Recycling shipping pallets into furniture, home decor and art is currently one of the biggest DIY trends! But before you can create anything with wood pallets, you first need to take them apart!
Because they are made for the shipping industry, pallets are built for strength. This means they are usually sturdily assembled and sometimes they can be difficult to dismantle. The nails used to hold pallets together are spiral nails that are pneumatically driven. That means they are inserted with air power (think compressed air) and actually "fired" into the pallet. This can make them tough to remove, but fear not! With a little patience, muscle, and know-how, you will have your pallet taken apart in no time.
Of course, pallets can be easily cut apart with power tools such as saws, but in this post I am going to explain how to dismantle a wood pallet with common hand tools. This is so we can salvage as much of the pallet wood as possible without having to cut it apart!
First off, pallets are comprised of slats and stringers. The slats are the long top pieces that are connected with nails on the ends and center to the stringers. Also, it's important to note that wood pallets aren't all the same. They are created and assembled to carry different types of materials with different weights, so know that pallets can be made from woods that are hard or soft, and the slats and stringers can vary in size. The age of your pallet is another thing that will determine how much muscle power you will need to put into disassembling your pallet, as newer pallets will require a bit more umph than a pallet that is old and has been around the block.
Before beginning to disassemble your wood pallet, remember that pallet wood is rough and often splintery, so wearing work gloves and safety glasses is a must!
You will need a hammer and a pry bar (crow bar):
To disassemble your pallet:
Begin by loosening the nails so that they are easier to pull out.
To do this, starting on one board at a nailed end, (see image below) use the pry bar between the board and the board below it to slightly lift or pry the top board just until it is loosened.
Doing this should pull the nails partially out.
If you are having a hard time getting the pry bar in between the boards to do this part, use the hammer to pound the end of the pry bar between the boards.
Now do the same thing on the other end of the same board/slat (and on the center nailed portion if applicable, as shown on the pallet in the image below.)
Keep going back and forth, loosening each end until the board/slat is free.
Remove the nails that are stuck in your free slat by flipping the slat over and hammering them out from the reverse side. Then flip the slat back over and use the pry bar or pry end or your hammer to completely remove any remaining nails.
Repeat this process with each slat until your pallet is completely disassembled. That's it! Just remember to take your time and loosen each section slowly. If you work too quickly you could end up cracking a board, so be sure to go back and forth, traveling down the board, loosening each nail section slowly.
Now what are you going to make with all that wood?
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What do you think?
Have you ever taken apart a pallet or have you made anything with wood shipping pallets?
*Be sure to check out my previous post, God Save The Pallet! Reclaimed Pallets Revamped, for tons of ideas for things you can make with shipping pallets!
On a final note: A word about safety and wood pallets
Be advised that some pallets are chemically treated and could actually be hazardous to your health. There are regulations in the US which require pallets to be treated with either chemicals or heat before being shipped overseas. The safest kind of pallets to use for projects are those that are marked "HT" on the wood - that means they have been heat treated by being dried in a kiln.
Aside from chemicals, pallets can also harbor bacteria, insects, and mold. You never know where a pallet has been, or if it could have come in contact with something dangerous, or if it was used to ship a hazardous material such as a pesticide.
Keep these things in mind when considering your pallet project.
Balcony garden from Life on the Balcony
Corn cob squirrel feeder made from pallet wood by Dansgeneralstore via Etsy
Pretty pallet wood path by Funky Junk Interiors
Shipping pallet garden path
