Coffee on your Pallete... Table

Need a coffee table that says "I love to be outdoors!"? Well, here is my version.

Say Hello to my recovered pallets! I rescued these bad boys from my warehouse dumpster. They are super heavy because of what they were made to carry, so they are perfect for furniture!

Note that there are many different sizes, shapes and weights of pallets, so you should decide what you are looking for if your are pairing some up. Since this project was going to be outdoors, I wanted something that the Oklahoma winds wouldn't take off with.

So the first step was to remove the boards that I didn't want. I wanted a flush top, so I had to remove some boards in order to relocate them next to each other, otherwise I would have been cutting tiny boards to fit. And..... Nope. So I stole some from the other pallet to add to this one.

Using a hammer and crowbar I jimmied the boards off one by one. This can take some finesse.

Because Pallets are made, usually of scrap lumber, they are easy to break. So you end up with splintered pieces (see pic). Therefore it is always a good idea to have a spare.








One of the most irritating part of the whole process, is removing the nails/ screws. See Pallets are put together with the intention of staying together and use these nasty little half-nail/half-screw combos: called Shank Steel nail/screws, that has a small piece of steel or copper wire that juts out from the side. Once they are screwed in it is meant to be permanent.

They are usually placed in the center and side supports. You will splinter many a board trying to pry these out. Your best bet is to try to work around them, or if you have heavy tools for this job: have at it. The other boards are mainly attached with standard nails.

Picture with all boards re-aligned. With, of course, a photo bomb by my pup Henry. I used 1 1/4th wood screws to attach the boards. Different lengths will need to be used to prevent the screws from poking through.

To add height, I placed the facelifted pallet on top of the other mauled one and attached with 2 1/2 inch outdoor wood screws. Decking screws are really good, as well. I screwed through the middle of the top pallets through the supports on the bottom one. I did this about 20 times to ensure that it was NOT going to come apart.

Next, I wanted my pallet to be functional and moveable. When it weighs about 80lbs, you really need to have it on casters. I found these casters at Harbor Freight for relatively cheap. I went with locking casters so that it could be stationary when needed.
 You need to first place your casters and doodle where your holes need to be. These will need to be drilled before installing to prevent splitting. TRUST ME. You do not want to get this far and have the bottom of your pallet fall apart. I used 1 3/4 inch Lag bolts. You will need a good drill and some arm muscle mixed with your body weight to get these installed.

Next step is to make it safe. Well, to do that you are going to need to sand the heck out of it. There are many, many spots on a pallet that have been splintered or are missing and you need to get all of those smooth before someone runs their hand across it and gets a painful surprise.

For the tops and sides I used my mouse with 60 grit sand paper. This gets most of everything. But For the spots that had chunks missing and also between the boards were the edges are rough(and the sander can't get to) I used my Dremmel with a course sanding bit to carve out those smooth edges.
Be prepared to spend some time on this step. I was super picky about not having any splinters, so it took me a long time.

I filled in the screw holes and some spots with wood filler and let it dry. Then I sanded those down. No splinters here, no sir, no ma'am.

Then wipe down your pallet to remove all saw dust (and there will be LOTS). Let dry.

Painting! YAY! Get an exterior paint to make sure it weathers well. I used Glidden Home and Exterior paint. In a medium grey (the name escapes me at this second). I bought a quart and almost ran out.

HLT: Pallet wood will soak up your paint so be sure to get enough of your color to do the whole thing and have extra (for your next project, of course. *wink*).

I painted the underside and all so it really used up the paint.
The rough wood will also do a number on your brushes, so I suggest a chip brush that can stand up to it.







Remember to clean your brushes well. And Reduce, Reuse and Recycle while you are at it. :)

Two coats of paint later......

Now for the Prettiness:
Played around with some fonts and sizes using Word after scouring www.Pinterest.com for a quote that I wanted to use. This was for my Sis-in-Law who LOVES Mickey Mouse so I figured Walt Disney would be appropriate. And Walt Disney had a lot of great things to say. Printed them out onto regular printer paper.

This fabulous person had a great tutorial about transferring images with a charcoal pencil on Pinterest. Here is the tutorial: http://homespunhappenings-tammy.blogspot.com/2012/04/i-made-sign.html she is a Blogger too!

Using a charcoal Pencil, color over the back side of your image. Then flip over and trace your image outline using a pencil or pen lid. Push down hard enough to transfer charcoal but not bust through your paper. You can see a bit of the outline in the photo below.

Once you have all of it transferred, then it is ready to paint! I used external paint on everything to maximize the life of the table.
But just for good measure, I used an exterior clear coat (really three) over the dry surface.

Finished Product! Not only is it a coffee table but since you worked all of those splinters out -it can also double as a bench.

Hope this helps with your pallet creations!