Pallet board wall sheathing?

[MushCreek]

At the current crazy lumber prices, the cheapest thing I've found is pallet boards. You can still get pallets cheap; I even saw free ones the other day. Yes, lots and lots of labor involved, but when you're retired and low on cash....

I'm trying to figure out what would be involved in using them for non-structural wall covering. I imagine putting up a LOT of 3' or 4' boards would get tedious, though. Would it be worth cutting a slot on the ends, and making wood tongues to keep the ends somewhat flush? Or, I could just fasten a block behind the joints. I really want to insulate and finish the inside of the shop, but current prices are stopping me dead.

 

[like2wheel]

There was a response in a thread recently from someone who did just that. My searching skills **** so I couldn't find it for you.
Looked pretty cool tho

 

[yeldogt]

If you have enough product and time ........ like using utility flooring.

It's busy ....... I have seen it painted black.

A guy I buy bowl stock from made fences and lined part of his shop from off-ware stakes from a local mattress factory.

 

[lilredex]

It is going to be difficult to salvage all those pallet boards without them braking them, those nails really hold. Put slots in the ends if you go that way.

I lined most of my garage with 1 X 10" pine boards that came from a steel importer. I spent the day there and dismantled all their crates. They said the best wood came on crates from Japan.

A sample pictured:

 

[JRC3]

IDK why but this reminds me of what they use to use for subfloors and roof decking before plywood...They used the very boards that form the foundation/basement walls. That wood wasn't perfect and it wasn't the cleanest, but it served the purpose perfectly. Typically on the subfloor they ran them diagonally so hardwood could be installed on top.

 

[matt_i]

It reminds me of one of my all time favorite youtube videos.

Bottom line I think it could look fantastic, but so many gaps that are directionally wrong for air sealing if you care about insulation value. The guy in the video did not have any insulation so...

Pallets ****, I've tried attacking them with sawzalls and circular saws and prybars and no tool really works to salvage the wood. The loose boards are blade pinchers extraordinare as you get further into it.

 

[MushCreek]

I was thinking about stapling plastic over the insulation to seal the walls better. It is a shop, so I'm not going to go crazy.

 

[steaks&anvils]

I really like that look.

Be prepared to assemble it like a jigsaw puzzle. This will give a nice random look to it...

Pallets are really hard to take apart. I tried for a project once and ended up quitting.

I think I got at best 2-3 good boards per pallet, some more, some less.

They sell or you can make a pallet pry bar ( google it) it will help a lot. You will need lots of pry bars. Also, you can start to pull a board, then hammer it back down so you can cut the nail head off, then remove the board. Some boards will be evil and need to be cut at the stringer boards, these will just be short boards.

If you don't want to see the plastic or insulation behind the pallet boards, you can put up tar paper. It will help stop drafts and is black so you will not see it as much in the cracks. Or you can spray paint black along seams (this is a lot of work).

Tip: if you can a thick board that stands out from the others, simply cut/router a groove the proper depth needed into the back of the board where you need it to attack to the studs. They used to do this with hand sawn floor planks.

 

[nadogail]

Pallet disassembly can be done several ways; I like to use a long nail cutting blade in my Sawzall, there are prybars sold to disassemble pallets, and I have seen a pallet de-nailer, in a pallet yard that used hydraulics to pry the boards apart.

I would put up a layer of plastic or roofing paper to stop the drafts before nailing up the pallet boards.

Pallet boards and tar paper have built many provisional shelters.

 

[Technologyteacher]

I just did this. Two tips are to buy a pallet buster I used this one. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C8CQV35/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Second stagger th joints and make sure each piece spans at least 2 studs

 

[88thunder]

If serious, along with a pallet buster, you NEED one of these. Makes nail removal so easy.

https://www.amazon.com/Air-locker-professional-Nailer-Remover/dp/B003X2QM3G/ref=asc_df_B003X2QM3G/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309832851244&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4732912228514653662&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031193&hvtargid=pla-580459979167&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=64417494871&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309832851244&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4732912228514653662&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031193&hvtargid=pla-580459979167

 

[Monza Harry]

Mush, There is a thread on here in the "Garage Gallery" where the desired look required pallet boards and distressed sheet metal (corrugated) and he "Nailed" his desired patina look! https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=344305 Now for collecting them don't just grab them because they were available and free [I know this is hard to resist, I am not usually up to that task] but if you watch there are plenty that are over 8' long think sheet metal suppliers, siders, and roofers etc. The steel siding is often in a "pallet crate" (?) many times built with 2x lumber but not always, this is somewhat in demand as many will use these for basement wall strapping and cement forms that kind of thing. Good Luck, I hope I helped. Harry

 

[purediesel]

BEFORE you do anything pick up the phone and call your local pallet company and see if they have old pallet boards that are for sale. One of my local companies sells a pallet full about 4ft high of pallet boards that aren't broken or anything like that, simply boards from broken down pallets that they cant use anymore. Best part is the cost...$40..

 

[Max78]

My mom gets free pallets and turns them into beautiful furniture. I gathered a ton of pallets a couple years ago with plans to salvage them as well. Easiest way we have found is sawzall the nails under the board and they fall right out of the planks. Super easy and less than 2 minutes per pallet with lots of boards.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

My sister uses pallet wood for her decorations. I showed her how to "knock" them apart with a sledge hammer (hint: hit the board with the end, not the face). Some crack but usually 1 or 2 per pallet.
You would probaly want something solid behind them on insulated walls. I'd still tray and have the joints nailed to studs.

 

[kelpaso1]

I wouldn't use pallet boards for anything in an interior of a home. Who knows WTF leaked or is on those boards. Do you feel lucky???

 

[MushCreek]

Not a home, a shop.

There are places around here that sell just the boards, but at $1 a piece, they're not really any cheaper than anything else. A pallet board really only covers about 1 square foot.

I'm planning to put roofing tin wainscoting for the first 4', then pegboard, then ??? The upper four feet is what would get the pallet wood, if I go that way. I do like the look.

 

[strength_and_power]

A long metal specific sawzall blade in a sawzall makes quick work to cut the nails behind the board leaving the nailhead intact. The long blade is flexible enough to curve and cut the middle stringer. A standard pallet can be cut apart this way In 2-3 minutes. I used to salvage pallet wood for bike ramps and jumps and found this to be the best way


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[deberly12]

I break down alot if pallets. I did like 30 in an afternoon a few weeks ago. My best method is to slice just inside of the side beams with a circular saw. Be careful the boads will move and bind on the saw. Then you are left with 2 nails holding each board in the center. These could be pried but I usually cut with a Sawzall. A pallet buster might make the difference and pry them easier but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. The 2 inches on each board you lose are well worth being able to take both side beams off in like 45 sec.

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[rwilly]

I have used fence boards in the past.

I did the TV room at my last house, ran them through a planer to give them a clean look, and nailed them up. The final product was very cool looking.

I actually use them quite a bit, I used them on the gable ends of the roof over my shipping container. I’ve built storage boxes with them.

I’ll probably use them again when I finish the walls of the enclosed work area of my shop.

 

[danfromsyr]

if it's up high and you just want it done.
I'd go with econo laminate flooring.. it'll glue or staple to the sheathing.. ok pending you have sheathing.. but it'll also nail/staple to 16" OC studs just fine..
this is a nice one we have on the floor in a loft for $.80/sq ft.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/American-H...ossed-Wood-Plank-Laminate-Flooring/1000766734

and the edges won't collect dust, because there won't be edges..

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I wouldn't use pallet boards for anything in an interior of a home. Who knows WTF leaked or is on those boards. Do you feel lucky???

X2 do not use ANY pallet not marked "KD", "HT", "DB" or "DH".

Tommy

 

[Robbie B]

Here’s the chicken coop we built last spring. It’s all pallets. The fastest way I found to break down the pallets for the slats was to take a recip saw and the Milwaukee AX blades. Those are the absolute best I found for going through the nails. Paint the wall a dark color and then one at a time work out how you want them laid out.