Reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle have become a modern day mantra. I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate these 4 R’s into my home projects and have found that pallet recycling is something I keep doing over and over again.

An easy to find material, I source my pallets from a pallet provider in my area who provides pallet services to local businesses. Not only are they cheap to buy which makes renovating on a budget easy as pie, but it’s also great for the environment to repurpose the wood into something long-lasting and useful.

Although they are a great low-cost home decor solution, it can be a real pain taking apart pallets and removing all those bent, rusty nails from the wood.

It got me thinking, there surely must be a better way… and indeed there is – whole pallet projects, no disassembly required.

1.  Whole Pallet Bookshelf

Who has the time to take apart a pallet, cut all the bits to size and then put it back together again to make a bookshelf? Not me! When the idea struck that we could just use an entire pallet as a bookshelf, I got to work immediately. All you need to do is sand it down to get all the potential splinters smoothed off, add a few licks of paint and then lean the pallet up against a wall with the ‘top’ facing the wall. The ‘bottom’ part of the pallet has support beams which are perfect for bookshelf and shelving space, and leaning the pallet you don’t even need to secure it in place. Tool-free, easy!

Tip: if the edges of the pallet are sharp or rough, sand them down or add a bit of putty around the corners to avoid any potential injuries.

2.  Whole Pallet Wall Shelves

This one will be mounted onto a wall, so I found that the smaller pallets work the best as they aren’t quite so heavy. I have one in the kitchen as a herb and spice rack, similar idea as the bookshelf where you have the ‘top’ of the pallet facing the wall allowing you to use the ready-made shelving unit in the back. I chose to stain mine with a furniture wax to ensure it would hold up to any potential kitchen splashes and because I like the rustic wood look.

Tip: because I wanted a nice clean, untreated pallet to be used in the kitchen, I contacted a company in my area that provides total pallet management and purchased one from them. This gives me peace of mind that the wood wasn’t contaminated, which is exactly what I want for something I’ll be storing food in.

3.  Whole Pallet Console Table

An ideal way to add an extra bit of storage to your entryway, a console table can be easily made standing a pallet up against a wall and adding tiles or a thick piece of wood along the top as a table top. Just paint or stain it to suit your decor and you’re all done. A great place to store trinkets, it even has enough space underneath to double as a shoe rack.

Tip: I used a coat of polycrylic paint to give a nice shiny finish which will protect it from any bumps and scuffs.

4.  Whole Pallet Theatre Seating

If you have a basement then chances are you’ve thought about converting it into a movie theatre for the whole family to enjoy. But when working with a limited amount of space, it can be hard to know exactly how to lay out the seating. This is where whole pallets come in, you can lay pallets down flat and stack an extra layer on top to add height. Start with a layer one pallet thick, behind that go two pallets thick and then three pallets behind that. Put down seat squabs or single mattresses, loads of pillows and you’ve good to go.

Tip: put putty over the nails to make sure none of the fabric snags or rips.

5.  Whole Pallet Porch Planter

This project is similar to the bookshelf, except you’re going to put it outside and fill it up with beautiful pot plants! Using the interior beams of the pallet as shelving, you could paint or stain it any color you like to create a vertical garden system (all the rage these days!).

Tip: use an outdoor paint to ensure it will hold up against the elements.

6.  Whole Pallet Garden Trellis

Perfect for climbing vegetables such as tomatoes or beans, you can easily create a garden trellis out of pallets leaning them against a wall or fence, or leaning them up against each other in a triangle shape.

Tip: be sure to use nice clean pallets.