Outdoor Pallet Shelf

Ok, so I know this isn't food related... but I think it's so cool that I just had to share it! We've been doing a lot of work this spring trying to improve the outside of our home and this is by far my favorite project to date.

It's kind of a funny story... I made the shelf with the intention of hanging it somewhere in the house but once it was completed, I realized that it was just too GINORMOUS and stained too DARK to work nicely in any of our indoor rooms. It sat in the garage for a few months, I contemplated trying to sell it on Craigslist, cutting it down into smaller sections to make it work, and simply putting it out for the trash man. Finally it came to me.... HANG IT OUTSIDE ON THE PORCH!

This new addition has really transformed our porch into more of an outdoor room. It's looking really fun and inviting out there.

Here's How I Did It

1. Steal an old pallet from a neighbor's trash pile and lug it home awkwardly while walking the dog (I'm sure there are better/more legal ways to score a pallet but this is how I got mine).

2. Let it sit in the garage for a few months, teasing you.

3. Remove extra slats that hinder the shelf concept. I only had to remove 2 vertical slats.

4. Stain/Treat appropriately. Make sure you use an outdoor stain if you plan on using the pallet outdoors.

5. Hang it in desired location. The pallet will be heavy so make sure you use the appropriate tools. We bought the OOK 200lb French Cleat Hanging system from Home Depot (and some extra long screws since we had to drill through the siding and then into studs).

6. Decorate with cute flowers, succulents, candles, knick-knacks, etc. I bought a cute little Venus fly trap that I'm most excited about... Mosquito control?