DIY Rustic Planter Box Made From A Pallet

I'm in love.

I'm head over heals in love with my new planter box.  It just makes me so happy!  I love its rustic, Pottery Barn look.  I love that it didn't cost me anything to make.  I love that I made something out of trash!  I love that it's so versatile and the decorating possibilities are endless.  I'm imagining using this planter all year round with a group of white pillar candles at Christmas, mason jars holding bouquets of flowers in the spring,  and filling it with fruit in the summer.

Like many pinners, I have a Pinterest board devoted to pallet projects and I've noticed that projects made with old pallets seem to be really popular right now.  There have been a few times I've been driving around town and noticed someone stopping to pick up a pallet and putting it in the back of their truck.  It makes me smile every time because I can just imagine these men have wives or girlfriends who have told their guys to keep an eye out for pallets and snatch them up if they find one so they can make a Pinterest project! 

We were lucky to find this pallet dumped near a path one evening while were were out for a walk.  My teenage son was nice enough to haul it home for me although he made it clear he thought his mother was crazy for wanting to carry home someone's trash.

Taking the pallet apart was quite a job.  The trick is to take it apart without damaging the wood.  Most of the nails holding the pallet together were in there pretty good too.  I used a screwdriver and a rubber mallet to loosen things up a little bit and then I was able to pry the boards apart with a crowbar.  This pallet wasn't in great shape.  There was some staining and wood that was rotted and split and couldn't be used at all.  But after some sanding, most pieces looked pretty good.

After I had been working in the garage for a while, my son came out to see what I was doing.  I guess the idea of using power tools was appealing to him, so I had some help with the sanding.

After the slats were sanded, I chose three of the best pieces of wood, one for the bottom and one for each side of the box.  Then I cut pieces from a fourth piece to use for the ends of the box.  I pre-drilled holes in the wood to prevent the wood from splitting, then I used wood screws to secure everything together.  The box is really long and narrow.  I like it that way (plus I didn't want to make any extra cuts!)  I was thinking I might add some paint and sand it down so that the wood shows through, but I'm really liking the way it looks just the way it is.  I can always add paint later if I change my mind.

This project was so much fun!  Not only did I really enjoy making this project with my kiddo but I also love the finished result!  I can certainly see the appeal of making something out of nothing.  If I find any more pallets, I'm definitely snatching them up!  And I have a willing partner in crime.  My son was impressed that we made something out of a pallet (maybe his mom isn't so crazy after all) and he's looking forward to making something else.  Hopefully we'll have some more pallet projects to share soon!

Inspired by multiple pins here, here and here.