2 Comments »

11 Great Uses for Recycled Shipping Pallets

• Tweet

• Tweet

You might be surprised to find that what these two pictures have in common is that both the table and this wall are made of shipping pallets.

In many places, rough wooden pallets are free at hardware stores, making recycling them into furniture or a building material a great way to be frugal and green.

Of course, for the best results, you need to sand the rather rough wood down to get this smooth finish! But the wood used in pallets is not inherently rough and nasty – it sands down just like other wood.

Quirky design such as exhibited here in these silly chairs are one option.

Or you can make pallets elegant and honed to perfection, like this storage chest made by a new mom.

You can celebrate the rough and ready design aesthetic of the shipping pallet with kitchen shelves that quickly serve a purpose with minimal intervention.

For the frugal entertainer, shipping pallet furniture will quickly set up a cosy conversation center.

You can make a sophisticated style statement in a minimal bedroom with a dark stain for a very stylish headboard.

Attaching wheels makes a moveable coffee table, that works by contrasting a sleek glass top on the rough pallet.

A shot of color on a stack of pallets celebrates the mismatched wood of the shipping pallet.

An antique stain and meticulous sanding that further emphasizes the individual and wonky look of the poorly constructed pallet creates a super rustic kitchen cabinet.

Or the addition of wonderfully strange wheels make for an amusing rolling cart. All of these great photos were captured by DIY Diva and Reclaimed Home and Learning as I Go.