Repurposing an Old Shipping Pallet

Pallet, not palette. I had to google it to make sure I got that right. In my mind, it was a palette (as in color palette), but as it turns out it was just a pallet (as in that thing over there you put stuff on). I guess I was trying to give it a fancier connotation than it deserved. Like when someone  spells "shop" shoppe or "theater" theatre. From trash to treasure. From industrial design to interior design. Or at least I think so. Join me on it's journey.

This is my pallet. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Hello, I am a pallet. I'm boring. I'm old. I'm tired. I am responsible for bringing you things like 1,000 rolls of toilet paper or 20,000 toothbrushes, all at the same time. Do you REALLY need THAT many boxes at once? Whatcha tryin' to do, build a clubhouse?

What happens to these pallets after they do their job? Sometimes they are used over and over again. Other times they are left out by dumpsters for people like yours truly to come along and snatch 'em up, hungry-hungry-hippo-style. What to use it for, though...

Chaise lounge lawn chair? Zzzzzz. Headboard? No room for an extra bed in our house. Accent wall? No time (or patience). Bench? Just did one. Coffee table? Eventually, but not this time. Bookshelf? Damn skippy. This one was pretty simple and my favorite part...completely free. I started by disassembling the top boards, trying to keep them in tact and salvaging as many nails as possible. This proved somewhat difficult because Old Man Time had not been kind to the structural integrity of the boards. You'd be amazed how many nails/brads/staples those things have in them. I set aside the rusty nails that came out relatively unscathed so I could use them to reattach the boards. 'Cause what's the point in re-purposing something old if you're going to have brand-spanking-new screws showing?

Here is the pallet in stages.

Bare bones.

With vertical trim boards. Say "hi" to my drill, making a cameo.

With horizontal trim.

I almost stopped here, but still thought it looked a little unfinished. So, I stripped some other boards off another pallet in my boneyard to add to the back. I will probably regret this when the whole thing rips the mounting screws out of my wall and comes crashing down to the floor because of the sheer weight. But, until then, I think this looks 100 times better.

Now I just need a crane to help me wall-mount it.

It fits perfectly (right down to 1/4" on either side) at the end of our hallway. I wish I could say I planned this, but...no, I'm going to go ahead and say I planned it. Because I'm THAT good. Here it is with Court's quick design touches. Can you tell the difference between her finishing touches (below) and mine? It WAS still time for a beer though.