Here’s how you can make sure your DIY pallet project doesn’t end up looking like a monkey with a saw and nail gun made it.
I know better than to get between a pinner and the inspiration found on Pinterest for the many uses of pallets to makeover your home and garden.
For all their merits, the pallet projects have a charming rustic look, are eco-friendly by being reclaimed, and can be easy to build… sometimes. But like any DIY project, you need to know a few things about the material before you get started.
We aren’t holding anything back as we are sharing what may be ‘the first honest pallet project on the Internet.’
Our goals:
1) Design a pallet project that makes sense for our real life.
2) Build the project with tools that make the project DIY friendly.
You might want to watch the video before diving into the details below, as most of us DIYers like to skip directions and just see how it’s put together in the real world.
Pallet problems. I am also not making this up: As a carpenter I was disturbed by how many times I had to say, “It doesn’t matter, it’s a pallet” every time something didn’t line up—which was every time! So, after I forced myself to un-learn good carpentry, I was able to continue.
But therein, I suppose, is the beauty. Who cares if it’s a little off. It’s supposed to be!
Still, pallets are far from Lego-tastic blocks of DIY stack-N-pack done-ness. The challenges are many, after the project makes the hyperspace leap from your computer screen into your driveway.
This all stems from this simple, incredibly boring fact: Pallets are made for industry, not your patio. Trucking, chemical, manufacturing, international trade. And even though your sod might have come on it, before that pallet could have been underneath a load of used restaurant grease or who-knows-what. In addition to that…
13 pallet challenges for DIYers
So here it is. The first honest pallet project on the internet. From us. To you. With love.
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Jane--Thank you! If you're ever working on any pallet projects, let us know--
Okay, this looks like a wooden pallet project I can actually do! You're not kidding when you say pallets are heavy, so this seems like a great way to make things more manageable. I love the colors you chose, and the end result looks just as hip as anything I've seen on Pinterest. I'm going to have to test this one out--thanks for the idea!