Let's talk about DIY projects.
Let's talk about Pinterest.
And let's talk about pallets.
Because all three of these things got me in trouble on this one.
You may or may not know that pallets are a cool thing now-a-days, or at least they are on Pinterest and other DIY sites. Unfortunately, working with pallets is not as easy as it seems.
Adam and I (Or maybe just me, and I roped Adam in to do the heavy lifting.) got this hair brained idea to build a pallet cabinet for our covered back porch. After 1 and a half years of living in a tiny unorganized apartment and after 27 and one quarter years living an unorganized life, I decided to organize my space and lifestyle. I've gotten rid of a lot of things lately that I've been holding onto for forever. One of the areas of focus is our outdoor living space. We truly cherish this space because it's almost like an extension of our home, especially in the cool fall months, when the bugs disappear and the perfect wind down from a long day at work is curling up on the outdoor couch with a glass of wine and a good book, oh and Lola at my feet to keep me warm. But our space was a complete wreck! Gardening supplies, shovels, and pots everywhere. Not to mention lighter fluid, charcoal, and grilling tools. Sitting out there had started to stress me out.
Plus, as I came to find out old grass seed and cactus potting soil makes a great home for mice. Ekkk! After seeing two little mice scurry from our pile of crap, I knew it was time. No if's, and, or buts about it!
We had recently seen an ad on craigslist for free pallets, so we went out in search of some free wood. Our first attempt was a pretty decent one, but we could only fit 3 pallets in the Honda. So the next day I "stole" some of our spare pallets from work. These weren't in as good of shape as the original and were difficult to pull apart, but we made do and got to work cutting, sanding, building our new pallet cabinet.
In the middle of it we ran into some logistical problems and ended up buying a 2x4 to build a frame. This made it super sturdy, but it also made our new project no longer free (Insert sad face here). In addition to the 2x4 we purchased table legs, hinges and a latch for the front doors, a paint brush, and a flat piece of wood for the top.
Other supplies we used but didn't have to purchase specifically for this project, but had purchased for past projects: Dark coffee colored stain (I'd purchased this for a frame project that I am still working on 3 months later - insert another sad face here), saw, sandpaper, nails/screws, wood glue.
I also used purple paint free from ACE Hardware. Thanks ACE! And caulk that Adam borrowed from work. This helped to fill some of the nail holes.
Here are your (simple) directions to build a pallet table:
1. Decide what size you need.
2. Get your pallets. Pull them apart, gently. Almost every piece is usable.
3. Measure, cut to size, sand, build.
4. Paint and caulk.
5. Stain table legs and top.
6. Allow to dry and add to table.
7. Fill with your junk and pray the mice find a new home!
So, Would I have rather purchased a table for $50? My answer was yes, of-course. After all the hard work, a couple of tense moments between Adam and I, and the money spent. I would have rather found $50 table at the thrift store and painted it purple. But sometimes you need a lesson to get learned.
