Wood pallets are used for the transport of product from a warehouse or distribution center to a store or directly to a job site. Used pallets are typically broken down to be recycled or kept to reuse at a later time. One use of wood pallets in your home is to make a platform for your bed.
Wood pallets help you keep things organized and orderly when storing or transferring large quantities of material. They keep stock elevated from ground moisture and serve as a stable base for stacking goods. A standard 40 by 48 inch pallet has cutouts on the sides that allow the prongs of a forklift or pallet jack to slide underneath for easy hoisting. By following the steps outlined here, you can build your own sturdy, reusable wood pallet. Wooden pallets are often made from oak, fir, spruce or birch.
- Fashion the “stringers,” which are the three 3-1/2 by 48 by 1-3/8 inch supports that run the length of the pallet. Cut out two forklift notches from each stringer, starting 6 inches in from the ends. Cut out a section 9 inches long with rounded corners. Cut the round corner at a radius of 3/4 inches.
- Assemble the bottom deck of the forklift by nailing two 5-1/2 by 40 by 5/8 inch crosspiece boards, mounting one flush with each end of the two outside stringers. Nail the third stringer parallel to the others in the middle. Use nine nails per 5-1/2 inch crosspiece, three at each joining. Then fasten three 3-1/2 by 48 by 5/8 inch crosspiece boards, one in the center of the stringers and the other two just to the inside of the forklift notches. Use six nails per each 3-1/2 inch crosspiece, two at each joining.
- Turn the pallet assembly over and fasten the boards of the top deck. Nail two 5-1/2 by 40 by 5/8 inch cross boards, one flush with each end of the stringers. Use nine nails per 5-1/2 inch crosspiece, three at each joining. Then fasten five 3-1/2 by 48 by 5/8 inch crosspiece boards, one in the center of the stringers and the other four evenly spaced between the middle crosspiece and the end crosspieces. Use six nails per each 3-1/2 inch crosspiece, two at each joining. With a rough sanding of the top deck, your durable homemade pallet is ready for use.
Wood Pallet Deck Supplies
- Pallets – we bought ours at a local pallet manufacturer, they are 48 inches x 48 inches, 2 way barrel pallets NOTE: These Pallets were made to hold 1000-1200 pounds of weight, they were made at a Pallet Manufacturer
- Concrete Half Blocks – 8 inches x 8 inches x 6 inches
- Stain or Paint – we used Stain, because Paint tends to peel off of outdoor wood, we used Olympics Solid Stain in Sandstone color
- Gravel and Sand for leveling
- Paint Sprayer
Before the Deck is ready to be laid, you need to get the space ready. This is the most important part and the most time consuming.
- Clean out the area first by removing any unwanted weeds or plants.
- Determine the size of the block you will need. We chose to go with a Half Block, simply because of cost. You really don’t need a full block, you just need something to support the corners of the pallets.
- Determine the number of concrete blocks you will need. We used 12 for the 8 x 12 foot deck. You will need 1 block for each corner of each pallet.
- Place your blocks 4 feet apart.
- Dig a hole, at least twice as deep as the block.
- Add gravel and sand to the hole – using the same method as when we laid the Stone Walkway. Tamp it down firmly.
- Add the block to the hole and level.
- Level each block as you go.
Now it’s time to lay down the Wood Pallets to form the Deck. Lay them on top of the blocks, being sure to lay the corners on top of the concrete blocks. You can lay them out in any direction you like. If you have a Wood Pallet that is not quite as good as the others, like we did, be sure to lay it where it will either be covered with a Rug, less seen or in low traffic areas.
Step 1: The Platform
The deck was going to be located in a fairly level part of the back yard, so I didn’t bother moving around any dirt.
Weed cloth was laid down, 1’x1′ pavers were placed at each corner of the deck and at the junction of where pallet corners would land, then we arranged the pallets on top. Leftover drywall screws were used to fasten the pallets to each other and scrap lumber was used to fill in the gaps between pallets. We shored up the places where things weren’t quite sitting level on the pavers using rocks and scrap bricks.
2x4s were used to made a frame around the platform to further tie the pallets together and make the edge look sort of finished. Since the 2x4s were 8′ long, we had to piece together along the edges.
The resulting platform was roughly 8-1/2′ by 12.
Step 2: Adding the Deck Boards
Definitely time to bring in an easy-up canopy
Then it was time to put 2x4s on top of the platform. We started at the front edge and placed the first boards so they hung over the front edge by about 1/4″, and at each end by about 1″-2″. Once again, drywall screws were used to fasten the 2x4s to the platform. As more boards were added, the seams where 2x4s butted together were placed so they landed on top of pallet wood and were staggared, using leftover pieces from previous rows to make sure the seams looked random. The ends of the boards ended up hanging over the edge of the deck by various amounts.
After all of the deck boards were fastened down, we trimmed the edges to within 1″ of the frame underneath.
Building a wooden deck to your favorite outdoor area always makes you spend a lot of fortune. But going with pallets can be the most affordable way to build a solid wooden deck anywhere at your outdoor. You will love the desk, durability and look of this pallet deck built for outdoor sitting, fun and recreational activities. First, decide a plain area and then lay the pallets flat on the decided area. Finally, assemble all the pallets using hardware and other wooden cross supports. Use also extra wooden boards to fill the whole deck surface solid.
Follow here guides to build a lasting longer wooden pallet garden deck, which will rock for outdoor entertainment and fun for sure. First, just put the pallets evenly flat on the concrete block foundations. Add extra layers of pallets to reach the desired height level and use extra wood to fill the surfaces and sides solid. However, you can follow your favorite design pattern while filling the top surface of the deck. Here the surfaces are filled with the chevron and diagonal alignments of wood slats, and you will love the final stepped look of the deck. Don’t forget to give the entire deck a nice wood finish. The most stylish, durable and affordable pallet deck idea.
