Pallet bench

I've only ever used pallet wood outdoors like the potting bench, the succulent pallet, and used loose boards as planter stands. I found some pallets which were made from non-treated pine and realised they would do terribly outdoors. I decided to use the boards to make a storage bench for indoor use, but it was a tough process!

The boards were pried off the pallet with a chisel, mallet and hammer. A lot of them broke in the process but I was able to save some. They were scrubbed down with bleach and detergent, washed, then left to dry in the sun. These were later sanded down to remove all splintered edges.

Dismantled pallet boards

I wanted to make something simple that would showcase the old, patterned wood. I made a simple bench frame from structural pine which was cut to size, and screwed together.

 Basic frame

Simple butt joints with some pocket hole joinery happening

I wanted the thick pallet boards to go on top as a seat, and use the other pallet boards as shelving under the bench. I found some left over bed slats in the shed which were cut to size and then screwed down to hold the boards together.

 Bottom shelf done

Bed slats holding everything together

I decided on the height of the shelf and screwed it to the legs. The structure became super rigid and sturdy as it was able to resist shear. I cooked up some coffee and tea stain to bring out the pallet wood features.

 Tea and coffee?

First coat of stain

Staining the pallet boards for the seat

The frame needed to take a visual backseat so I painted over it with flat white paint. I was going for a beachy and rustic overall look so the frame was lightly sanded down to give it a distressed look.

 Painting the frame white

I decided the coffee and tea stain was too light so I pulled out some left over 'Black Japan' stain and varnish in the shed and applied a light coat over the pallet wood. Much better! The wood was left to dry and was later given a light sand before the whole bench was given 2-3 coats of Polycrylic.

 

Painted, stained, sanded, sealed!

The wood is so pretty~

Very happy with the end result. It is super sturdy! Because of its dimensions (1000W x 425D x 450H) it is a lot more versatile than I initially thought. It can be a coffee table, an entry way bench with shoe storage, maybe even a TV bench?

 Coffee table?

 Entry way bench?

Unfortunately, Hann would never allow anything so rustic in the house. I made this bench with that in mind and am happy to let it go to a good home. So this piece is going up for sale soon :)