If you live on a homestead, you are used to finding a second life for items that would normally be discarded. If you are looking to step up your game, then you can look for items that you can collect for free and find great uses for them. Wooden pallets are one of the most popular considerations for upcycling because they are so readily available.
Manufacturers across the globe use pallets to stack, store, and move their products. They are so cheap to produce that it would cost more money in shipping to get them back then it costs to make or purchase new ones. The cost associated with this process is just rolled into the cost of the product you are seeing on the shelf, so it’s not making a dent in anyone’s profits.
What most people aren’t considering is the amount of wood we are using in order to produce these pallets each year, most often for only a one time use. There are over 2 billion wooden pallets in circulation within The United States alone. This industry accounts for over 50 percent of our yearly hardwood harvest. Upcycling helps keep them out of our landfills, and most businesses are glad to get rid of them.
Where to Find Them
Any brick and mortar store that sells products on their shelves, is likely to have a large amount of pallets laying around. They receive the products on pallets and then have no need for them as the products are sold. Some good examples are grocery stores, dollar stores, and department stores.
What Can Be Made With Wooden Pallets?
Pallets can be torn down to create anything that you normally would build from the wood you typically would buy at the hardware store. The possibilities are endless, and depend on what your needs are, but here are a few examples:
Sheds, Small Barns, and Hay Storage
If you are raising livestock, pallets can be a great way to build cheap structures to store equipment, food, and animals. It can be a great option if you are just looking for a small structure to put a roof over their heads. You can save the world and save your wallet at the same time!
Furniture
It is very simple to build tables, chairs, and benches out of recycled pallet wood. This is a great way to add some yard décor, or maybe even a functional picnic table to your back yard.
Chicken Coops
Chicken coops one of my favorite used for wooden pallets. If you do some planning, you can create the entire structure from pallet wood. This can include the floor, walls, roof, and run. I have even seen people sell chicken coops that they constructed completely from free pallets.
Garden Trellis
If you are looking for something that your grapes and vines can latch onto, creating something from pallets is always a great option. With a little creativity, you can really turn it into an aesthetically pleasing work of art that you created yourself!
Pallet Fence
The symmetrical nature of wooden pallets makes them perfect for building fences. All you have to do is line them up and secure them to one another and you are done. The hardest part will be to collect enough pallets to make it happen.
Swimming Pool
This one may sound a little crazy, but check out this story of a guy turning 10 pallets and a tarp into a full sized pallet swimming pool. Can you imagine a full sized swimming pool for less than $200 in supplies?
