Recycled Pallet Furniture

So last night I found 2 pallets by the dumpster at work. Later that night I started to google things to do with unused pallets. I thought these little wood platforms were re-used by companies over and over again, but little did I know, at least 150,000 of them are thrown into a landfill each year. Some are made of wood that are hard to work with, but some are made of good old fashioned oak. Being the daughter of a carpenter, I grew up with a love of power tools, and only as an adult do I understand why my father didn’t let me use the band saw as a 12 year old girl. I would love to take a wood shop class, but also have a fear of sharp things like knives and exacto blades, so I don’t know how good at that I would be. I guess I’m a walking contradiction, someone who loves to build, but fears the sharp edge of a hand saw. I guess some fears are meant to be conquered, especially if I’m meant to turn those pallets I threw in my van into something cool. Here are my inspirations…

Green Eco Services has some awesome ideas, like this hutch made of pallets. This would take a little more skill than I have, and probably the help of some family members.

These coffee tables look easy enough. You wouldn’t have to take the pallets apart, just add some casters and a piece of glass to fit.

Wouldn’t this book shelf be great with kids? Or just an awesome record, comic book, or magazine collection?

This is a cute little chair that LOOKS easy enough to make.

You Paid More Than Me‘s blog has some great ideas, like this twin bed. Be sure to sand so you don’t get slivers!

Wall shelves. So cute for an entryway.

A little record collection storage. View the tutorial here.

How about this for a buffet or bar? Add spacers to store wine bottles. How about using all of those wine corks you’ve been collecting for spacing between those wine bottles?

Tell me you don’t want to take a nap here.

Why not lay a cute mis-matched floor for a back porch or mudroom?

This is a little extreme, but hey, why can’t we dream big?

Yes, I plan on making this using pallets and casters, and some cable wire to house my boyfriend’s CD collection that is now aimlessly strewn about the apartment. This one here is  73″wide x 79″high. I plan on making one that’s 24″-36″ wide x 42″ high and will hold about 350-400 CD’s. I will document that venture and post it here for you to view!

Next time you see a poor helpless pallet on the side of the road, stop, pick it up, and give it a good home!

Happy up-cycling!

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