Stylish furniture and accessories for the home and garden can be made from the robust wooden pallets. Its unmistakable industrial charm makes pallet furniture a special eye-catcher in every room. Some of the most popular projects include low beds, chic coffee tables, and raised beds for flowers, herbs, and even vegetables. The results are unique and impressive! Today we give you another great idea - pallets are also ideal as raw material for building hallway wardrobes. Below you will find instructions and some helpful tips on how to build a practical wardrobe yourself from pallets.
Especially in autumn and winter, the wardrobes are not visible under the jackets, coats, hats, scarves and gloves of all household members. And when it gets warmer in spring, the winter clothes are replaced and can go back into the wardrobe. Then the piece of furniture becomes a real eye-catcher in the hallway and should not be neglected. A homemade wardrobe made of pallets would provide storage space and add an individual touch to your entrance area.
First, you should get a suitable wooden pallet. You can buy these or even get them for free at a hardware store. A Euro pallet has the standard dimensions of 1200 x 800 x 144 mm. Before you start building your wardrobe, make sure the wooden pallet is clean and dry. This will make your work easier.
Materials and tools:
- Hand saw
– Cordless screwdriver
– 90 degree angle ruler – at least 70 centimeters long
- Pencil
– Orbital sander with approx. 100 mm sanding plate with 60 and 80 grit
– possibly sandpaper
– 5 pcs. small wardrobe hooks
– 3 large coat hooks
– Screws 3 x 18 mm 16 pieces
– Screws 3 x 40 mm 8 pieces or more
– Mounting bracket 2 pieces – right and left
– Dowels for concrete walls 8 x 40 mm – 2 pieces. (Make sure that the wooden pallets are heavy and can weigh up to around 25 kg. The coat rack must therefore be attached to a solid wall)
– Optional: wood stain and brush
Step 1 – Measure on the back
For a simple wardrobe, the wooden pallet can be processed in its original shape without cutting. However, if your hallway is rather narrow, the palette might seem too bulky. This variant is an alternative.
Turn the wooden pallet over. With the pencil, draw a line through the center of the wooden pallet, directly along the center floor board (as shown in the picture). In the end, only three vertical boards should remain.
Step 2 – Mark on the front
Now turn the wooden pallet over again, the front facing upwards. Measure 14cm from the edge of the pallet and draw a straight line through all 5 boards.
Step 3 – Cutting
Use a saw to cut along the specified line. Start with the front - this will make it easier to cut the boards on the back.
Step 4 – Sanding
The raw wood of the pallet needs to be sanded. This will prevent you from being injured by splinters later. Before sanding, all nail heads should be countersunk by around one to two millimeters. Using an orbital sander will help you complete this step more quickly. Start with a coarse sanding and use a smaller grit size - 60 and 80. It is best to work counterclockwise with medium force. The wooden pallet can then be sanded with a 120 grit.
Step 5 – Attach mounting brackets
Now the mounting brackets should be mounted on the back. The openings should face upwards. You should know that some mounting brackets (like the ones shown in the picture) are sold as right and left - be careful so you don't buy two of the same mounting brackets. Use three 40mm screws.
Step 6 – Install coat hooks
The final step is assembling the hooks. Three 18 mm fastening screws are used for this. Here you will need a screwdriver. The wood of the pallet is soft, so you shouldn't have any problems even with a manual screwdriver. Determine at what height the hooks should be mounted.
The piece of furniture is ready!
And…done! Now you can attach your homemade coat rack to the wall. Good luck imitating it!
Another variant: Dismantle the pallet and use the wooden boards
If the pallet does not fit in the space provided, it is possible to take it apart and use the individual parts. The boards obtained can be used in a variety of ways. This allows you to adapt your pallet wardrobe to your own needs and the space available.
Flexible S-hooks as a nice alternative
By the way, you can't necessarily screw the coat hooks tight. Here we see a great example with large metal S-hooks. These save space, have strong resilience, are inexpensive and can be used flexibly.
Paint wardrobe
It is up to you to treat the palettes with paint. It depends on what effect you want to achieve. If your wooden palette has unsightly dirt and stains, then it would be better to use opaque acrylic paint. Which color you use for your wardrobe is a matter of taste. In order for the paint to adhere well, the wooden pallet should be dust-free and dry after sanding.
Paletten-Garderobe im Shabby Chic Look
To give the piece of furniture a beautiful shabby chic look, you can try this interesting technique: As soon as you have applied the paint to the wood with a brush, immediately wipe off most of the paint with a cloth. This means the original color of the wood can still be seen. Another technique to give furniture a vintage look is to sand the paint. To create signs of wear, sand the wooden pallet in certain areas with sandpaper or a wire brush.
Wood decorative glaze allows the wood grain to be clearly visible
But if you want to preserve the natural wood grain of the wooden pallet, then you can use a wood decorative stain. Allow the glazed palette to dry thoroughly for 24 hours. You can then paint the wooden pallet with clear varnish. Let the whole thing dry out thoroughly for 24 hours. Only then should the final assembly of the accessories take place.
Spice up your pallet wardrobe with paint and stencils
As already mentioned, the choice of color depends on personal taste. The sanded wooden surface of the pallets can be worn in almost any type of color and glaze. You can also use wall paint for painting. Wooden pallets are often painted white, but you can of course choose other colors. A great idea would be if you stencil a beautiful saying like “Home Sweet Home” or “Love is all you need” on the wooden boards. It is best to use spray paint and ensure there is sufficient room ventilation. The spray mist must under no circumstances be inhaled.
Find cool alternatives to coat hooks
The upcycling trend knows no limits. So far we have numerous options on how to do itgiving old household items new lifecould give. Another great idea are these hooks made from old spoons. They have so much personality and combine perfectly with the vintage look of the wood. You will need a metal drill to drill the holes. If the spoons cannot be bent by hand, you can also use pliers. But be careful so that it doesn't break in two.
Different types of wardrobes
You can build a pallet wardrobe yourself in different sizes and shapes. There are free-standing coat racks or space-saving wall coat racks. Hanging wardrobes can also be combined with shelves and a narrow hallway table.
Wine boxes, for example, go perfectly with the rustic charm of the wooden pallets! These can be mounted on the wall under the pallet wardrobe using screws and dowels, with the opening facing the front. Creative experimentation is required when arranging!
Shoe storage is included
The wardrobe always includes a storage space for shoes in the hallway. This usually finds space under the wall coat rack.
There are plenty of hallway chests of drawers and shoe cabinets. However, if you are looking for an unusual variant, you might like this shoe rack made of wooden pallets. This allows you to store shoes vertically. Several pallets stacked on top of each other are also practical and beautiful. There is no need to deconstruct or additionally process the wooden pallet.
space-saving hallway tables
If you have a wooden pallet left over, you can also think about other DIY projects for hallway furniture. A hall table, for example, is a beautiful piece of furniture that is not only beautiful to look at, but can also function as additional storage space. Make a tabletop from used pallets and mount it on a sturdy frame. The spaces in the wooden pallet offer space for individually usable storage space. These can also be wonderfully spiced up with specially made drawers.
