Upcycled Pallet Shelves

I had a wall in my home by the stairs that I could never figure out what  I wanted on it. Photos just didn't look right.  A single painting or piece of artwork looked funny because of the stairs angle. So for years now I have resorted to this foyer wall being a display wall for my children's art and craft projects.



I am proud of my children's work but I really wanted a "big girl" wall especially when it is one of the first things you see when you enter my home. The kids artwork said "Kid's Funzone" rather than "Nice Home"

Honestly we have lived in this house for almost 5 years now and this wall sat blank well minus the kiddie artwork. Thanks to Ana White at Knock-off Wood this wall is blank no more. Ana has great projects and free woodworking plans to build the stuff that is in the expensive furniture catalogues. This is not my first knock-off word project and actually two of my projects were featured on Ana's blog in the past. This one my kids helped me make, and this one which I made out of the old warped roof of my kids playstructure.


I must say when I saw her tutorial for the pallet shelves I was in love. I love projects where I don't really have to measure precisely or keep things perfectly square. I like to just create and see what I end up with. I am the same way when I sew. I am just not a cut once measure twice kind of girl so a project that starts with free wood and is supposed to look distressed is a favorite project of mine.I also tend to like things that I have a place for or that are useful. This project covered both of those things for me.

So after a few months, ok more than a few months, of waiting for my husband to help me get a pallet to our house somehow. I decided to take things into my own hands and search for one myself. I had gotten permission in the summer to get one from a place a few blocks from our home, but couldn't fit it in my vehicle and gave up until I could find help. Help never came and I was tired of waiting.

When I had Thanksgiving break and a blank wall I went out in the cold wind chills grabbed one sitting propped by their garbage dumpster and single handed, hoisted it onto the roof of my crossover and tied it down. I also grabbed a hacked up 2*4 they had by the dumpster, before driving the few blocks back home.

Once it was home my husband actually helped me bring it to our unfinished basement, He didn't want me to scratch the walls.

I started hacking away. I used the hack saw and in some spots it was easier to use my Rotozip. (I love my Rotozip)




Once I had the pieces that I needed  from the pallet the only thing left to do it cut bottoms for the shelves out of 2*4's and use the stable gun to keep them in place.




I sanded them lightly. I really wanted them to keep their character. Then I used a coat of polyurethane on them. This made the wood a bit darker which was good because it matches the other wood work in our home.

I like am like Ana in the fact that my husband won't let me put holes in our walls for fun, and also like I mentioned before I really don't care for measuring so I had to wait a week before my husband had the time to help me hang them.



I love how they look on the wall. I am not entirely sure what I am going to put on them. But what is great about shelves is that you can change what is on them whenever you want for a entirely new look. I just popped a few things I had up there for photos.



I really like the stamp you can still see on the side.


I did one half length shelf.





And one double shelf, which is the whole length of the pallet.



I origionally thought I would have room for three, but two worked perfect.




Not bad for a free project huh? I wonder how much these would cost in a fancy home decorating store.

Had to share this with my friends here: