Crafters Repurpose and Upcycle Wooden Pallets Into Furniture and More

Many people enjoy making decorations and furniture at home. Sometimes the crafts they’re making require the use of wooden pallets. Some people might think that you need to buy new pallets in order to make your handmade projects. However, businesses throw away disposable pallets all the time, so you might be able to get pallets cheaply from places you would never expect to buy them from.

The cost of used pallets will vary from place to place. Some businesses might willingly give them away for free while others will charge you. It might also depend on the different pallet sizes available. So it is important to contact the businesses and ask before taking anything. Often economy pallets will be available fairly cheaply. If you take the time to track down these companies and ask them for the pallets they no longer need, you’ll likely save a lot more money than you would by buying your own new pallets at the store. So if you’re interested in trying a new craft that requires pallets, call some businesses in your area first.

With the rise of sites like Pinterest and Etsy, do-it-yourself projects and handmade goods are becoming favorites for Americans. The biggest trend right now combines these with an attentiveness to the environment and a pretty common item — wooden pallets.

Building pallet furniture is something that crafters have been doing for years, but it’s recently began emerging as a more popular trend that anyone can do with the help of the internet, and a pretty lucrative hobby.

According to the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association, there are over 1.5 billion pallets used every day in the United States for the loading and transportation of goods. Often, these pallets become worn and given away for free or abandoned, at which point crafters rescue and repurpose them.

One of these crafters is Dr. Alex Yergiyev, who is a pathologist during the day. He said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that he found a cool idea for a project online, and the hobby grew from there. He now sells his pallet projects for between $50 and $100.

Pallet furniture projects go beyond end tables and buffets. Wine racks, towel racks, picture frames, and accessories are also popular with the pallet-crafting bunch.

Wooden furniture itself is on the rise, since more and more Americans have a preference for handcrafted and the use of environmentally friendly materials. Amish furniture, for example, is a popular favorite and is known for being completely constructed of wood and in a variety of different styles.