I watched several videos before I started this project. I wanted to see if it was something I could attempt on my own. The last thing I wanted to create was a graveyard for broken, unused pallets in my backyard.
Once I was convinced that it was a project that I could tackle the hunt was on for free pallets. The first place I always look for free stuff and curbside finds is Facebook Marketplace. I found a few that way and I found a few just by driving past businesses in my neighborhood.
As usual, my husband came to the rescue. There was a stack of pallets at his office, so he loaded them in the spare truck that has an empty bed. I should also mention that this truck has no AC and we live in SW Florida where the “feels like” temperature is 108 degrees.
If you’re going to attempt this project or any project using pallet wood, pressure-wash the pallets first. They’ve lived a hard life outdoors and are full of allergens. After my pallets were all clean, it was time to break them down. The old-school way is done with a hammer and crowbar, and it takes forever.
This time I rescued my husband and bought a pallet buster on Amazon. Here’s the link. I’m an affiliate there and I get a very small commission when a purchase is made. But that’s not why I want you to have a pallet buster. It literally took the breaking down process from several hours to just minutes.
I’ve also attached a video that will explain exactly how to use a pallet buster. With this information, you’re already ahead of where I was when I started building my pallet deck.
To begin the process, I levelled out the ground where I wanted my pallet deck to be.
This is going to be what they call a floating deck, so we don’t need footers. We do need level ground though. Florida is flat, so this wasn’t really a problem. I used a couple of bags of dirt to fill in a small dip and it was ready.
I wanted my deck to be really sturdy, so I used six pallets as the foundation. I used leftover timbers from a landscape project to make sure the pallets were level and arranged them the way that I wanted. I used a level each time I added a new pallet. I used the strongest pallets I had for the foundation. After they were all level, I added a layer of panelling.
I did this because I wanted a smooth surface to nail my deck boards to. I had these pieces in my workshop. I buy them when they’re 70% off and I use them to make frames. But I knew they would work perfectly for this project. I just used my brad nail gun to attach the panel pieces to the pallets.
For the skirting around my pallet deck, I used 1”x8” planks that I found on the 70% off the cart at The Home Depot. I again used my brad nail gun to attach the skirting. Don’t worry, I am going to come back in later and fortify these.
Now the fun really begins! The next step is laying down all those slats from the pallets we busted. There’s really no right or wrong way to do this. I decided to lay them down across the width of my deck. The main thing I took into consideration was to make sure I was using the same width slat for the length of a row. It didn’t matter that each row was the same width. Just that I had enough boards to compete in a row. I hope that makes sense.
This process took a while because I wanted to stagger the boards between long and short, so I needed to mark and cut my boards as I went. I used my compound miter saw to make these cuts. If you’re using power tools, wear your safety gear. If you don’t have a power saw, these slats are narrow enough to fit in a miter box. This is a simple and inexpensive tool to have on hand. Here’s a link to where I bought mine.
After the top was all brad nailed down and I was satisfied with the placement of the boards, I went back with spiral nails and hammered everything down tight, including the boards that I used for skirting. I used nails because it was easier and more economical than using wood screws. We have plans to build a deck using actual lumber and for that, we will use proper wood screws.
To prepare my pallet deck to be finished, my husband pressure washed the entire thing. When it was completely dry, I took a can of spray paint and sprayed it between the slats so that the underlayment wouldn’t show through when I stained the top boards. Again, I just used what I had on hand. The stain I had on hand was a weathered gray. I wasn’t expecting the stain to soak into the wood the way that it did, so I had to make a run to Home Depot for another quart. While I was there, I picked up some water sealer to further protect my pallet deck from the summer rains here in Southwest Florida. I had a few gift cards on hand, so I didn’t have to take any money from my budget for this. I will coat it with water sealer at the start of the rainy season every year to make my pallet deck last just a little longer. While I had my tools handy, I made a few simple planter boxes, since I needed to use the rest of that pallet wood.
This project came in at just under $100 including the furniture that I picked up at my favorite thrift store. Now I have a nice place to work on my garden and some deck-building experience under my belt. But seriously, I am not building another deck until it cools off some!
Until next time – happy crafting!
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