Create a rustic look with pallets

Discarded pallets may look like an eyesore to many, but with a little thought and creativity, wooden pallets can be disassembled into planks and refurbished into a variety of furniture pieces.

Though wooden pallets are usually used for shipping and packing large items, they can be used to make attractive home décor furniture.

Wooden pallets can be disassembled into wood planks and refurbished into a variety of furniture pieces. (PHOTOS: COURTESY GETTY

Here are some ideas to help you turn these versatile pieces of wood from an unused pile into a refurbished, inexpensive and rustic piece of furniture:

Coffee table

Use two pallets on top of each other to create a coffee table either for an outdoor verandah or indoors, such as in a living room or an office reception area. Have the table sealed and varnished to protect it from spillages and weather elements with the option of roller wheels and/or a glass top to give it a refined easy-to-wipe, classy finish.

Where two pallet levels have been used to make a coffee table, the wood planks provide storage for magazines and books for an easy read for your guests.

Headboard

Ready-made headboards can be a costly affair, yet customising wooden pallets can add some visual drama to your bed and inexpensively add some character to it. The headboard could be standing on legs or fitted and attached onto a divan bed.

Alternatively, the headboard can be mounted on the wall to double up as wall art. The headboard can be measured to fit the width of the bed or made a little wider for effect.

 Shoe rack

Shoes can be easily tamed by custom-making a wooden pallet into a shoe rack that fits your exact space. The pallets can even be used as they are without being modified by simply erecting them upright on a wall and slotting the shoes into the spaces.

 Sofas

Find six equal wooden pallets and place them in piles that reach two levels. The pallets can be secured onto each other to prevent one level from moving away. Decide whether to fix an extra pallet for back structure support or whether to lean the sofa onto a wall.

To give them a finished look, you can either varnish the pallets using natural colours or paint them to match the room décor. Cover them with upholstered form pillows and they will make comfortable sitting space in family rooms.

Used in a bachelor’s living quarters, this sofa works wonders with large floor cushions, which can be converted into a sofa bed when that overnight friend checks in.

Wooden pallets can be re-modelled for many other uses such as firewood crates, pet beds, wall shelves for placing photographs and decorative items or created into a base to place the fridge and cooker.