Free pallets. I’m not sure if there isn’t a piece of furniture I haven’t seen being made out of these discarded freebies. Breaking down a pallet and reviving it is a labor of love. After a lot of pallet wrestling, I had to take a bit of a break. But now, I’m jumping back into the game with an easy DIY pallet potting bench tutorial.
Check out the video tutorial.
Plant Lady Pallet Hoarder
If you’re wondering where you can find your own free pallets, the answer is really all over the place. I pretty much get all of my pallets at our local building supply store. However, I see them everywhere from the grocery store, to random roadside giveaways.
I ended up using three pallets for my DIY pallet potting bench. We had amassed quite a pile of pallets for another project that I lost motivation for. I opted to start chiseling away at my pile and came up with the potting bench idea.
This was kind of killing two birds with one stone, because my wannabe plant lady ways were starting get cluttery, and my pallet pile, slightly overwhelming.
The Art of Pallet Wrestling
Hands down the easiest way to break down a pallet is to cut your pieces out. If you can avoid trying to pry out those hateful nails then enjoy your life and don’t go there. For my potting bench, I wasn’t in the mood for a fight with the nails.
To make the sides of my potting bench, I grabbed two pallets and cut them out at about hip height. Conveniently, I decided this was right in between two pallet boards. I trimmed my two pallet sides down using my jig saw.
All of the overhanging boards will need to be trimmed off as well.
Assemble the Frame
After the side pieces are all trimmed down, you will need to screw a board to the back of each piece. I used some 1×4 boards that I salvaged off of, you guessed it, a pallet. 2×4 lumber would also be great for this. Be mindful of which side of your pallet you want facing out as you start to put the potting bench together. Many pallets have an ugly side, and it’s okay to hide that. It’s just like real life, right!?
Using my third pallet, I trimmed out a top piece for my DIY pallet potting bench. I figured I could use this to hang things on and it could also support an additional shelf. Choose an easy location to cut your pallet for this piece. I chose to trim in between two boards and ended up with a piece about 24 inches tall.
Slide this piece onto your side pieces slipping the 1×4 boards into the middle of the pallet. Screw the top pallet piece into the boards from the back or your potting bench.
You should end up with something that looks like this, minus the child, maybe.
Unfortunately, I had to snatch that 1×4 board out of my sons hands, and use it to secure my side pieces. This board should be flush with the top of your sides.
Add a Shelf
Using a few pieces of pallet wood, I made some supports for a lower storage shelf. Tailor the height of your shelf to your needs. My shelf is about 24 inches off the ground.
Trim down a pallet to fit into the center of your pallet potting bench. You may have enough pallet left over after making your top piece. If not, you will need to use a fourth pallet.
I screwed additional pallet boards over the entire face of my potting bench. This gives the whole piece a more finished look.
I chose to use screws over nails for this simply because screws will hold up better outside. Countersink your screws and then cover them with wood putty before painting.
Painted Pallet Potting Bench
In keeping with the rustic vibe of the pallet furniture look, I only gave my potting bench a skiff of white paint. I let the wood have it’s moment by not layering the paint on too thick. However, this hides any old pallet stains and wood putty.
Rustic Wood Bench Top
I am very lucky to have friends in high places. In other words, friends who are remodeling an old house, and are happy to dump old ship lap on me.
If you don’t have DIY junkie friends with loads of reclaimed wood they want to get rid of, don’t fret. You can use pallet wood to finish off the top of your potting bench. Ceder fence posts would also be nice, and are very inexpensive.
I trimmed my first table top board to wrap around my back pallet piece. All these little touches really add up to give the pallet potting bench a sturdy finished look.
Now, lay out your worktop boards one by one and then screw them down to the side pallet pieces. I went ahead and screwed these guys down from the top since this is a pallet potting bench and not a dining table.
Also, I like to trim all of my boards off at once when I’m working on a table top like this. That way they are all lined up perfectly.
I got a little frisky and decided to cut out rounded corners. A paint can worked great as a template for cutting out matching corners.
Even though this step is optional, any short people around with foreheads will thank you. Because my pallet potting bench’s final resting place will be near a main traffic lane on our patio, I figured these curved corners were as much a safety measure as they were a fancy touch.
Be the Crazy Person on the Potting Bench
For the final touch, I added a top shelf. This will likely hold all my top shelf worthy flowers. You know the ones I don’t want my kids picking and chickens scratching in.
As far as a sealer goes, I would recommend a good oil based polyurethane or the like. Just be sure the the product is advertised as being good for exterior use. I’ll be using this when I get around to it.
Start Potting
Finally, after a day full of wrestling pallets around, I was ready to put my pallet potting bench to good use. This bench cost me a total of $0 to complete which makes it a big win in my book.
I am really loving having my own little space for dinking around with my plants. The potting bench has also become a cozy little area for laying out drinks and snacks when we have guests over.
Good luck with your pallet projects!
Enjoy!
Find More Pallet Furniture Tutorials Here!
