HOME HOW TOS

DIY: Upcycled Pallet Bench

DIY-Cushion

The summer has officially arrived and with it, the warm weather and time spent outdoors. If you’re limited on funds but still want a way to enjoy the summer sun and everything that comes along with it then try making this Upcycled Pallet Bench. It’s a perfect way to create some simple outdoor seating without dipping into your savings.

Things You Will Need

1. Pallet: This should be easy. Patrol the alleys behind grocery stores and shopping centers but don’t just settle for any old pallet–find one that’s solid, level and relatively smooth without too many jagged edges.

2. Concrete Cinder Blocks: The exact number will depend on the width of your pallet and the desired height of your bench. Our project required 8 which only cost about $8. A word of warning: don’t wander around the hardware store for an hour searching for them like I did–they are usually located in the building materials section, duh. 

3. Plywood: Cut a piece the size of your pallet surface or a little bit smaller. If you don’t have the tools to cut it yourself, the hardware store will be happy to cut it to your required dimensions. I got mine cut about a half inch shorter in the length and width to ensure no edges hung over my pallet. 

4. Foam: Now you can go to the fabric store and buy some expensive foam but since we’re making a bench from a pallet and cinder blocks, shelling out $50 on foam just seems silly. I would recommend picking up an egg crate mattress topper in a twin size assuming that the dimensions work with your bench. The egg crate toppers can be found at about half the price and do the same thing. 

P10103465. Outdoor Fabric: Get a piece large enough to account for the thickness of your foam with a couple inches to spare.

6. Scissors

7. Staple Gun

Directions

Position your cinder blocks and rest your pallet on top of them so that it is level and sturdy. Sand any edges that are jagged and may be in areas that those sitting may be in contact with.

To make the cushion, lay your fabric out flat with the side you want showing facing down. Next lay your cut-to-size foam, or in our case, the egg crate mattress topper flat side down in the center of the fabric.

P1010350

Now lay your plywood on top of the foam. To decrease the movement of your foam when using your bench cushion, you can opt to use a spray adhesive to adhere the foam to your plywood (we were a little lazy and since we were using the egg crate we opted not to).P1010351

Next fold your fabric up tightly around the wood, stapling as you go. Ensure you are pulling the fabric equally tight in all areas to avoid puckering. P1010353

The corners can be difficult but just fold the fabric over itself until it appears tight and smooth. Then staple away!
P1010352

To add a little more personality to our bench we covered all of the visible wood edges with neon orange duct tape and added a few graphic print orange pillows for extra comfort. Just add friends and your pallet bench is good to go.

P1010356

TaDa

3 Comments

  • Reply
    stylesocietyguyblog
    July 1, 2013 at 6:28 pm

    This is sooo good! Kudos my friend

    • Reply
      Ryan
      July 2, 2013 at 6:32 am

      Thanks! It was cheap and looks pretty good too! Thanks for the follow and the comment!

  • Reply
    HOW TO: Style Your Outdoor Space | Brick&Vine
    May 1, 2014 at 8:56 am

    […] to get it done. My wife and I created a bench for our balcony last year (you can find the tutorial here), but there are so many variations worth […]

  • Leave a Reply

    %d bloggers like this: