blueovalforever
Member
I was curious if anyone out there has used wood pallets for walls or ceiling in their shop? I can have as many as I want and have a rather large shop to buy materials for.
pallet wood inside
- Thread starter blueovalforever
- Start date
rlitman
Well-known member
The pallets THEMSELVES are often required to be treated so that they do not move wood boring insects across the country or around the globe.
My biggest issue with pallets though is that the time required to get all the nails out to get small pieces of usable wood (that still needs milling) just does not make economic sense.
My biggest issue with pallets though is that the time required to get all the nails out to get small pieces of usable wood (that still needs milling) just does not make economic sense.
zkdiesel
Well-known member
You could buy brand new steel paneling for it for the effort and time you would spend reclaiming pallets.
Maddog10
Well-known member
Used pallet wood in my shop, but it's very small so didn't require breaking down too many pallets. As someone mentioned, that is the primary time consumer. But it was free.
I could have pressure washed them to get a more uniform look, but I liked the variety in pattern and wood color.
I could have pressure washed them to get a more uniform look, but I liked the variety in pattern and wood color.
Used pallet wood in my shop, but it's very small so didn't require breaking down too many pallets. As someone mentioned, that is the primary time consumer. But it was free.
I could have pressure washed them to get a more uniform look, but I liked the variety in pattern and wood color.
Looks good!!
Chief919
Well-known member
I find when I try breaking down pallets I end up with 60-70% of the wood cracking and splintering before the nails start to come out. Maybe I am doing it wrong.
OP
blueovalforever
Member
well I have a 30x50 with 13ft 6 walls. I have got osb 8 ft high almost all the way around and thought of using it on the remaining 5 ft and or the ceiling since its free. cutting them is no big deal when its for free.
OP
blueovalforever
Member
I did too on my first one. since then I just use a saw and it is much faster. have even saved some of the 2x4 under them.
Warrenator
Well-known member
I just got 180 sq. Ft. of old oak flooring (used) off free Craigslist, it was nailed down every 1 1/2 feet or so with a single nail, and I have already spent about 5 hours denailing it and am not done yet. I can't help but think that I would have been better off buying new oak.
I am having fun doing it though, and I'm getting pretty fast, but still.
A new shop is in the works and I will have an oak floor in the "fine work" section (where you fix toasters and read shop manuals, as opposed to the welding section or the woodwork section.) It will feel very nice looking down and knowing "I made this." Maybe that's the point.
I am having fun doing it though, and I'm getting pretty fast, but still.
A new shop is in the works and I will have an oak floor in the "fine work" section (where you fix toasters and read shop manuals, as opposed to the welding section or the woodwork section.) It will feel very nice looking down and knowing "I made this." Maybe that's the point.
jimreed2160
Well-known member
When I worked for IBM, I had access to pallets used to ship electronics from Asia. Many of them had really nice looking hardwood boards and were not juicy with moisture like most pallets I see. I scavenged some good wood from those but had to cut the nails as mentioned.
Depending on the source, the first order of business might be a good pressure washing.
Depending on the source, the first order of business might be a good pressure washing.
Break them down with a sawzall. You cut the boards off by cutting through the nail shafts under the board. Then you can easily tap out the nail heads with a punch. We did a bunch for a wall at my buddy's house.
You can strip a pallet in under a minute this way.
You can strip a pallet in under a minute this way.
Parrothead
Well-known member
That seems like a very logical way to do it. Thanks for the advice.
I'm going to use them to make storage shelves
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
I just gave a safety training session and pallet reuse was one of the things I covered.
Pallets are supposed to be stamped to identify whether they are treated or not.
DO NOT reuse any pallet marked "MB". It stands for Methyl Bromide and it will off gas and can cause harm. It can also cause harm from contact. "MB" treatment has been banned in many countries and has not been widely used for a while, but many treated pallets are still in circulation. "HT" means the pallet has been heat treated to kill pests. "KD" means it has been kiln dried. "DB" means nothing was done other than the wood was debarked to give it a uniform edge. "EPAL" is a European standard and that label indicates the pallet is "HT" & "DB". "EUR" is an outdated Euro logo and should not be reused unless it also has "EPAL" on the pallet.
Red & blue pallets come from "pallet pools" which means the pallets are rented. They should not be reused because they may contain formaldehyde and other treatment chemicals.
Tommy
Pallets are supposed to be stamped to identify whether they are treated or not.
DO NOT reuse any pallet marked "MB". It stands for Methyl Bromide and it will off gas and can cause harm. It can also cause harm from contact. "MB" treatment has been banned in many countries and has not been widely used for a while, but many treated pallets are still in circulation. "HT" means the pallet has been heat treated to kill pests. "KD" means it has been kiln dried. "DB" means nothing was done other than the wood was debarked to give it a uniform edge. "EPAL" is a European standard and that label indicates the pallet is "HT" & "DB". "EUR" is an outdated Euro logo and should not be reused unless it also has "EPAL" on the pallet.
Red & blue pallets come from "pallet pools" which means the pallets are rented. They should not be reused because they may contain formaldehyde and other treatment chemicals.
Tommy
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dave*99
Well-known member
So let me ask - for an outdoor fire pit, which of these are harmful when burned?
LawnBoy-5247
Well-known member
A wall in the shop I work in has been done with pallet wood, I will get a pic of it at some point soon for you guys.
OP
blueovalforever
Member
good fact about the stuff they may have been treated to much but doesn't seem to be widely talked about when showing ideas on uses for them.
Moosefire66
Well-known member
Check out this video. Guy used some on part of his shop, both the garage and this video turned out great
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
matt_i
Well-known member
Nice Post Tommy! I learned another little bit of info today 
Thanks for the "class" 
Thanks for the "class" ratdoggy
Well-known member
Honestly you don't know what's been spilled or leaked onto the pallets either...
I built the 10x10 office in my shop, and the 4x6 closet in the back corner, using reclaimed lumber from the construction sites when houses next to me were going up. The shop has 12-foot walls, and my office and closet are 7-foot studs with headers and footers, so it's a little taller than 7-feet in them, but it gives me room above for loft storage.
I spent a lot of time hammering nails out of 2x4s and joist boards, but it was worth it to me at the time. Sometimes you have time, sometimes you have money.
I've got dreams of building a warehouse-type house for the next place, and I'm kicking around the idea of using reclaimed pallet wood for the floors. I'm sure it'll be time-consuming to do all the nail removal, planing and edging, but A) we're tool guys... we like playing with tools. B) I'd rather buy a planer and shaper and mill my own wood, than spend that money on ready-to-go lumber. C) I like that the grain and color of the boards will all be random and different. D) the lengths will also be pretty random, depending on the sizes of the pallets I get.
I think it'll be a very striking floor in a big warehouse-type living room, with the boards set at a 45-degree angle to the walls.
-Brad
I spent a lot of time hammering nails out of 2x4s and joist boards, but it was worth it to me at the time. Sometimes you have time, sometimes you have money.
I've got dreams of building a warehouse-type house for the next place, and I'm kicking around the idea of using reclaimed pallet wood for the floors. I'm sure it'll be time-consuming to do all the nail removal, planing and edging, but A) we're tool guys... we like playing with tools. B) I'd rather buy a planer and shaper and mill my own wood, than spend that money on ready-to-go lumber. C) I like that the grain and color of the boards will all be random and different. D) the lengths will also be pretty random, depending on the sizes of the pallets I get.
I think it'll be a very striking floor in a big warehouse-type living room, with the boards set at a 45-degree angle to the walls.
-Brad
Collect all the blue pallets you can, then call your local "Chep" pallet dealer found out how much he is paying for them, haul them to him collect the check and then go buy what you want for your walls. We used to get a semi load at a time then haul them in, that's how we paid for company parties during the year. When i first retired I worked for a Trucking company, lots of the products we hauled came on "cheps", but no one wanted them back!
LS6 Tommy
Well-known member
"MB" is harmful from off gassing or physical contact. Burning inside is a "No Go". Burning "MB" wood outside is not recommended, either. I'd recommend using similar caution with EUR pallet wood that did not come from "EPAL" marked pallets nor would I burn "Blue" and "Red" pallets. Ratdoggy has a strong point about not knowing what might have been spilled on any pallet...
Tommy
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upndown
Well-known member
Check with your post office and find out what they do with their pallets. I get mine from my neighbor across the street. He subcontracts installing their cluster boxes. One time use pallets, no chemicals at all. Most times the pallets are so new I leave them sit outside just to get some weathering.
JamesW84
Well-known member
Thanks for that link! That video is amazing in my opinion. I think it's worth the 6 minutes
jeeper46
Well-known member
When my plant was retooling, huge crates of machine tools were coming from Japan, with very nice wood. The contractors and millwrights used all this wood to build them selves a nice "shed" out in back.
ddurrett896
Well-known member
1Garageman
Well-known member
I have though about using pallets in my basement for my "man cave" area. Can you pressure wash them to get the chemicals off???
toplessHO
Well-known member
be careful using pallet wood.
I know of someone that got some crating from Asia,nice wood,teak,mahogany etc.
used it to build something and found out had some sort of beetle bore and had to have his whole house tented
I know of someone that got some crating from Asia,nice wood,teak,mahogany etc.
used it to build something and found out had some sort of beetle bore and had to have his whole house tented
archirelic
Well-known member
I source all of my pallets for projects from local printing supply places. The pallets are all in great condition and have been used to ship nothing more than reams of paper. Typically these pallets are all in great condition, most looking "new," if that makes sense.
Nails, staples, etc. all come out fairly quickly and easily and are constructed of poplar.
YMMV with sourcing a reliable company that can let you "dispose" of their pallets.
Nails, staples, etc. all come out fairly quickly and easily and are constructed of poplar.
YMMV with sourcing a reliable company that can let you "dispose" of their pallets.
1) Not tongue and grooved, just butted together, also, its not kiln dried lumber, so it has shrunk some.
2) I did not put OSB behind the vertical Poplar boards, just insulated and OSB on the wall at my benches.
3) Inside of cabinet is not finished yet, this was my first attempt at cabinets.
4) I was actually looking at "Aged" Patina metal on CL, they are real proud of it $$ so I went the cheaper route at HD