves in half. You will have a seat, backrest and two armrests.

   

   Cut the pallet into parts for the chair

2. Sand all details. Choose the one that will become the back, make a cut on one side at a slight angle: the part must be installed at an angle.

   

   Join back and seat at a slight angle

3. After connecting the back and seat with screws, fasten them between the two armrests designed to hold the chair. To make the product strong and reliable, fasten the parts with nails and screws.

   

   Fasten the back and seat between the armrests

4. When you are finished connecting all the parts, cover 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. The pallets have a space between the boards in which you can store small items. But if you try, you can make a sofa with drawers. You need 6 pallets for it; pre-disassemble three of them into separate boards. And we also need:

• plywood sheets;
• drill;
• Bulgarian;
• jigsaw;
• screws;
• four wheels;
• drawer handles;
• primer;
• wood paint or varnish;
• brushes or roller;
• sandpaper;
• cushions and seats.

Pallets must be cleaned and sanded before work.

1. One of the whole pallets will serve as the basis of the sofa, to which you need to immediately attach the wheels. If possible, buy rollers equipped with brakes from the store.

   

   Attach wheels to one of the whole pallets

2. The second pallet will become the back. 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

3. Make armrests from the third pallet. Cut the pallet into two pieces measuring 47 x 80 cm.

   

   Another pallet, cut in half, will serve as armrests

4. The back and seat of our sofa must have solid surfaces, so the spaces between the pallet boards must be filled. To do this, you need the pallets that were disassembled at the very beginning. For reliability, the joints can be coated with glue.

   

   Fill the openings with planks from the disassembled pallet

5. Attach the backrest to the base using screws or self-tapping screws.
6. On the sides of the sofa, fasten the remaining 2 pieces of the pallet - the armrests. Cover the sofa with a primer, top with varnish or paint, and leave to dry completely.

7. In the meantime, make two identical boxes out of plywood sheets. 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, width and length - 37.5 cm each. Cut 2 parts for the bottom and 8 parts for the sides, connect with screws or glue. Attach the handles from the outside. It is advisable to nail a transverse board at the bottom of the pallet, which will hold the inside of the boxes before inserting them.

   

   Collect all parts of the sofa, make drawers, paint the product and let dry

A comfortable and stylish pallet sofa is ready. It remains only to lay out the pillows, and you can enjoy the rest in an embrace with your beloved cat.

This sofa will suit your pets too.

Video tutorial: we make a sofa from pallets

TV table

We continue to arrange the apartment. Good modern technology and surroundings need to match, so we will make a spectacular nightstand for the new plasma TV. And not simple, but functional: you can put discs or magazines in it, put a DVD-player.

Easy-to-manufacture functional TV stand

You will need:

• 4 pallets;
• 6 wheels;
• paint;
• sandpaper.

The bedside table can be decorated by spreading decorative stones or fixing a Christmas tree garland around the perimeter.

1. After you have cleaned and sanded the pallets, they should be primed and painted if desired.

   

   Prime and paint prepared pallets

2. Now start assembling. First, cut the pallets in half, and rub each cut with sandpaper: the surface must be carefully sanded. Screw the castors to the bottom of the base pallet and paint again. Place pallets on top of each other.

   

   Assemble prepared pallets into a structure

3. When the paint is dry, decorate the curbstone: attach decorative elements, lighting, stones to it.

   

   Decorate an almost finished cabinet with decorative elements and lighting

4. It remains only 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 spacious and comfortable. When needed, 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 her you will need:

• three pallets of the same size, you can take 120 X 80 centimeters;
• self-tapping screws;
• nails;
• drill;
• screwdriver;
• sandpaper;
• primer for wood;
• varnish or paint;
• a hammer;
• brushes;
• roller.

Try to find good, sturdy whole pallets so that you don't have to clean them for a long time.

1. Carefully sand the prepared pallets with sandpaper or a drill with a special attachment. When done, wipe everything down with a damp cloth.

   

   Sand the pallets

2. Cover pallets with primer using a roller - much faster than brushing. Wait until the surfaces are completely dry.

   

   Use a roller to coat the pallets with primer

3. Now it's time to paint. Apply it in at least 2 coats (each previous coat should dry completely). Instead of paint, you can use varnish or stain.

   

   Apply paint in several layers

4. After the paint has completely dried, proceed to join the structure. Binding is done along the long side. Drill holes in the pallet boards and screw in the screws. On the back side, which will stand right next to the wall, reinforce the frame with wooden planks.

5. It remains only to put the mattress, blanket and pillows on the finished frame.

   

   Assemble the bed frame, secure and place the mattress on it

Following this principle, you can make a frame for a double bed using 6-8 pallets. If you need a taller frame, stack pallets in 2 or 3 rows.

Video tutorial: we make 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 cross bar 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 minor revision of the pallet - and you have a rack with shelves ready

It remains only to fix the rack on the wall. Using a building level, mark 2 points horizontally on the wall surface. The distance between them should be slightly less than the width of the rack, by about 5 cm. Drill holes along the points, insert dowels into them. Screw in the screws so that their caps are not tightly twisted. On the top board of the rack from the pallet, 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 the old table to the shelving to give it an old-fashioned spirit

Hang your shelving unit on the wall. If you deem necessary, you can screw the vintage legs from the old table to the bottom shelf: this will further strengthen the structure and give it a retro spirit.

Or you can make a rack from wooden boxes used for storing vegetables. It's even easier here: you need 12 identical crates in good condition. Sand them thoroughly and cover with wood stain or dark varnish. However, you can take any paint on wood 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.

From several drawers, fastened together, you get a spacious rack for a pantry, dressing room or living room

Such a rack is not only suitable for a pantry or basement, it will look great in the living room too.

Video: how to make pallet shelves

Assembling a simple shoe rack

When entering a house from the street, it is customary to take off your shoes. But so that she does not get underfoot, she needs to be put somewhere. We offer you a very simple option for making a shoe stand.

First of all, you need to choose a suitable pallet and sand it or grind it with a machine.

Sand the pallets with a sander

The hardest part of this activity is choosing a 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 multiple colors.

Pick up paints, you can have several colors at once

Prime the pallet and when dry paint 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 next to the entrance to the house

There is another option for making shoe racks, and it's just as simple. You can use wooden vegetable crates. Just sand them, paint them in the desired colors and place them on the floor or hang them on the walls with hinges.

You can make shoe shelves by painting and arranging vegetable boxes

Those who have already been involved in the manufacture of furniture from wooden pallets claim that this is an excellent activity for the whole family, which allows not only to spend time with benefit, but also to have fun talking, to reveal 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. If you already have experience in creating products for home and gardening from pallets, please share with us in the comments. We wish you easy work and comfort in your home!