Two days too late! I almost grabbed a nicely patinaed pallet on trash day from my neighbors. I decided I was maybe going a little too far with my "upcycling". I finally decided to let it go as I had no immediate use for it. Now I am kicking myself. Next time.

my sister used pallets to line the reception area for her wedding. my dad cut points at the top and painted them white to look like picket fences. these shelves are cool

00000hh I used to work in a warehouse and saw these come and go and tried so hard to think of what i could do with one, best i thought of was some planter boxes that didnt look half as nice as those cute shelves! nice job!

Haha I just googled yesterday stuff to make from pallets since we always have them laying around. I was too ashamed to ask you if you could actually use that wood for stuff.

Does anyone know definitively about how pallets are treated? I've come close to starting quite a few pallet projects, but have shied away because of reports that many (most?) are chemically treated with toxins.

I would love to find out otherwise so I can build these amazing shelves tomorrow!!

That's a great idea! Thanks! :)

That is such a great project! I have several (like 100, literally) pallets in a burn pile right now. Running out to rescue them!

THIS IS AWESOME! I think I could even do this! Now...how to score a pallet for myself...:)

Wow what a great idea! Another reason to find some pallets... Once I find a local source we will be in like Flin (we just moved from Nenana to Indiana. So do you know many in Delta? Friends of ours moved back after being gone a few years. The Helkinn's. small world, huh? I started reading your blog before the move but never got around to reading old posts to realize we were so close! I must admit I could now kick myself! Keep up the good work!!)

Back to the pallets... I see these book/magazine racks, garden signs and a compost bin in our near future.

Who do you get your organic produce from? Sorry just curious. We have friends who are trying to eliminate the once a week trip up to town for produce from Fred's so I thought I could pass it on to them.

Once again thanks for all the great ideas, plans, and work you put into this blog!!

I love this idea! Adding this to the list of things to build from your site!!

Brilliant!

I LOVE this! I really love the look with a few dishes etc in it, it is rustic but then the dishes offset that! Perfect! I love the commentary too! A woman on a mission- don't mess!

You have the most AMAZING creative mind! This is a great idea and I have a huge stack of rescued pallets in my back yard that I scored from the warehouse next to where I work.
My Handyman (DH) is always asking me, when I come up with ideas, "does your brain ever hurt?"

I love looking at all you do and come up with! So I gave you an award. Come check it out at Mamafabulous.blogspot.com

fabulous!! What pure awesomeness!

Ha ha! I'm laughing because I think my husband would have a hissy fit if I used our pallets from the wood shed. I guess this one will have to wait until I we get some concrete!

Ever since I found your website I have had my eye on pallets at work wondering what I could build with them. Thanks for the great idea!

Are you kidding me?! I HAVE (!!!) a pile of those behind the shed at the far end of my yard!... I think... Well, guess where I will be this afternoon? All I can say: SUPER IDEA! Thank you.

I LOVE this idea. I was just telling my hubby about trying to get some broken up pallets to use in making garden boxes. Maybe you little project will help to get the creative juices flowing. pallets could really have some possibilities!!!

oh my goodness those are amazingly cool! i was going to make some of your other shelves for my boys books but how cool would these be in a little boys room! thank you so much for all you do. you are rad!

Love it! I will have to go to the place I saw the other day that had a sign - FREE PALLETTS, and make some for our lake cottage - not much storage there and some of these hung on the wall in the eating area to hold paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins, etc would be great! Thanks again for another great idea!

They are adorable! I'm on the hunt for a pallet or two now.

I really like this idea! I am currently trying to find ways to spruce up my small townhouse backyard! I think this is an exellent idea in which I can plant hanging flowers in on the cheap. Excellent drainage and I'm sure it would look great!

Oooooohhh, looks great! Like Landry, I also wonder if they are treated though.

Just went outside and grabbed back the pallet that I had in the trash pile. This is an AWESOME idea!! Thanks so much for all you do!

Thank you all, I am so happy with my shelves! And Landry, I am not sure if the pallets are treated or not. Mine came from an organic farm, so I sure hope not! But I imagine in some places, pallets could be treated to keep rot/bugs out. I would inspect the end grain of the wood and any cracks, seeing if there is any discoloration. You could also seal with a sealer, sealing in any possible chemicals, or paint.

I really love this hack all, and I hope as you took a second to comment, you also take a second to share/stumble/digg etc because I think this is something just about anyone can do and find a use for! You would be doing our planet a favor - here's to reclaiming trashed pallets!

great idea! And yes some pallets are treated but some are not. I would hope the pallets transporting organic produce would be UNtreated!! ;)
But you should be able to ask the supplier and they could tell you! Katie over at bower power paneled her baby's room with pallet wood and it looks amazing!
http://allbowerpower.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/nursery-news-accent-wall/

I love pallet furniture. I have seen so way cute table/toy chests made of pallet wood, so as soon as I have some of my own little kiddies, I'm making one.,,but this idea gives the toy storage unit some matching shelves.

Rock on!

As the wife of a commercial carpenter I have unlimted access to palletts, I'm about to text him to bring one home so we can make these this weekend! LOVE it, thank you!!!!

Sweet! my kids are SO helping me on this one! Thanks!

Oh, fabulous! I have been needing to make a magazine rack for two of the bathrooms and I think this will work perfectly! And luckily, I know a guy who can probably hook me up with a pallet or two.

Love this! My husband told me he could get me as many pallets as I can use from his work, for free.....can't wait to make this.

That's great! I won't be surprised if Pottery Barn decides to hack this idea for their next catalog!

Love it! I've used pallets to build a compost pile container, but never thought about the designer aspect. I, too, will have to keep my eyes open for a lonesome pallet just looking for a makeover and a new home...

These are awesome! I was actually JUST going to ask you if I could reclaim the lumber from wood pallets and use it to build anything? (read my post on your facebook page to find out why :-( I'm Lisa Rene on there) We have 2.5 acres of woods and wetlands behind the house and I took the dogs for a hike to burn off some steam and vent my anger from my unsuccessful, VERY disappointing trip to lowes to buy lumber, and I came across a TON of lumber. And I don't mean tree. There are scraps all over back there. We just moved here in December, and the former owners left a bunch of wood in the garage, but I never noticed the stuff in the yard: lots of random scraps left over from some long ago boys building a fort (which still stands) and more scattered amongst the compost and grass clippings. Most on it looks to be in bad shape, cracked and rotting from weather damage and sitting in the snow all winter. But the real jackpot was my next door neighbors fire pit: wood pallets stacked higher than me! His aren't as pretty as yours are though. They look grey and weathered. What do you think? Can I use them? Should I sand them down and stain them? Or can I just stain them without staining to keep the reclaimed wood look?

Vanilla comfort, actually, I think the rougher shape the pallets are in, the more character! Of course, if you want a smooth finish, you could either build flat wall book holders or sand and finish / paint.

I'm excited for your jackpot find!

And I'm sorry about the big box store. In these rough economic times, they should be happy to help. It's giving someone a job. I would try calling around first.

amazing! i've been intimidated & amazed by almost everything on the website, but this i think i could do! now to find a pallet...hrm...

Dang! You're soooooo SMART for thinking of this! I stand in awe of your awesome creativeness!! :-))

Uh, LOVE IT>
So easy! Well, I dont have the tools, but it would be SO EASY. Im thinking that for christmas I am going to ask for a plethera of power tools!
Maybe you can help me? What ones are the most useful & best to have?

Oh my goodness! I love this so much and want to do it so badly, I think I'm dying! It's the perfect solution to something I was working on this very afternoon, a silverware caddy, but permantly mounted on the wall. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! If hubs can get a pallet for me from work and I get this done, I'll be sure to let you know.
☺ Celeste

Hi Chels, you could actually "build" this using a handsaw and a hammer and nails. To make life easier, have Blue or Orange cut your 1x4 boards at the store. Then all you have to do is cut the pallets (handsaw is going to take some sweat, but so does yoga class) with straight cuts (no fancy cutting required - you don't even have to be straight. And then just use the hammer and nails to fasten the bottom in place.

As far as buying tools, I would start with a good drill. Then some saws and an nailgun. I have a section of "tools" in a label on the right sidebar that talks about all the tools we use here.

Wood pallets are everywhere and plentiful, but now I'm on the hunt for a sawsall!! A girl could really have a pallet of fun with a sawsall!

I saw this post today and knew I had to have these shelves for my breakfast area. I was prepared to drive around tonight looking for pallets, but I actually saw one (on my way home) left out for the trash by my neighbors. I guess it was meant to be. Thanks so much for this idea!

Great idea. Free is my favorite price. :-)

Great idea for pallet use but... Those pallets get transferred and used all over. They sit in dirty alley ways and loading docs. Who knows what some of the lovely marks and staining are from? (Dog urine, feral cats spraying, squished mouse droppings)? All kinds of nasty organisms can live in wood. I think you should steam pressure wash any pallets and then at least put a clear sealer on that wood.

Over here in AZ some people use pallets to create stucco walls. Stand them up and secure with rebar so they wont tip over. Then cover with wire mesh and spread your cement and then stucco texture mix all over to cover. Very rustic but blends well with the local architecture.

I was so inspired by this project that I set out to find some pallets and today I picked up three for free!!! Can't wait to start the project!!!

Most of all I loved the way you told the story of building these shelves. And yes, I fully agree with the rest, they are AWESOME!!!

You amaze me! Great idea!!