Friday, July 27, 2012

DIY faux pallet crate

i want to start of by saying that i love pallet furniture.  i love pallet chairs, pallet tables, pallet gardens, pallet beds, you get the idea.  but most of all, since i love organizing and storage, i love pallet crates.  i love the rustic worn look they have, and if they have casters even better!  storage with portable pallet-y goodness!

unfortunately, whenever i look for pallets they always look like they're in really bad shape.  and i tried taking one apart once and it was really rather unsuccessful...in fact i have the sad remains still on my lanai to remind me of what a horrible failure it was lol.  i also read some articles about how some pallets are chemically treated and it can be really difficult to tell which ones those are.  and since i have 2 bunnies who have to nibble on everything i decided that maybe using pallets wasn't the best option for home decor.  

but i still wanted some storage crates.  so i went and bought some pine lumber and made this bad boy:


first, apparently city mill really only sells pine and mahogany.  and i wasn't gonna shell out for mahogany when i was going to make it look old anyway so i was stuck with pine.  which is probably for the best because it still ended up being about $15 just for the lumber!  already way more than i wanted to spend:/

i bought (1) 1"x10"x48" and (1) 1"x12"x48" here's how i had mine cut: (keep in mind that lumber is actually smaller than what it's marked so instead of 1" it's actually more like 3/4")

the 1" x 10" will be the sides-first, i had them cut it into (2) 23.5" x 10" pieces.  then i had them split both those pieces in half (hotdog style).  so you should end up with 4 pieces that are 23.5" x 5" (technically a little less than 5").  originally i had them cut the pieces to 24" because i forgot that lumber is actually smaller than marked, so when i got home and double checked i had to take an extra 1/2" off all 4 pieces.  super annoying when you're working with a leatherman tool...

the 1" x 12" will be the front/back and bottom.  i had them cut (2) 12" x 12" and (1) 22" x 12" pieces.  you can cut holes to make handles in the front/back like i did or you can buy handles from the hardware section.

i stained and sealed all the pieces first then put it together.  i started by attaching the front and back to the bottom piece then added in the sides.  the construction is really pretty simple.

and i had to spend $12 on casters so the project was already almost $30!  which again, was way more than i originally planned on spending.  but i still liked the way it turned out.  city mill also has this little cart in the lumber section of scrap wood for 50 cents a piece.  when i was there they had a lot of chemically treated 2x4 pieces so you might be able to make a crate for much cheaper.



as for the finish, i ended up using minwax driftwood stain.  i like the way it turned out but i wish it had more of gray tone.

i had originally planned on using the vinegar/steel wool technique that is supposed to oxidize the wood and give it a really aged appearance.  well i put one piece of superfine steel wool into apple cider vinegar for one day and tested it out.  when i took the wool out it looked the same but i could definitely see little pieces of it floating in the vinegar and it smelled pretty rusty.  the first few pieces i tried had more of a brown finish rather than the gray i was looking for.  i waited a couple days and it was slowly starting to turn a light gray color but it was still really inconsistent.

then i stumbled across a post where the writer would leave the solution sitting for weeks!  well i didn't really feel like waiting around for weeks with a pile of wood in my kitchen so i just bought some stain instead.  i still have the solution though so maybe next month i'll make something else that i can try it out on...

linking up here

have a great weekend!!

P.S. if you're interested, you can find the anthro rosette pillow here and the chevron blanket here

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My entry into the Share It Link Party at The Winthrop Chronicles is sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Range Cookers.

15 comments:

  1. What a great idea, and such a brilliant way to use up the old furniture we have stored in our shed!

    Thanks very much!

    Emi @ Crafty by Nurture

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks! it really is a great project for reclaimed lumber (if only i didn't have 2 rabbits that want to eat everything!!)

      Delete
  2. I am impressed. It turned out great!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your crate turned out beautiful. Really impressive. I love that you have blankets and pillows in it, I was thinking of getting a basket to serve that purpose but now I think I wan to make a crate. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i know-i never know what to do with all the extra pillows and blankets i have on my bed when i go to sleep (they always end up getting kicked off in the night) so now i just put them in here before bed!

      Delete
  4. These are so cute! I love the idea! I would love for you to share this at my link party http://thewinthropchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/07/share-it-link-party-21-giveaway.html
    (you can also enter to win a $50 gift card to Amazon just by linking up. It closes today)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you, i'm heading over to check it out!

      Delete
  5. That's such a cute idea! I stopped by to tell you I have two awards for you over on the blog today! :) http://www.hubbymademe.com/blog-awards/

    ReplyDelete
  6. VERY cute and GREAT idea!
    Congrats on being featured at the Winthrop Chronicles!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just stopping by to thank you for sharing so many beautiful projects at my Throwback Thursday party! I hope to see you again this week :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Frndz....
    Nice post!..good information,it is really helpful..it really impressed me alot and i just loved it.Thanks for posting such an informative content..

    Pallet boxes

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think this is among the most vital info for me.
    And i am glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things,
    The website style is great, the articles is really excellent 경마

    ReplyDelete

Feel free to share any thoughts, comments, advice or just say hello! Your comments make my day so don't be shy!!