How to Build a Wood Pallet Deck
Making our home beautiful not only for others to see, but for ourselves is important. Creating an Outdoor Space where you can relax and enjoy the outdoors is easier than you think. Our side yard was an area that needed attention, so we built a Wood Pallet Deck and added new Outdoor Furniture, Flowers and Decorations, creating an Outdoor Space that is warm and inviting!
When we first began thinking about creating a new Outdoor Space, we knew we wanted a comfortable spot to relax, have a drink and enjoy the weather. We have been wanting to build a deck area for many years, but let’s face it, decks can be expensive to build. So during a brainstorming session, Doug came up with the idea to build a Wood Pallet Deck. And I loved it!
Building with Wood Pallet’s are all the rage, and I love how cool and rustic they are, so I was excited about the idea. One problem though, Wood Pallet’s are often times too rough looking with broken pieces and the slats are too far apart. He assured me that he knew of a place that sold Wood Pallets and they weren’t all built with large openings.
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I’m simply thrilled with how the space turned out. It’s warm and inviting, yet it has a pop of color to draw your attention.
Now, let’s build a deck…
This is where we began, our side yard was overgrown and needed attention.
Wood Pallet Deck Supplies
- Pallets – we bought ours at a local pallet manufacturer, they are 48 inches x 48 inches, 2 way barrel pallets NOTE: These Pallets were made to hold 1000-1200 pounds of weight, they were made at a Pallet Manufacturer
- Concrete Half Blocks – 8 inches x 8 inches x 6 inches
- Stain or Paint – we used Stain, because Paint tends to peel off of outdoor wood, we used Olympics Solid Stain in Sandstone color
- Gravel and Sand for leveling
- Paint Sprayer (optional- but one of our favorite purchases!)
Cost:
Depending on the amount of tools you will need to purchase, and how much you purchase the pallets for, will effect your cost. We spent about $120, and had some of the tools already.
The purchased the pallets from a local manufacturer and they were $10 each. I would highly suggest that you purchase the pallets that are made to hold weight, it’s worth the money.
The number of Wood Pallets you will need will depend on the size of deck you want. We decided to start small and see how we liked it. We used 6 Wood Pallets to make an 8 foot x 12 foot deck.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the Wood Pallets that you find are going to be rough. Next you will need to clean them with a deck cleaner, do any repairs to them and remove any stray nails.
Now it’s time to stain the Wood Pallets. We sprayed the stain on, but you could certainly use a roller or brush. But if you have an extra $40-$60 in your budget, purchasing the sprayer is one of the best purchases we have ever made.
Before the Deck is ready to be laid, you need to get the space ready. This is the most important part and the most time consuming.
- Clean out the area first by removing any unwanted weeds or plants.
- Determine the size of the block you will need. We chose to go with a Half Block, simply because of cost. You really don’t need a full block, you just need something to support the corners of the pallets.
- Determine the number of concrete blocks you will need. We used 12 for the 8 x 12 foot deck. You will need 1 block for each corner of each pallet.
- Place your blocks 4 feet apart.
- Dig a hole, at least twice as deep as the block.
- Add gravel and sand to the hole – using the same method as when we laid the Stone Walkway. Tamp it down firmly.
- Add the block to the hole and level.
- Level each block as you go.
Now it’s time to lay down the Wood Pallets to form the Deck. Lay them on top of the blocks, being sure to lay the corners on top of the concrete blocks. You can lay them out in any direction you like. If you have a Wood Pallet that is not quite as good as the others, like we did, be sure to lay it where it will either be covered with a Rug, less seen or in low traffic areas.
Be sure to let the deck set for at least 24 hours before adding your Outdoor Furniture and Decorations.
We started with the Outdoor Rug, I love how it pulls everything together. It is 5 x 8 feet, which is perfect for the Deck size. The Dining Chair Cushions match perfectly with the rug.
We had the chairs and side table so didn’t need to purchase those.
Last year, we used the tall red planter in front of our house and planted Annuals in it, the colors worked perfectly with the new rug, chair cushions and pillow.
The orange Gerbera Daisy and white Alyssum go perfectly, we placed the terra cotta pot in a Scroll Frame Plant Stand.
And the pillow adds a pop of color to the chairs, and also matches the rug. Then we added the flowers.
Looking for more ways to use Wood Pallets? Here are our favorites –
Wooden Pallet Compost Bin
Ok I want to make this in my yard I have an area flat and ready with sand do u think I could use a moisture barrier and then put the pallets on top also how do I secure the pellets stay in place
Hi Anita, yes you can certainly put down a moisture barrier. As far as securing the pallets together, we did not secure the pallets to the blocks or together. We have not had any issues with them, however it’s not a high traffic area. If you plan on having your space with more traffic, you will need to secure them with bolts and/or screws.
Hope that helps!
~Liz
Hi, this looks great! Did you just set the pallets on top of the blocks or did you secure them down somehow? Also, are the pallets connected to each other in any way?
Hi Cris, we did not secure the pallets to the blocks or together. We have not had any issues with them, however it’s not a high traffic area. If you plan on having your space with more traffic, you will need to secure them with bolts and/or screws.
Let us know if you have more questions.
~Liz
Hey i was wondering why you need to dig down twice as deep as the block? Wouldn’t it be covered by the sand and gravel then?
BrieAnne,
You need to dig that depth so you can have a compacted layer of gravel then a layer of sand on top of the gravel to help level the block to the final height (grade) you need the block to be sitting at for the pallet to rest on. Let me know if I can be of more assistance.
So I lay the gavel then the sand and then put the blocks on top?
Also, where did you find the pallets for such a low cost????
I was able to find a local pallet manufacturer and all the pallets I used were used. Buying new pallets is pricey so when you check ask them if they have used or reconditioned pallets, the price normally is 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of new pallets.
That is correct BrieAnne.
I live in Indiana and would love to do this! What is the name and location of the pallet manufacturer where you purchased the pallets? Thanks!
Hi Rebecca, We purchased the pallets at a local manufacture here in LaPorte. It’s called Industrial Lumber.
I got a bit confused on laying the gravel and sand. Am I layering them inch by inch in the ground or just mixing it? Otherwise I loved the tutorial!
Hi Elizabeth, layer the gravel and sand, starting with the gravel.
~Liz
FYI, we built our deck out of pallet wood. Worked and looked beautiful for a year or two, but the wood is NOT pressure treated. All the painting/staining/sealing in the world is not going to prevent the wood from rotting. Believe me, it’s much more difficult to rebuild when you have to tear out rotted wood and replace with pressure treated wood. If I’d had it to do over again, I’d have NEVER built a deck with pallet wood!!!
Hi Rita, yes pallets are not pressure treated. However, to help prevent rotting, we did place our deck on concrete blocks to prevent it from touching the ground.
This deck is not meant to last a life time, but it is a great option for those that don’t have the time, money or space for a larger deck.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Liz
What a lovely idea. I have a 12×12 foot space that I rent (the land lady will let me do whatever, we’ve already talked about it) I can’t fathom paying thousands to excavate for a pea gravel, fire pit friendly area. Or even thousands in lumber to build a deck. This seems like a great in between that I can easily take apart when I leave.
The concrete blocks you used? Are those just standard cinder blocks? The kind that are square or rectangular and hollow in the middle… or did you use concrete piers?
Hi Rebecca, yes the concrete blocks are just the standard cinder blocks.
~Liz
I had a question… when you lay the corners of the pallets on the blocks, do you end up seeing the blocks after the project is finished? Thanks!
Hi Christina, no you do not see the blocks.
Wow….this is great. Did you pretreat the wood with anything to protect it from the moisture/elements. I live by the pacific ocean and hope to have this last for at least 5 years….please advise. Thank you.
We did not pretreat the wood prior to staining as our plans are to store the pallets under a tarp during the winter (we normally get 80 -100 inches of snow so the likelihood of the deck getting any use is minimal). But for you location I would advise you to spray all the surfaces with a good quality wood sealer after you have applied what ever choice of finish you choose prior to installing the pallets.
This is very random. I’m trying to talk my husband in to one of these and he is hesitant because most pallets aren’t pressure treated. Any thoughts on how long this will last or if it is succeptible to rotting???
Hi Kacy, having the deck up on concrete will help with rotting. We stained ours, and that will help as well. You could also add a sealer on top of the stain to help.
We plan on taking the pallets into the garage and storing them during the Winter months. I don’t know where you live, but if you are in a cold climate, this will also help with longevity.
Let us know if you have more questions!
~Liz
Do you need the concrete blocks? Do you think we’d be safe just laying a bed of gravel and setting the pallets on too?
Setting the pallets on gravel will work Lynn. I placed them on the concrete blocks for 2 reasons, the terrain where we placed our deck was uneven so it made more sense than bringing in a truck load of gravel and secondly I wanted to keep the bottoms of the pallets off the ground to keep them as dry as I could so the pallets last longer. But if you already have an area that is graveled you can lay them on it.
hi doug,
What if we were to create this on the existing grass? The yard is level but this way we wouldn’t need to fill it with gravel/sand. Please let me know if this is possible. Thanks!
You can certainly place this on top of existing grass Manita. I would place a weed barrier between the grass and pallets to keep the grass from growing through the pallets.
Your styling is superb! I could sit in your side yard all day. 🙂
Love it! I would not have guess it was pallets. Great job!
I love this. You did a great job coordinating it all together. It looks like such a classy space!
I love it–pallets are the best! The rug and pillows are a perfect pop of color!