Features of pallet tables

Construction pallets, or so-called pallets, are used as containers for the transport and storage of heavy goods. But designers and home craftsmen have got used to making furniture items from pallets. Used wooden containers in skilled hands are transformed into tables or tabletops of a unique configuration. Looking at ready-made samples of hand-made furniture, many people want to try to create something similar with their own hands.

Before proceeding with the implementation of the conceived, it is necessary to find out what are the features of pallets as a furniture material. The list of positive qualities includes the following items.

• Natural origin of the material. Wood is environmentally friendly and most suitable for the manufacture of furniture for living quarters. In the process of production and further operation, containers are not processed with toxic compounds.
• The pallets are supposed to be used not only in warehouses, but also in outdoor conditions. Therefore, you can safely design furniture from them for outdoor use.
• Solid wood material is practical and durable. The pallets are designed to handle loads over 150 kg. Furniture structures from them are durable and serve for decades.
• The ability to create stylish solutions for different interiors. Any piece of furniture can be constructed from pallets. The simplest option is a pallet table. There are many master classes on making original things on the Internet.
• Availability. The cost of furniture made of wooden pallets is very favorable compared to solid wood.
• The sizes of the pallets are standard, so the elements do not have to be adjusted to each other, everything is perfectly matched anyway.

Among the shortcomings, it should be noted the quality of the pallets. Products that have been used for industrial purposes for a long period are sometimes damaged, with traces of mold on the surface. Before you start making furniture from such a material, you will have to grind, treat with protective compounds, paint.

A homemade table made of building pallets is in no way inferior to factory products in terms of convenience. The configuration and size are selected independently, due to which the manufactured product always meets all the requirements and fits perfectly into each specific interior.

A low-rise piece of furniture is invariably present in living rooms, being a great addition to soft sofas and cozy armchairs. The coffee table can be made in different models, from the simplest of two pallets to a complex design with drawers and partitions. These tables are often devoid of legs, since the pallets are simply placed on the floor surface. But many people prefer to complement the furniture with casters for easy movement from place to place.

A small table will add coziness to the balcony and save a lot of usable space. With the help of locksmith tools, it can be made round. And it is beautiful to leave the tabletop not just wooden, but also add glass on top.

A distinctive feature of this type of table is that the model is equipped with numerous shelves, stands, drawers, in which it is convenient to store various equipment and accessories. Both linear and angular designs are popular. Tables for office equipment are installed on legs made of a metal frame or pallets, or the tabletop is attached directly to the wall.

Pallet tables are used both as dining furniture and for cooking. The designs are characterized by simplicity and convenience. Usually the countertop consists of a pair of sturdy pallets. The wooden surface is pre-coated with special moisture-repellent impregnations. The working surface of the table is carefully protected from damage and impacts of various kinds. This is especially important for outdoor furniture.

Outdoor furniture made of pallets is quite common in private yards, and it can also be found on the open terraces of cafeterias. The zealous owners do not just save on the purchase of high-quality furniture for the cafe, ordering tables from used containers, - this simple design option allows you to create a unique style in the institution. Pallet furniture decorated in Provence style looks attractive and cozy.

A waste countertop looks great in a teenager's room instead of a traditional and boring writing desk. And parents can not only make a strong podium out of pallets in the bedroom, but also add an unusual dressing table to the set. The presence of lighting and painting of interior items in calm pastel colors is encouraged.

The creation of furniture from wooden pallets is a fashion trend that is gaining more and more popularity every year. It is not for nothing that such items are actively introduced into design interiors, because this is a very unusual solution, attractive in any environment.

To give the furniture a more original and aesthetic look, various types of finishes are used:

• multicolored stripes - the surface to be painted is pre-pasted over with masking tape in order to maintain clear lines and a neat look;

• self-adhesive film of different textures and colors;

• coloring in one tone;

• decoupage - this technique is relevant for a table in a Provence style interior;

• stencil coloring;

• art painting;

• placement of decorative elements under glass (shells, artificial grass, pebbles);

• graceful elements in the form of legs, accessories;

• semi-antique decor - processing with special compounds is relevant for country and Provence interiors.

For decorating wooden tables from pallets, any materials that are at hand are suitable. All you need is imagination and a desire to translate the idea into reality. Creating a dream table is easy if you know exactly what it should be.

It is important that the new piece of furniture looks harmonious in each specific setting. A table with a decoupage design does not really fit into the laconic high-tech style. And bright colors will certainly stand out from the general picture in country style.

Homemade tables are made from various types of wooden Euro pallets. They are classified by type, according to the modern classification.

• European standard or lightweight. The size of the surface is 120x80 cm, and the height of the pallet is 14.5 cm.The side pieces and central pieces are 14.4 cm wide, all the others are 10 cm.

• Finnish. They are considered more reliable than European type designs. The surface parameters of the product are 120x100 cm, with a standard height of 14.5 cm. Pallets consist of 7 pallet boards connected by three 2.2 cm thick crossbars.

• Bread trays. In terms of strength, they are inferior to Euro pallets and Finnish containers. Can be used as a table top, assembled from several elements or combined with glass.

Domestic pallets are characterized by the same dimensions as Euro pallets. It is preferable to make products from Euro pallets, since foreign-made products are necessarily subjected to chamber drying and chemical processing.

Shipping containers are sorted by type according to the degree of deterioration. The highest category includes new pallets or undamaged ones, used 1-3 times or more. The first grade pallets are used, but clean and free from defects. The second grade of products may have minor cracks, stains, traces of repair.

Before realizing the task and making a pallet table, you will have to resolve a number of preparatory issues, including the point on finding source material. For the sake of a beautiful table, you will have to visit a utility warehouse or a large furniture store. Often in the backyard of such establishments, you can find suitable blanks for the future table. For their purchase, you should contact the administration.

To make a good purchase, first of all, it is worth knowing the product labeling. The presence of HT symbols indicates that the container has been processed by high temperatures, without the use of chemical disinfectants. This indicates the safety of wooden products for human health.

It is imperative to clarify the issue of what was previously stored in the pallets of interest. Perhaps they contained strong chemicals or some kind of toxic substances. It is a good idea to ask the pallet seller to take a look at the sanitary certificates for the products. The grade and quality of the goods are taken into account.

It is better to choose pallets without cracks or with a small number of them, inspect the elements for other defects, presence of mold or strong odors. It is worth paying attention to the fasteners. If the products are to be disassembled, it is advisable to choose those on which the nails are not driven too deeply and evenly.

The length of all pallets is practically the same - 120 cm. And the size in width varies from 80 to 120 cm. It is worth choosing suitable pallets, taking into account the type of the future table and its purpose. A narrow container is suitable for a coffee table. From products with sizes up to 1 m, computer models are excellent, and the widest ones are ideal for dining tables.

For those who decide to implement the idea of ​​creating a table with their own hands, it is better to start with an ordinary coffee table. Using the example of such an elementary item of a furniture group, it will then be easier to make a more complex structure from pallets.

First of all, you will need a drawing of the design of the future table or a detailed diagram. It is very convenient if there is a visual instruction in the form of a video master class. Proceeding step by step, even a beginner in carpentry will be able to make a table.

Immediately before you start making your own table from pallets, you have to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming assembly. The purchased pallets are initially disassembled. Parts are cleaned with a metal brush from dust and adhering dirt. Then it is necessary to wipe the surface of the wood with a damp cloth and leave to dry.

The prepared dry workpieces are sanded, and those parts that will face outward are treated with special care. In the process of disassembling and removing nails from the pallets, care should be taken not to damage the working planes of the pallet rails. The operations for sanding and protecting the pallet surfaces are similar to those for other wood products. For grinding, you can use ordinary sandpaper, and for a protective coating, antiseptics are used, which are applied several times, in layers.

To make a kitchen table or a small table on the balcony from prepared pallets, you must select the following tools and auxiliary materials:

• an electric drill, drills of different diameters, a nozzle - an abrasive brush for polishing the wooden surface of all elements;
• nail puller, hammer of a suitable size, screwdriver;
• hand saw or circular for adjusting individual wood elements to the desired size;
• several brushes and rollers for painting surfaces, primer and protective varnish for wood;
• acrylic dye or its polyurethane analogue.

If you need to connect several cubes together, the nails do not need to be hammered obliquely or in any other "clumsy" ways. Ideally, it is better to use in work not nails, but identical self-tapping screws with wood carving. They are not easy to work with, but they are much more reliable than nails. In addition, if you decide to disassemble the table in the future, it will be much easier to do this.

Beauty requires accuracy, and in order for it to be also reliably executed, dowels and high-quality carpentry glue will come in handy. If the cubes are planned to be placed vertically, then this type of connection is quite justified. Regardless of how the table looks like and where it is planned to be placed, it is important to bring the product to the perfect look.

Carried away by the production of tables and other furniture from pallets, it is advisable to strictly adhere to the rules, following step-by-step instructions. Thanks to the diagrams and details in the job description, it will be possible to build a quality product. At the same time, you will probably be able to avoid many mistakes. In the right hands, even the transport container turns into fashionable practical furniture, and thousands of cubic meters of wood, instead of a landfill, take pride of place in living spaces.

For information on how to make a table from a pallet with your own hands, see the next video.