Would you like to transform your patio into a social space for relaxation by building a lounge with pallets? Here you will find some ideas and easy-to-follow instructions to enjoy beautiful moments with family and friends outside!
Nowadays, any garden furniture made from wooden pallets is very popular, and there are numerous variants if you want to build a lounge out of pallets. It can be used to create coffee tables, loungers, sofas and many other creative pieces of furniture for garden areas or terraces in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way. The main advantage of Euro pallets is that they can be flexibly adapted and used sustainably. You just need a little skill and imagination to create original and individual additions to your outdoor areas or your home. And since the most popular area of use for Euro pallets is outdoor spaces such as patios or courtyards, a furniture set constructed in this way would fit in perfectly there. You can take inspiration from the following examples to create your own pallet wood hideaway.
Choose your preferred outdoor design and build a pallet lounge
With versatile designs it would be possibleCreate DIY garden furniture, which are suitable for both relaxation and social moments. The raw, natural look of wooden pallets also fits most garden terraces and courtyards. In addition, such materials are easy to work with because they are quick and easy to assemble.
The only thing you need to add is weather-resistant seat padding in the form of comfortable and decorative sofa cushions or mattresses. However, you can also use ordinary textiles that you can simply bring back into the house when needed. However, in order to design such an outdoor space, it would first make sense to create a rough plan. With a little creativity and strategic steps, you can avoid mistakes and build an optimal pallet lounge in your outdoor space.
- It's best to first try to plan what your outdoor relaxation area will look like. To make it more functional, you can adapt the pallet garden furniture to suit your needs. As a rule, Euro pallets have a standard dimension of 1.2 mx 0.8 m, but it is advisable to measure everything in advance with a tape measure.
- Then start planning the room by using your imagination. For example, you can create a pallet couch with two or more wooden pallets stacked on top of each other. Also something like thatspace-saving corner sofaYou can build a pallet lounge with matching armchairs. Use an upright pallet as a backrest so you don't have to lean against the wall.
- Only then can you think about comfort and consider how to make your pallet garden furniture more comfortable. So that you can sit and stand comfortably, your pallet lounger or seat should ideally consist of two wooden pallets lying one on top of the other.
- Once you're done planning, look for untreated materials to build pallet lounges with.
Which cushions are suitable for homemade garden furniture made from pallets?
It is also recommended to look for larger and more comfortable pallet cushions, as well as back cushions for such furniture sets. These should not only fit the size of the pallet furniture, but also be wide and long enough to fill the voids between the wooden boards. This means that you and your guests will not feel these gaps when sitting. If you install a sloping backrest when building a pallet lounge, the padding on the back should also be thick enough. This prevents such inconveniences, and the material should be durable but also soft. There are many manufacturers that offer such pillows at reasonable prices, and you can also use them directly on the floor or wall.
You can also treat your pallet garden furniture with wood preservative so that it stays outside all year round. However, when it comes to pallet cushions, it would be better to bring them indoors during rain or storms. Of course, there is also the option of buying a specially suitable cushion cover or equipping the pallet furniture with your own home textiles. With the right cushions and blankets you can make your pallet lounge furniture even more comfortable and you can also add garden decorations such as lanterns and flower pots to the outdoor space. This creates an even more inviting atmosphere and makes your lounge feel really cool and cozy like an outdoor living room.
In general, how can you build a lounge yourself out of pallets?
After you have informed yourself about the planning and design of your future DIY project, you can now prepare the building materials. Depending on the condition of your chosen wooden pallets, you may also need to clean and sand them. It is very important to aim for a smooth surface without any protruding splinters.
Otherwise, there is a risk of injuries, torn clothing or annoying scratches to the furnishings used in the area. In addition, you should polish the wooden boards well so that you can look forward to comfortable and long-lasting outdoor furniture. Here is an exemplary and easy-to-follow step-by-step guide that you can follow to build your own pallet lounge.
Required tools and materials
- Get around 15 or more wooden pallets or Euro pallets, 9 to 12 of which would be enough for the seat and 2 to 3 for the backrests.
- Use a sander if necessary, making sure to wear work gloves, a dust mask, and safety glasses while sanding.
- Otherwise, you may need a saw, impact wrench, hammer, ruler, tape measure, wood varnish and brush, bowl, longer screws, cordless drill, screwdriver, seat cushions and chair cushions.
- You can also treat the wood with linseed oil, hard wax oil and finally with exterior paint.
You can build a corner sofa and table from pallets lounge by upcycling
- First prepare the wooden pallets by sanding them and removing any rough parts or chips. For a smooth finish, it's best to use 120 grit.
- Then use the brush to apply a thick layer of linseed oil to the palettes and leave it for a few hours so that the oil sinks into the palettes.
- Then wipe off any residue with a soft cloth and then treat the boards with a thin layer of hard wax oil. This will protect the pallet wood and make it more durable.
- After you have prepared all the wooden pallets, you can set them up in the garden or yard and use an impact wrench or drill and screws to assemble the individual parts of the sofa.
- For example, make four separate seats for the corner sofa so that the parts can be moved. Otherwise, your pallet furniture will have to stay in place once it's put together.
- Now you can paint the future piece of furniture in any color with the exterior paint.
- Your pallet table or coffee table could consist of two pallets stacked on top of each other and screwed together. You can fill the voids by dismantling one of the pallets and using the wooden boards to fill the gaps on the table. You may need to cut these to the appropriate size with a saw.
- You can also paint the pallet table in your preferred color or match it with the rest so that you can build a uniform lounge with pallets.
This is how you can create a two-seater with a backrest from pallets
For this next exemplary DIY project you will need 3 wooden pallets of approximately the same size and shape, as well as a rotary or impact drill, longer screws or wood screws, a tape measure and possibly a hand saw. This allows you to reshape recycled Euro pallets as needed and adapt them to the available space.
- First, place the three wooden pallets on top of each other and align them all in the same direction. If you want to use the pallets in their rough state, you should make sure that the better looking ones are at the top of the pile. This will form the backrest and seating area and create the overall look of your two-seater sofa.
- Then measure approximately 58cm from the back of the top pallet to the front. Once you're done with that, you can cut horizontally along the three boards, dividing the top wooden pallet into two.
- After cutting the two halves, you can remove them and save them for later to make some backrest support boards. Since the sizes of different pallets vary, you may need to adjust the cutting dimensions accordingly.
Build the support boards for the backrest of the two-seater in the pallet lounge
- In this case, you should always make the horizontal cut after the second support board that runs along the bottom of the pallet. These must protrude at least 4 cm beyond the floorboard, as can be seen from the picture above.
- Now you can cut 2 x 30 cm boards from the other half of the wooden pallet.
- Then turn the backrest over and attach the wooden boards to the bottom of the backrest with a drill/driver.
- You can attach the first board to the backrest with four screws as shown in the photo and align it with the horizontal plank of the backrest.
- Repeat this step for the second wooden plank at the other end of the backrest.
- Once you're done, you can turn the backrest over and position it at an angle into the middle wooden pallet.
- First you can cut two support boards out of the half, which should be around 52 cm long. These will connect the seating area with the backrest for support.
- Now you can first screw the support boards at the top and bottom to the base and the backrest with four screws.
- Next, you should repeat the process, this time screwing the second 52cm long support board into the other end of the backrest.
- Finally, you can sand, stain and paint the finished two-seater. It would also be possible to only treat the backrest and the seating area.
Final thoughts
Hopefully you were also able to find inspiration for your next pallet lounge building project in this guide. If you want to ensure long-term use and stable construction, it is better to use long and high quality screws when fixing. Only when you have secured your back or armrests well can you start decorating. To this end, you can be inspired by numerous colors, fabrics and patterns for decorative cushions and adapt them to the style of your patio area. Be bold and combine colorful textiles with the raw beauty of pallet furniture. However, if the pallet cushions are not suitable for outdoor use, it would be better to put them away after use.
