Free pallets and repurposed wood are hot items right now, just look up wood pallet projects on Pinterest. They’re popular due to both their low cost and the fact that you get to recycle scrap. Not to mention, they look great. But, how do you know where to get free pallets? *NOW UPDATED*

How To Find Free Pallets For DIY Projects

There are 1000s of great looking DIY pallet projects to make using reclaimed wood. We have done pallet projects for home decor, pallet projects for gardening, outdoor, pallet projects for furniture, as well as awesome pallet art. We’re pros are turning wood into useful pieces and decoration, so we’re here to help you get started finding free pallets. Two of the big questions we are asked:

• Where to get free pallets
• Where to find reclaimed wood

Our Best Tips and Tricks To Find Free Pallets For Your Projects

We’ve compiled the best tips and suggestions based on our quest to find the top reclaimed materials for DIY projects. Follow along to find these materials and transform them into something useful or decorative. Here’s a list of tips to help you get started. Keep reading for more information:

• Where to get free pallets
• Where to find reclaimed wood and lumber
• Think small, not big
• Don’t be afraid to ask
• Work to develop a relationship with sources
• Look on Craigslist, Facebook and other community sources

1. Where To Get Free Pallets

If you know where to look, you should be able to learn how to get free pallets for your DIY woodwork, building and craft projects. An important consideration when you go to get pallets is to find undamaged, clean and safe pallets. We like to focus on finding small stores that have a steady supply of clean, good quality pallets. Concentrate your efforts on finding a couple of small stores that have this, and you should have no trouble finding plenty of pallets to meet your needs. Once you’ve read this list, you’ll know exactly where to get free pallets.

What are best small places to look for free pallets?

• Garden stores and nurseries
• Automotive and motorcycle shops
• Lawn shops
• Specialty equipment suppliers

Small stores like this are going to get most of there items in via pallets and shipping crates, and they are going to be happy to have help them getting rid of them. Tip: try looking when you see a new business opening. They will be getting their new supplies and inventory in, and it will be delivered in shipping crates and on pallets.

2. Where To Find Reclaimed Wood and Lumber

A good source for scrap lumber is to look at small builder’s construction sites. We have found that both are good sources to find free, quality scrap lumber and plywood, as well as repurposed wood in volume. If you are willing to walk up and ask the crew on the project, they will probably be happy to point out their scrap pile and let you dig through it to take what you want. Tip: If you are looking for plywood, 1x2s, 2x4s and 2×6 pieces, you will usual be able to find lots of usable short pieces. Again, think small, not big.

Believe it or not, discarded mattress box springs are also a great place to find quality wood to repurpose. The wood has most often been protected and is in great shape. Simply cut the wood out of a discarded box spring to get great wood for your DIY projects.

3. Think small, not big

We have found it is much easier to get quality materials for our projects from small retailers. You may be tempted when you see large stacks of pallets outside of your local big box retailers, but large businesses like that tend to already have processes in place to get rid of their pallets, large cardboard and other recycled materials. It’s likely they don’t have free pallets for you to take.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask

Don’t be shy, ask. When you find what you think is a good source for pallets or other scrap, do not assume you can just take things. When you see pallets in a stack outside or wood leaning against a wall, it doesn’t necessarily mean these are free pallets for you to take. Many shops that accept their deliveries on pallets pay a deposit on them and will be charged for these pallets if they do not return them. Tip: Try going first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. This is often the best time to find these items, and it’s also going to be a less busy time. The business is more likely to have time to talk to you and answer your questions.

5. Work To Develop A Relationship with Sources

Once you find a business that has what you are looking for, try to develop a relationship with them. If they leave their free pallets outside for people to pick up, which many often do, you want to be able to find out when they get new shipments in. Leave your name, phone number and e-mail address, and try to get a phone number or e-mail address from them. Tip: We recommend sending a photo to them of your completed project. People love to feel like they have helped out, and this will further your relationship with them. 

6. Look on Craigslist, Facebook and Other Community Pages

Your local community pages are a great place to find repurposed material. Try typing in “free pallets” or “free salvage items” on Craigslist. You can even type in free stuff, and you’l be surprised to find that many people have a listing with free stuff left at curb. Also try your local Facebook Community Pages. We have had success this year finding free pallets and shipping crates, great scrap metal and tons of quality broken tile. Tip: Your local area may have a Facebook Community Page that is set up for people to post items for that are available free, for sale or for trade.

Do you enjoy woodworking? Turn your passion into profit with this step-by-step guide! Or if you’re just starting out and need detailed woodworking plans to get you started, Ted’s Woodworking Plans has you covered.

Have a great pallet project you want to make, don’t know if it is safe to use the pallets you find?

How do you know if your wood pallet is safe to use for your project?

Recently, a reader drew our attention to the possible dangers using of shipping pallets, especially in DIY projects like our smoker, where the pallets will be used near food. Some, but not all, pallets have toxic chemicals on them or have been exposed to a chemical treatment that makes them inappropriate for use in home projects. We spent a lot of time finding the best, safe pallets for our use, and we wanted to share with you some tips that will help you find good, usable pallets.

Even a brand new wood pallet could be treated with chemicals. We did some research to figure out how we can assure that you can use a wood pallets safely. Pallets are great for building things and DIY crafts, but we want everyone to be able to stay safe doing so.

Any pallet you find may have been:

1) exposed to chemicals and/or toxins. These can include toxic bacteria from food or animals, chemicals and/or drug residue.

2) fumigated with toxic insecticides to prevent insect infestation.

There’s no way for us to be able to tell how much danger there is in using pallets, but we can tell you what we do know.

We also put together an article on how to find the best pallets, with free ones being our favorite.

Where to Find Free Pallets? Check out the post:

Free Wood Pallets and Reclaimed Materials-Where To Get Them

How to Know If A Pallet Is Safe To Use

Any shipping  pallet you find at the on the side of the road or at a local source needs to be inspected for a few things.

Step 1 : Determine that the pallet is relatively clean

• No signs of spills or leakage of items

  If there are any spills on it, either oil, food or unknown substances, you should pass on this pallet. It is much safer to just stick with clean ones and not try to identify what might be on your pallet.

         **If the pallet has spills on it, do not use it**

Step 2 :  Look at the stamp and markings on the pallet

Almost all pallets will have a stamp, found somewhere on one of the sides.

There are two main things to look for on the pallet stamp:

• The IPPC logo :

  This is the logo for the International Plant Protection Convention ( IPPC) Pallets that are shipped internationally are required to be made of material that will not carry invasive insect species or plant disease. To meet IPPC standards, a pallet can not be made of raw wood that has not been treated. These pallets must be treated by one of the two following methods, and the treatment will be under the supervision of an agency approved to do this. Without this stamp, the pallet may be safe, but we would rather use pallets whose source can be traced.

         **If you do not see an IPPC logo stamp on your pallet, do not use it**

• The Method of Treatment and code: 

• Heat Treatment [HT] The wood has to heated for at least 30 minutes to a minimum core temperature of at least 132.8 °F /56° C. A Pallet treated this way will be stamped with [HT], and it should appear near the stamp of the IPPC logo

• Chemical Fumigation [MB] The wood was fumigated with a chemical called methyl bromide. A pallet treated with this should be stamped with the letters [MB] and it should appear near the IPPC logo. Altough the use of methyl bromide was banned in March 2010 as an acceptable treatment under IPPC, you may still find a pallet that was treated using this method.

         ***If you see the letters MB stamped on a pallet, do not use it**

• • Debarked [DB] This means the pallet was debarked, and many pallets have this stamp. This signifies that the wood was debarked under IPPC regulations, but it does not matter if your pallet does not have this stamp. Many of them we found do not.

Like it? Be sure to click “Pin It” for this graphic and this post so you can easily remember what to look for on you pallets.

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The things you will find stamped on a pallet and what they mean:

Wood packaging materials must be debarked prior to being heat treated or fumigated to meet regulations . These regulations prevent the re-infestation of insects while lumber is waiting to be manufactured and also after it has been manufactured. These items will likely be seen on a pallet stamp:

• IPPC certification symbol- The IPPC regulates wood products like pallets and ensures that they meet specifications for international shipping.
• XX: Two letters that represent the two letter ISO country code (e.g. US for United States, CA for Canada, AU for Australia, GB for United Kingdom).
• 00: represents the unique certification number issued to agencies that regulate and oversee the individual wood packaging manufacturers. This certification number allows the wood packaging material to be traced back to the NPPO/auditing agency.
• 1111: represents the unique certification number issued to the  manufacturer and/or treatment provider. This certification number allows the wood packaging material to be traced back to the provider who treated the wood.
• Compliant stamps may include further information as producers and suppliers may choose to include additional information for identification purposes.

Note: All stamps on pallets may not be clear.

When we first inspected a few from the ones we found, the logos and stamps were not as clear as we expected, and did not exactly follow some of the guides we found online.

What if there is no stamp or marking on the pallet?

It means this pallet is likely used for domestic transport, and it did not require an IPPC stamp, since the pallet was not used for international transport. These pallets are likely safe, as most are not treated with chemicals. However, it is better to be careful. We recommend that you use pallets with stamps, as you can trace where they came from and know how they were treated.

Are colored pallets safe to use?

We do not recommend that you use colored pallets, as they are often used by the pool industry and can contain chemicals.

Bottom Line:

You will be using any pallet you use at your own risk. Use your own judgement to determine what type pallet works for your project.

Remember, you can always buy new pallets:

If you are apprehensive about using pallets you find, you can buy new, chemical free pallets from a shipping supplier called Uline. This company specializes in shipping supplies and has an extensive catalog online. Uline sells pallets made from new wood (hardwoods, such as elm, oak, cottonwood or maple) and also recycled wood (a combination of elm, oak, cottonwood or maple).  If you need to be assured you can prevent insects (especially if you are using your pallets outdoors) you can buy pallets from them that are heat-treated (HT) This will mean the wood has been treated to a certain temperature without the use of chemicals, and this treatment will eliminate the risk of insect infestation.

This DIY Pallet Coffee Table Is The Coolest Wood Project Ever

Gather round, gather round! Your friends are visiting and you’re all enjoying a good conversation and cups of coffee, all hot and freshly pressed. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a table, a pallet coffee table, of your own making adorn the very center of your living room, where anyone visiting can see your handiwork? Take a look at these simple steps to building your own wooden pallet table, and see just how plain and simple it really is to make that living room table you need.

Supplies You’ll Need For This Cool DIY Project:

• Pallets
• Saw
• Hammer
• Nails
• Abrasive Paper
• Glaze
• Caster wheels
• Screws
• Carriage Bolts/Wood Bolts

Steps:

1. Rearrange the Slabs for the Table Top

First things first, saw out a pallet to the size you wish for it to be used as and remove the nails that remain.

Use the excess picked slats, as well wood from another pallet, for the top of the table. Place them along evenly, the size of the gaps in-between being at your own discretion.

Hammer them into place with nails thereafter.

2. Saw Out and Attach Table Legs

Saw out from another separate pallet table legs for your coffee table.

Nail it at the bottom evenly, right after.

TIP: Use sandpaper to clean out the topside of your pallet coffee table.

3. Paint Everything

Before we start nailing everything further in place, paint first everything. Let it dry for awhile.

4. How to attach the casters and under-shelves

Now comes the finishing touch. If you wish to add to your pallet coffee table such as under-shelves and wheels, here’s how to go about it.  Find a place for the under-shelves. I suggest going for the corners of the coffee table and then the middle part of the table to keep the legs secure.

Then, drill the holes for the bolts. I suggest using carrier bolts for this part of the project. Make sure they are secured nice and tight.

Like the under-shelves, drill the holes for the bolts for the casters. Make sure that the wheels are all aligned the same way, so they don’t move around.

Before flipping the coffee table over, check and make sure that all bolts and screws are tight one more time. Like my father always said, “if the bolt doesn’t move, the wrench doesn’t move either”.

5. Admire Your Finished Product

Now that all the work is past, admire your finished product, of course!

Place the newest addition to your coffee conversations in your living room and adorn it with flora and whatnot.

Want to know how to make a headboard out of a repurposed pallet? Pallets are easy to work with and making a pallet headboard would make for great bedroom decor (and you can follow it up with a pallet table to display all your crafts projects!). If you’re looking for DIY wood headboard ideas, here’s one you should try. This is an easy woodworking project anyone at any skill level can make.

photo credit: The Unscripted Wife

DIY Rustic Pallet Headboard

Old pallets are so easy to come by and they come in really affordable price. The great thing about pallets is you can do so much with them – the possibilities are endless! And today, our featured DIY project is rustic pallet headboard. So if you’re thinking of giving your bedroom that rustic warmth and country look, you may want to give this project a go!

Read on and learn how to make a rustic pallet headboard. This do-it-yourself project can be done with pallet boards and old barn wood.

You’ll need only a few slats of wood (and they don’t have to all be the same shade or color) to put together to create this awesome headboard.

You’ll need these supplies for your DIY headboard:

• About two store-bought 2×3″ wooden pallets worth of wood
• Preferred color of wood stain
• Screws (dependent on the thickness of your wood)
• Nails
• Nail gun or hammer
• Power saw or hand saw
• Drill

DIY Pallet Headboard | How to Make a Headboard

Step 1

First, measure the length of your bed frame and add about two to three inches to the measurement of your headboard to make sure that it’s wide enough. Then, you’ll need to assemble the frame of your headboard.

Step 2

Add screws to all frame connections of the pallet.

Step 3

Next step is adding slats to the frame. Note the extra frame spaces. Slat layout would eat most of your time in this do-it-yourself project.

Step 4

This time, to ‘finish’ the open ends of the headboard, we’ll need to  add corners. That would give clean and smooth look on each end of your pallet headboard.

Step 5

Screws were also added to corner pieces to make it more sturdy.

Step 6

Apply linseed oil and stain to give the ‘aged’ and vintage look. And finish off by sanding (expect lots of sanding) the rough spots of your DIY headboard. We recommend you stain the pallet headboard after sanding. Attach it to your bed.

And you’re done!

You’ve just finished your easy homemade rustic pallet headboard that any skill level can accomplish.

Try it and make this your weekend DIY project. Enjoy and happy DIY-ing, everyone!