Creative Uses For Free Wooden Pallets
Personally, I think repurposing shipping pallets is a genius idea. Some people get all grossed out about it, but as long as you are careful about where you get them, I don’t see anything wrong with using them to build custom furniture for your home for free!
When collecting pallets for projects, always keep in mind what might have been on those pallets before you bring them home. If they are from the grocery store, chances are something nasty might have spilled on them (think spoiled food or chemicals). Pallets are also often sold back to the pallet supplier and reused by another company, so just because you might pick them up from a plumbing supply store, doesn’t mean they didn’t once carry leaky packages of chicken. I’m just saying.
When my husband was working for a printing company, a lot of their materials came in on shipping pallets. These were NEW pallets, and nothing but paper was on them. So I am completely comfortable using them.
Just to be safe, I would recommend that you spray your pallets down with a bleach solution to kill anything nasty that might be on them, and let them sun dry before carrying on.
With all that said, here’s some inspiration for ya!
I LOVE these twin beds. I think this is such a great idea! I also love that they have a trundle underneath them, so this room could actually sleep four, assuming there’s floor space for two trundles to slide out. Very cool. This mama did a fantastic job decorating!!
Isn’t this a great idea? The color pop in the background really turns these pallets into functional pieces of art.
I thought this was a very cute idea, and something that could be so easily customized to any decor. If you like this, you gotta check out some of the other really cool pallet-crafts over at Caught in Grace, there’s a bunch more where this came from!
Need a toddler bed? Isn’t this one just adorable?! LOVE IT. Just make sure to sand it down well… You can find the complete tutorial over at Lori Danelle’s blog.
If you’ve ever priced wall mounted book shelves, you know they are ridiculously expensive. Here’s a fantastic way to make them yourself, for FREE! Check out the entire tutorial over at Little Lucy Lu. I might get Jerry to make some of these for me for Xia’s room.
Loving the vitage/shabby chic feel of this pallet wall shelf.
I really love this little reading bed as well. And the old wooden door as a headboard was the perfect touch, in my opinion! You can see how it was done here.
I’ve seen different variations of this pallet garden, but I think this one is my favorite. Beautiful. And I love that she’s mixed flowers with herbs and edibles. This would be great on a balcony or back deck. To see how easy it is to make your own, check out this tutorial.
Want more? Check out this cool playhouse and an entire room made from pallets. And here are some tool sheds and a chicken coop!
Oh, and don’t forget the fence we built completely out of pallets!
I’ve got a nice, big stack of these bad boys just calling my name. I’ve had fun collecting some inspiration!
What do you think about repurposing pallets? Have you used them around your home?
I have been compiling a list of ways to use pallets on Pinterest. I haven’t seen a few of these ideas. I love these ideas.
OH MY GOODNESS!!! I LOVE these ideas! I am gonna have to start a list of what I want to make. Can you imagine the money that can be saved by using pallets to make things instead of buying?? Have you seen the pallet lawn chair? LOVE IT!
We have a bunch of pallets that we use to stack out wood outside in the wood shed. Those are such great ideas and look so nice too.
I have been wanting to find some ideas to use pallets for. My husband has access to all the pallets he wants for free!! Very frugal decorating. I’m looking forward to showing him some of these ideas and doing some decorating!!
Oh my stars, this just got my creative juices all a-flowin!!! Great ideas here.
I make compost bins from four pallets. They work really good, get plenty of air. I found that the compost was ready quicker than in the commerical make compost bin. Barbara
I’ve been thinking about pallets lately too. I saw the bookshelves on pinterest, and I think that is what I am going to do. I love the outdoor furniture! I’ve never seen it before. I wonder if you could cut them in half, and make them like little seats all around the deck? Hmmmm….maybe I should just start with the shelves.
Where can I get free pallets?! I love these ideas!and I love your compost idea barbara!
Shell,
I’d find a print shop and ask them, if I were you. Plumbing supply stores, and hardware stores would have them also. Many places get stuff shipped in on pallets. I’d just stay away from grocery stores.
Wow, these are some great ideas! I am always seeing free pallets on craigslist and have been wondering if I could put some to good use.
These are fantastic ideas—something I could put my sons to work on. Thanks for sharing. ~Jill
OH MY!!! I L*O*V*E me some pallet wood! These are all so creative and ingenious.
EXCEPT……of course, that TODDLER BED.
Mark that one in the “Bored Suburban Housewife Crafts Sure to Tip off DSS to Child Neglect” column.
I ADORE shabby chic—you truly can’t imagine how much!— but a bed for a small child made of industrial scrap lumber is well…… Just. Plain. Creepy. Deepy.
The OLIVER TWIST FACTOR on that one is a wee bit elevated for my comfort. :LOL)
I love all the things made with the pallets. In my husbands business we have a lot of pallets lying around. Thinks for some great ideas!
I am looking for the schematics for a kids sized single L-shaped bed. At the moment I have single bunk beds but its a very small single room so I would need something to suit a five year old and a four year old as they share the same room. I thought that maybe someone might have already thought of something like this.
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