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How To Video: DIY Wood Pallet Shelves


 
Hi Everyone! This is Allie Bloyd with another awesome how-to for you – wood pallet shelves! As most of us know, wood pallets are pretty incredible. You can make just about anything your heart desires with these versatile boards (and for cheap!). With the holidays coming up, I thought this would be a good project to share. I have made these shelves for gifts, and they were a big hit! The construction is pretty standard, but the fun part is decorating the insides to reflect your personality or there personality of the person you’re giving them too. Lets get started!

Wood Pallet Shelves Materials:

For this project, you will need

  • A wood pallet
  • A hand or circular saw
  • Your stain of choice
  • Wet wipes or disinfectant spray and rag
  • Sponge for your stain
  • Screws
  • A drill
  • 1/8 bit
  • Measuring tape
  • Knobs of choice (optional)
  • 1 yard of burlap
  • At least 4 decorations. I go for 2 picture frames and 2 other objects.
  • Safety Glasses

 
Wood Pallet Shelves
 

How to build your Wood Pallet Shelves:

Step 1: Cutting your wood pallet

First of all, you need to select a wood pallet that has some character but is still in pretty good shape. We can sell them at Builders Surplus for $9.99 if you’re looking for one. You are then going to need to use a saw to cut it. If you are not comfortable using a saw, I recommend that you find someone who is to help you. Safety first. If you are using the saw yourself, get your safety glasses on. You are just going to make a straight cut right above the second board from the top and bottom.
wood-pallet-shelves
 

Step 2: Cleaning your Wood Pallet

After successfully cutting your pallet, you will need to clean it to make sure there is not dirt, grime or cobwebs on it (depending where you get it, you never know what you might find!)
I used some simple disinfecting wipes. I brushed off all the big stuff first and went back and got the smaller particles. It is not going to mess things up if you have a bit left on there like it would if you were painting, which is nice. Stain is much more forgiving, and with a rustic look, old dirt can sometimes work for you!
 

Step 3: Staining your Wood Pallet

I used Minwax ‘Weathered Oak’ for my stain. It is a nice compliment to the natural color of the distressed wood pallet. I took my sponge, and went over both pieces of my pallet. You don’t have to do this perfectly, the imperfections make it beautiful. The stain is to give it a more uniform look all over, but it is not required, just my personal preference!
 

Step 4: Cutting your Bottom Boards

This next step also requires a saw, so again, use safety and your best judgement. Take your measuring tap and measure the full width of your wood pallet as well as the width of the bottom opening. One side of my pallet was cracked and missing (which I love!) so I opted to do two separate pieces on the bottom, to make sure I lined it up in the right spot, but most of the time you can just use one solid piece. Outline on your plywood the length and width that you need (2) times, for both of your shelves. Cut them out stain the edges of them with the sponge you used on your wood pallet.
 

wall-wood-pallet-shelves

Other versions of wood pallet shelves


 

Step 5: Securing the Plywood To The Wood Pallet

Now, you will attach your plywood to turn this wood pallet into shelves! Take your drill & screws and secure all 4 corners of your board or boards onto the bottom opening. If you need to touch up any stain, now is the time to do it.
 

Step 6: Adding Decorative Knobs & Decorations

After step 5, your wood pallet shelves are technically complete, but not in my mind. These shelves are about more than storage, they are about charm and character. I love old rustic knobs, so I took some that I found and spread them out evenly over the front of one of my shelves. Three to the left of the center board and three to the right. I took a sharpie and measured the spaces, and then marked the spots that would make it a proper distribution. Switch your drill to your 1/8 bit and pre-drill all 6 holes. Then, take your knobs and screw them through the holes. Attached your washer & bolt to the back to secure it.
Now, I will position my decorations in my shelves. I like having 2 picture frames to help with the personalization, but you can choose whatever works best for you or your home! I also chose two other decorations, and for these shelves, that was a burlap flower bouquet and a cardboard & sign that I painted with white acrylic paint.  I think one large item in each of the “pockets” works well, but again, you can mix it up how ever you like!
After I’ve positioned my wood pallet shelf decorations, I will break out my burlap. I my yard into 4 strips of my desired width. I like to place the burlap behind the items and spread it out to give it a more cozy look.
 
Below is another set of shelves that I created, where I took wooden letters and used hot glue to cover them in moss. I decorated with some flowers and an old door knob. The options are unlimited!
 
PaletteShelves2
 
For more amazing wood pallet projects, check out our Pinterest board, Wood Pallet Wonders!
That’s all on our How-To Tutorial For DIY Wood Pallet Shelves! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Please check back to see more how-to’s on decorating, installation, crafting, and more! To see how to build a leaning shelf set out of an old door, check out this tutorial!
Builders Surplus is a full service remodeling company with locations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Newport, Kentucky, which also serves Cincinnati, Ohio. We specialize in interior design, which comes as a free service to our clients. We sell building supplies ranging from unused surplus, to first quality in stock, to high end custom order and everything in between. We also provide measurement and full installation services (in our Louisville Location, partial in our Newport Location). Our core products consist of kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities (single vanities and double vanities), interior doors, exterior doors, sinks, faucets, granite countertops, quartz countertops, laminate countertops, windows, and more! If you have any questions or would like to set up a free design consultation with one of our interior designers, we would encourage you to do so. Happy Remodeling!
Written By: Allie Bloyd
 
 

How-To Build a Rustic Door Shelf

 
*If you do not see the youtube video directly below, refresh your browser to view. 

DIY Rustic Door Shelf Tutorial

Hi everybody! Today we are going to do a really awesome how-to. I’m going to teach you how to take an old door and turn it into a leaning door shelf. This is a project that most of you can do on your own, but if you aren’t comfortable with using a circular saw, find someone who is familiar with it that can help you out on that step. The rustic and vintage styles are very popular right now. This is mainly because of the sense of warmth and comfort that these pieces bring to our homes. The feeling of history that comes with a piece like this is absolutely priceless. Up-cycling is another great trend that no only helps to save money, but helps our environment as well. Let’s get started!

 

The door I used for our door shelf comes out of out of our surplus selection. The great thing about our surplus doors is that you never know what you’re gonna find! We’ve got some really great interior and exterior doors out there and I happened to come across this beauty. It is an old 5 panel, solid wood door with an imperfect finish on it. It is perfect for this project, so I’m excited to share it with you!

 

Rustic Door Shelf by Builders Surplus

 

Tools You’ll Need for Your Door Shelf:

 

Here are the tools that we’re going to need today. We have a circular saw, we’ve got some small screws, 2 picture hanging kits, some decorative chain, a nice decorative door knob that I got from Hobby Lobby, some clamps, a straight edge, and a level. We also need our safety glasses and ear plugs for when we’re using the circular saw. Safety First! You will also need a drill, a hammer and a chisel.

 

  • 5 Panel Wood Door
  • Circular Saw
  • Safety Glasses & Ear Plugs
  • Clamps
  • Straight Edge
  • Level
  • 2 Picture Hanging Kits (You Can Use Eye Hooks As Well, If So You Will Need 10)
  • Decorative Chain
  • Decorative Door Knob
  • Drill
  • Hammer
  • Chisel
  • Small Screws

 

Step 1:

Decide Where To Put Your Door Shelf and Take Measurements

 

First, you are going to take a look at your door and determine where you want it to be in your home and how far you’ll want it to lean. Because you will be using the panels of the door as shelves, you need to realize that the top 2 shelves will need to be cut, or they will hit the wall, making it impossible for them to lay flat. You will need to measure the space from the wall to the door on the top 2 panels (maybe 3 depending on how your shelf is leaning). For me, my top shelf was 3″ from the wall, and my second shelf was 6″ from the wall. The rest of my panels were fine at the size that they were.

 

Step 2:

Cut 3 Sides of Each Panel in the “Lip” Area With Circular Saw

 

The next step in our Door Shelf project is to cut out these panels on the back side of the door. Once you have decided which side you would like to be facing out in your home, find a table and flip the door with the back side facing up. This is where you are going to need your circular saw. Again, if you are not familiar with a circular saw, find someone who is to help you out. Make sure you are wearing your eye and ear wear when using the circular saw. We are then going to measure from the blade to the edge of the saw. For me, that is 5 3/4″. I will then place the saw on the spot that I’ll be cutting, and will take a measuring tape and measure 5 3/4″ from my cutting area. I then mark that spot with a straight edge and 2 clamps. This area is called “the fence”. This will ensure that I get a straight cut, as the circular saw will move along “the fence” while I’m making my cuts.

 

Panel doors such as this will have a “lip” area around the panels. This is to hold the panels in place, as they are not glued or secured in. They simply sit in slots inside on the wooden “lip” surrounding the panel area. Because of this, we will only need to cut out 3 sides of the panel, because once your 3 sides are gone, you will be able to pop and slide the panels out. Be very careful when cutting, but if you happen to go a little too far on your cuts, it is not the end of the world. The beauty of projects like these are that the imperfections make them beautiful. You will cut the bottom lip and the left and right side of each panel “lip” on all 5 door panels.

 

Step 3:

Chisel Out The “Lips” and Pop Out The Panels

Now that your 3 lip sides are cut, you will need to chisel them out completely  to make sure your panel can come out as easily as possible. Take your chisel and place the flat side up against the door, not the panel area. Take your hammer and get it down to the bottom of the “lip” wood, and then pry any remaining pieces out. After you’ve done the sides, make sure you get in the corners and tap those out as well. Repeat that process for the remaining panels.

Step 4:

Drill Holes for Your Chain & Pre-Drill Screw Holes For Your Door Shelf

*In my project, I had one panel break in half that mysteriously was the perfect size for my top 2 panels (step 1) of my door shelf, 3″ and 6″. Because of this, I did not have to cut any panels to fit the measurements in step 1. I doubt you will have the same luck, so you will need to take your saw and cut one of your panels to fit those measurements, using the same procedures in step 2.
We are now going to drill our holes to secure the shelves. First, you’re going to take a 3/8 bit and drill holes in the top left and right corner of each panel. On the opposite side of your panel, take a 1/8 bit and drill a hole about 1/2 inch from the edge of the panel in the center. Your final holes should be in a triangle shape on your panel.

Step 5:

Connecting your panels to your door

Your door should still be face down on a table, which is how it should remain. Take your first panel with the side with your single 1/8 hole in the center, and place it in on the ledge, straight up, on your door. You should then take a screw and LIGHTLY drill it into the center hole you predrilled to secure it to the door. This screw should NOT be tight. This is because our self is leaning. If you screw it in tightly at a 90 degree angle, your shelves will not be level to the floor. After you have lightly screwed your shelf in place, you will need to get out your decorative chain. Take one end of the chain and thread it through the first hole, going from the top of the shelf to the bottom, then across the bottom and up through the hole on the other side. Take your chain up to the corner of the opened panel area so estimate how much chain you will need for each shelf. You will not know exactly where to secure the chain, because again the door shelf is leaning. Cut your chain based on the amount you assume you will need.
You will then take you mirror hooks (or eye hooks). Drill in your left mirror hook and connect the chain to the loop. You will go ahead and screw in the right mirror hook, but do not connect your chain to it. You will need to adjust these chains when your shelf is straight up. Repeat this step on all remaining panels.

Step 6:

Connecting Your Chain & Finishing Your Shelf

After all of your shelves are lightly secured and have chain threaded & mirror hooks attached, you will carefully stand your shelf up and lean it as it will be in your home. Now that you can see where you need your selves to sit in order to be level, take the side of your chain that you did not connect, and connect it in the appropriate place to your remaining mirror hook. Repeat for the remaining panels.

Step 7:

Adding Decorative Accents

The decorative accent I chose to use for my door shelf was a vintage style door knob. It had 2 holes in it already, so I simply drilled it to the spot where a door knob would be, one screw in the top and one in the bottom. You now have a beautiful, original, rustic or vintage piece that will work wonderfully as a shelf! This is a great conversation piece and the pride that you have in building it will shine through in the finished product. You will want to make sure you test each shelf before placing really heavy items on it, but it is a strong shelf and will work for virtually anything you want to put on it.

How to build a rustic door shelf by builders surplus

My Finished Rustic Door Shelf


That’s all for our how-to on building a rustic, leaning door shelf! I hope you enjoyed it, and please check back soon for other great how-to projects. If you have any how-to video requests, please comment below and we’ll be happy to add them to our list! Have a wonderful day and I wish you luck in building your iwb door shelf!
Builders Surplus is a full service remodeling company with locations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Newport, Kentucky, which also serves Cincinnati, Ohio. We specialize in interior design, which comes as a free service to our clients. We sell building supplies ranging from unused surplus, to first quality in stock, to high end custom order and everything in between. We also provide measurement and full installation services. Our core products consist of kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities (single vanities and double vanities), interior doors, exterior doors, sinks, faucets, granite countertops, quartz countertops, laminate countertops, windows, and more! If you have any questions or would like to set up a free design consultation with one of our interior designers, we would encourage you to do so. Happy Remodeling!
Written By: Allie Bloyd