Making do-it-yourself furniture lets you implement your own designs while saving money. It’s also not as difficult as you may think if you have quality materials, including the right adhesive, or even a do-it-yourself furniture kit. We’ll tell you what you need and, to get you started, show you how to make a pallet coffee table.
Even if you have ambitious plans, you might want to start with a simple project. If you want to focus on building instead of designing, opt for a do-it-yourself furniture kit with most or all the parts you need.
You can easily create many versatile, attractive pieces of do-it-yourself pallet furniture for indoor or outdoor use. One classic project is the pallet coffee table described below, but there’s a great number of seating arrangements, do-it-yourself deck furniture, or even hammocks made from this versatile material!
You can also lend your furnishings a special touch with do-it-yourself furniture refinishing. Refinish furniture to give it a distressed look, or pep up old wicker pieces with fresh coat of paint and a new color. Or use spray-paint on wicker for interesting effects. Do-it-yourself wicker furniture doesn’t get any easier!
Many do-it-yourself furniture projects require some sort of adhesive or sealant. When selecting such a product, please ensure it bonds with the materials you want to coat, seal, or attach. Additionally, if you plan on painting over your adhesive, you need to choose a paintable product. Your sealant or glue also needs to withstand the furniture’s ambient conditions, so check whether it is suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
Universal glues like Loctite's Extreme adhesives are good all-rounders if you are bonding different materials. For instance, Loctite Extreme Glue combines the versatility of polyoxysilane and the strength of polyurethane to create a premium formula for crafting and building jobs. It dries crystal clear, sets with no clamping, can be used indoors or outdoors, and resists water.
If you are working primarily with one material or material group, such as upholstery materials, opt for an adhesive specially designed for them. Loctite Vinyl, Fabric & Plastic is a great choice for this application.
Gather your materials. You need the following:
- three pallets
- a saw
- a hammer
- nails
- pliers
- abrasive paper
- wood stain and a paintbrush
- a drill
- caster wheels
- screws
- carriage bolts
- wood glue
Remember to wear gloves and safety goggles!
Size up the pallet for the tabletop. If it is too large for your room, saw it in half.
Obtain additional slats. Pry slats from a second pallet using a hammer and screwdriver. Remove any nails with pliers. Saw the slats to size, if necessary.
Fill in the gaps. Place the additional slats from pallet 2 between the slats of your tabletop pallet. Fix them in place using a hammer and nails and/or strong wood glue.
Create legs from a third pallet. Saw pallet 3 as shown below.
Prepare reinforcements for the top. Remove two slats from pallet 3, saw them to size, and attach them a “slat width” away from the edges on the underside of the tabletop. They should run perpendicular to existing slats.
Prepare all surfaces. Use abrasive paper to smooth away rough edges. Paint the tabletop, legs, and reinforcing slats with wood stain.
Attach the components. You can either use a strong adhesive or do the following: drill holes where the components will join, line up the holes, and attach the components using carriage bolts, washers, and nuts (tighten them well).
Attach caster wheels. Position them and screw them in place.
