From Trash to Furniture: Upcycling Wooden Pallets

Filed in Blog by on July 17, 2018 0 Comments
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upcycled pallet furniture I’m pretty sure you’re familiar with what upcycling is and how it can potentially have a great, positive impact on the environment.

Some creative people even earn extra income from their upcycled products and you know how much I love to share ways in which a more zero waste lifestyle can benefit your bank balance!

Wooden pallets are some of the most overlooked items – it’s not uncommon to see them stacked up and unloved outside a business premises. While many wooden pallets are basically just reclaimed wood (which is actually a good thing for the environment), they often get discarded after just one use. We also discovered that if a business needs to have unwanted pallets taken away, a skip can cost £300.

But as we all know, one man’s trash is another’s treasure and wooden pallets are a brilliant material for upcycling into all sorts of things from a compost heap to furniture. And they’re surprisingly sturdy too. They can be upcycled into chairs, tables, bed frames, and even walls, if you’re going for the rustic aesthetic.

Do check over your pallet before using, however. You don’t want to fall through your new bed, right?! Not all pallets are created equal, and if you’re looking to upcycle into an item with longevity, you’ll need to dispose of pallets showing signs of wear properly.

Waste disposal service providers such as All Metro Bins have the equipment to handle all types of waste safely and more importantly, properly. The reason why it’s best to simply call waste disposal specialists is so that you don’t leave your pallets laying around like most businesses do. The wood can become weak and there are a lot of nails in pallets which can cause injuries to you or wildlife.

Once you get past weeding the bad pallets from the good ones, then you’re basically good to go with your pallet upcycling project. Pinterest is your friend for inspiration. Some of my favourites are this storage box, these rustic shelves and this brilliant stand for vertical gardening – it’s such a great way to grow food when you have limited space.

One of the best things about upcycling wooden pallets is that the material that you’re going to be working on is incredibly cheap and in many cases free, as businesses are only too happy to have you take things away. And the best bit for us at Zero Waste Towers? We run a wood burner, so if a pallet completed degrades, we can just burn it and keep warm!

What about you? Have you ever made anything from reclaimed wooden pallets?

About the Author ()

I am a long time supporter of the Green and Sustainable lifestyle. After being caught in the Boscastle floods in 2004, our family begun a journey to respect and promote the importance of Earth's fragile ecosystem, that focussed on reducing waste. Inspired by the beauty and resourcefulness of this wonderful planet, I have published numerous magazine articles on green issues and the author of four books.

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