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DIY: How to Build a Pallet Wall

Pallet walls have been trending big time in the Project Nursery Gallery, which had me dreaming of endless design possibilities the moment my eye caught this eclectic wood-paneled inspired nursery.

So when it came time to create a big boy room for my little man Chase, I showed my husband Josh a few samples of pallet walls created by adventurous parents. Part of me thought there was no way Josh was going to agree to this. To my surprise, he took it as a challenge and jumped at the chance to make his own pallet wall. After two weekends of some serious elbow grease, we made it happen.

How to Make a Pallet Wall

It starts with the hunt for pallets. I’ve gotta admit that it was kind of a thrill driving around town and throwing abandoned pallets from the back of stores into the car. Some places charged five bucks per pallet while others said, please take them away!

Building a pallet wall

The beauty of this cabin-inspired look is that the more distressed and wrecked the boards, the better. My father was in town one weekend and helped with sanding down each board after Josh used a crowbar to disassemble each pallet slat and remove its many nails. I am not going to kid you—this part was crazy time consuming. We filled an 11 x 8 foot wall and required approximately seventeen (17) pallets to make it happen. You must remember to account for waste because some slats will inevitably get damaged in the process.

Once the slats are stripped and sanded, it’s time to prep the wall for installation. Adhere thin pieces of plywood to the wall by attaching them with wood screws directly into the studs.

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Place the first pallet slat at the top, in the center of the wall. Using a drill, screw each end of the slats to the wall with two to three screws. Repeat, working from the center out, staggering each piece of wood.

Due to the unevenness of the pallet wood, not all pieces will perfectly match one another. To avoid seeing random gaps in trouble areas, simply stain the plywood behind the seams before securing a wood slat over it to disguise the gaps. The results are seamless, promise.

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I think it’s important to note that we did not lay out the boards and plan in advance. I’ve seen other DIYers lay the boards out perfectly and number each one prior to assembly. Quite frankly, we didn’t have the patience for something like that.

Pallet Wall and Arrow Light.jpg

And in the end, my pallet wall dream became a reality in the form of an industrial-chic growing boy’s room.

Boys Pallet Wall Room

Check out our roundup to see how wood accent walls look in a variety styles.

Norman Minnick

Saturday 22nd of July 2023

Since the pallets were acquired from various places, how do you ensure that they are not filled with parasites or other undesirable elements?

Jonathan Schlehr

Tuesday 20th of June 2023

What types of glue and epoxy did you use

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Friday 21st of January 2022

[…] HOW TO BUILD A PALLET WALL […]

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Sunday 19th of December 2021

[…] Source: projectnursery.com […]

ROBERT

Monday 18th of October 2021

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