One of the hottest DIY crazes around is pallet furniture.

Pallets are cheap—sometimes free—and can often be found at a business near you. Small businesses are a great place to start when looking for pallets to get your projects started. Just walk into a store near you and ask!

Once you have your pallets, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few great projects to get started with as you venture into decorating your home with unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Bedframes

This is one of the bigger pallet projects that you can take on, but it is relatively simple—depending on the style you choose.

For a basic bedframe, calculate the measurements you’d like and then adhere as many pallets together as needed to meet those measurements. Do the same for a headboard if you’re keeping to a simple, rustic look.

With any pallet project, give the pallets a good sanding to make sure there are no chances for splinters in the future.

You can then stain and varnish the bedframe, or even paint it if you’d like.

That’s it! These are easy to change and personalize as you update your bedroom, too.

Coffee Table

Credit: Duncan Blair

Another easy pallet project: making your own coffee table.

For a basic coffee table, add planks of wood between the spaces on a pallet, sand, stain or paint, then add any style of legs to the bottom.

Set it up, kick up your feet, and relax.

Bookshelf

There are also a variety of styles to choose from in making a bookshelf, but there’s no need to over-complicate this one either.

You can sand then paint/stain two pallets and stack them on top of one another. Plywood is then nailed to the base of the shelves so that your books have a steady and flat place to sit. When you’re finished with that, attach your new bookshelf to the wall, fill it with your books, and you’re good to go!

Sofa

On the more complex side of pallet furniture: the sofa. There are different styles you can make and different levels of complexity to each style. These can be made for indoor or outdoor, depending on your need.

If you want to keep this as simple as possible, you can create a sofa in a very similar way to the bedframe, stacking pallets on top of one another to create height. If you want armrests, you can cut a pallet in half and fasten them to the end of either side of the sofa.

Now, what about cushions? You have a few options here. You can use extra-large pillows, upholster a twin bed, or even reuse cushions from a previous couch.

DIY with Pallets

As you can see, there are so many projects you can tackle once you gather your pallets. You can make dog kennels, pet or baby gates, and even TV consoles. The possibilities are endless.

As always, safety is important! Be sure to wear safety goggles, gloves, and any other equipment to ensure a safe and fun experience when working on your pallet projects.