Wednesday 11 July 2012

How to: Make Magic with Wooden Pallets

There has been an up rise in the popularity of home DIY projects; recycling old materials to make new decorations and furniture- and why not? It means that your home is filled with one-of-a-kind features and it will most definitely be cheaper than buying brand new furniture.

One trend I’ve noticed is the use of recycling wooden pallets. It’s amazing to see what people have managed to create out of something that’s normally just used to support heavy goods in a stable fashion. Whether it’s inside or for outside the home, there are endless possibilities.

Sofas

If you have a futon or perhaps cushions from either an old sofa, then you already have nearly everything you need. You have the option to choose the height of the sofa, depending on the atmosphere of the room
In this example the sofa is lowered, yet still offers some storage space for books/magazines or anything you want underneath. So think how much you could store if it was raised by one more pallet.

Shelves

You can make at least 3 shelves from just one pallet; just cut it by every two slabs, then remove a slab from one side:
Although they may not have as much surface space as other shelves, these could be used to display lots of little things such as ornaments & photos.
Because of the simple structure, wooden pallets at fantastic for stacking things; sometimes you don’t even have to change anything – just hang the pallets on the wall and they can become a bike or shoe rack!

Coffee Tables

This is possibly one of the simplest bits of furniture to be made from a wooden pallet. Simply sand it, paint it, add wheels or legs, and (if you like) a glass surface.
Although the glass isn’t necessarily essential, it can most definitely put the finishing touch on it. Again – if you used two pallets to make the coffee table it would leave more room for some storage underneath.
In my opinion, pallet beds are the sturdiest ever. Well, they are made to support heavy goods, after all. Well-made beds can also be very expensive nowadays so it’s a great way to re-decorate your home on a budget.
This example shows how subtle they can be; like with any pallet creation, a bit of sanding and then paint can make your new piece of furniture fit perfectly in any room. You could also create hammock-beds with a similar approach, or smaller beds for a pet, outside pallet beds etc.

So as you have probably gathered, there are no limits to the furniture that you can create with a simple wooden pallet. There are thousands of examples online nowadays. Have you ever made anything from an old wooden pallet? If not, what’s the most creative example use you’ve ever seen? There's plenty to choose from..

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