If pulling out the hammer and nails isn’t really your thing, use a bevy of pallets in good condition to create a platform for your bed. Remove splinters and apply a healthy dose of paint for a quick and easy makeover for your bed.
15 Shipping Pallet Projects for the DIY Home
Shipping pallets are the DIYer’s standby building material for many good reasons. They aren’t hard to come by, and even damaged pallets can be salvaged for smaller projects. Kept whole, shipping pallets make great building blocks for large projects; deconstructed, they can be used to build just about anything. This versatility means that just a couple of cast-off pallets can fit the bill for a huge assortment of home improvement projects. In fact, what can’t you make from shipping pallets? With so many options, narrowing down our favorites was quite the task… but here they are: 15 projects for your home— all made from shipping pallets.
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Platform Bed
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Swing Chair
When securely fastened to a tree or the ceiling of a porch, a pallet and some cushioning make the ideal place to lounge. Vary the size and add on whatever options you like—the pallet swing is endlessly customizable.
Related: Weekend Projects—5 DIYs to Improve Your Outdoor Space
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Wine Rack
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Sandbox
Customize a sandbox for your kids! You can assemble shipping pallets to create an area for playing, benches to sit on, and even a lid to keep out rain. Use a strong liner to keep sand contained to the box.
ana-white.com
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Headboard
While a platform bed made from pallets requires little work, a matching headboard needs a bit more elbow grease. Deconstructed and reassembled, these pieces of wood only hint at their former life.
Related: 9 "Dreamy" Headboards You Can Make
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Shoe Rack
Repurposed pallets offer great storage solutions for everything from pots and pans to sneakers and boots. Just see how naturally this pallet takes to a new life as a shoe rack. Cut the pallet down to the appropriate size and, if you like, customize with a coat of paint for your entryway.
Related: Giving Boots the Boot! 11 Smart Storage Ideas for Your Winter Footwear
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Pet Bed
Don’t forget about your family pet! Cats and dogs both like a place of their own, and your kids will love to help create a bed just for their companion.
Related: 10 Over-the-Top Ways to Pamper Your Pet
etsy.com via SalvageShack
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Garden Help
Whether or not you have a green thumb, you can still use pallets to create raised beds in your garden or to help you keep your vegetables organized into easily identified (or labeled) rows.
Related: Pro Tips—Square-Foot Gardening
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Simple Bench
A pallet bench ranks low on the difficulty scale, making it a great introductory project for beginning furniture builders. And when you’re done, you can easily bump up the scale to make a matching table.
Related: Weekend Projects—5 Stand-Out DIY Benches
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Pot Rack
If storage is at a premium in your kitchen, a shipping pallet can do double duty. Fastened to the wall, it can provide both a rustic shelf and hanging space for your pots and pans.
Related: 7 DIY Pantry Hacks and Kitchen Storage Ideas
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Privacy Screen
A coat of paint and a healthy number of succulents can transform just four pallets into a room divider for both indoor and outdoor use. This configuration is great for privacy and just perfect for an outdoor shower.
Related: Outdoor Showers—The New Accessible Luxury
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Flooring
Reclaimed wood floors are a popular look—and this popularity makes them pricey. Salvaged pallets can be deconstructed and treated to imitate the appearance of reclaimed wood in less trafficked and rawer spaces (think workshop, cabin, and similar spots).
Related: 11 Ways to Use Salvaged Wood in Your Home
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Backyard Patio
Constructing a backyard patio requires a thorough plan and consultation with an experienced builder. You might supplement this project with additional materials, but pallets can form the foundation of your backyard oasis.
Related: 7 Easy, Budget-Friendly Backyard Makeovers
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Jewelry Organizer
The shelves and tiers of a pallet make them ideal for curating collections. Securely fasten a pallet to the wall, or even lean one against the wall on top of a dresser, and voilà—an instant home for jewelry and trinkets.
etsy.com via Cre8iveconcrete
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Shed
For the more ambitious DIYer, an architecture-backed plan and plenty of shipping pallets can form the basis for a shed in your backyard. With a few upgrades, the structure can even be a potential guesthouse. The architects of I-Beam Design developed the one seen here as a model of a sustainable emergency shelter.
Related: 11 Homemade Sheds to Fill Your Storage Needs
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For More...
If you are interested in more woodworking project ideas, consider:
11 Homemade Sheds to Fill Your Storage Needs
10 Surprisingly Simple Woodworking Projects for Beginners
Chick Magnets: 10 Irresistible DIY Chicken Coops
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