How to make a do-it-yourself pallet sofa?

Given the growing popularity of furniture made from various unusual materials, many are interested in how to make a sofa out of pallets with their own hands. This interest is largely due to the environmental friendliness of the products used. An equally important factor is the ability to independently create unique furniture. The design features of pallets make it possible to implement almost any design solution.

On the one hand, the process of creating pieces of furniture from wooden pallets and from boxes is quite simple. However, this will require minimal skills and a set of tools. The latter includes:

• saw or grinder with a nozzle for processing boards;
• hacksaw;
• electric jigsaw;
• electric drill;
• hammer;
• a sander or attachment for a drill or grinder with emery wheels;
• a set of screwdrivers or screwdriver;
• brushes and rollers;
• gloves (fabric and rubber);
• Protective glasses.

In addition to the selection of tools and equipment, attention should be paid to the availability of the necessary materials. In addition to the pallets themselves, you will need:

• nails, screws and metal corners;
• paints and varnishes and a moisture-repellent primer designed for the treatment of garden furniture;
• upholstery materials (if a sofa from ordinary pallets or from Euro pallets will be finished with fabric);
• dense fabric and thick foam rubber, synthetic winterizer or other filler for making a mattress and pillows on your own.

In addition to all of the above, depending on the design features of the future furniture you need to take care of additional elements. This refers to sofa legs or casters and drawer handles, if any. Also, taking into account the design ideas, you can add various decorations.

Initially, you should decide what wooden pallets are. In this case, we mean stands for storing and transporting various materials. The most commonly used pallets are pine, larch, yew and juniper. It should be noted that these types of wood are characterized by increased resistance to aggressive environments. In addition, they are characterized by the longest possible service life at an affordable cost.

It should be borne in mind that Euro pallets are guaranteed to undergo high-quality processing. Another very important point is the color of the products. If the pallet has a bluish tint, then, as a rule, low-quality raw materials were used in its manufacture. The average weight of a pallet is 15-20 kg, and its dimensions depend on the type. The latter can be:

• standard - 120 x 10 x 12 cm;
• "Euro" - 120 x 80 x 12 cm.

There are no problems with the purchase of both used and new pallets these days. But at the same time, you must remember about the need to process blanks for homemade sofas. In principle, if necessary, pallets can be assembled by hand using boards of appropriate sizes. However, as practice shows, the best option would be industrial products. By the way, a standard pallet is capable of withstanding a load of at least 1 ton.

The first and one of the main steps will be a thorough examination of the structural elements of the future sofa.

When preparing pallets and pre-processing them, the most important points should be considered.

• Used products must be thoroughly cleaned with a brush and then rinsed with water pressure. This is best done outdoors using a garden hose. Such actions are due to the fact that the pallets are operated in different conditions. However, they could be exposed not only to environmental factors, but also to chemicals.
• Regardless of the quality and age of the pallet, it is required to grind in order to completely remove rough surfaces and burrs... For this, attachments for grinders and drills are suitable. In the absence of a power tool, you can use sandpaper of different grain sizes. Boards are processed first with coarse sandpaper, and then with finer one. In some cases, only those elements of the sofa that will contact the body are subjected to such processing.
• Among other things, it is necessary to take into account the conditions of maintenance of the furniture. If we are talking about a garden, that is, an outdoor sofa, then attention should be paid to protecting the wood from the negative effects of the external environment. In particular, this refers to the treatment of boards with a moisture-repellent primer. This allows you to maximize the life of the products.

Considering the process of making a sofa from pallets with your own hands in steps, you need to remember about safety. So cleaning, grinding and chemical treatment should be carried out outdoors whenever possible. Wherein gloves, goggles and a face shield must be present.

The frame of any type of furniture includes prefabricated or solid panels. It is on this basis that you can make a sofa from almost ready-made structural elements. And wooden pallets are more than suitable for their role. It is important to take into account that they are easy to disassemble into parts, combine into the desired structures. Equally important is the ease of processing and the ability to integrate into any interior.

The popularity of the products in question is largely due to their low cost. However, the increased demand and distribution is not only due to the financial side of the issue.

Next, see the video on making a sofa from pallets.

A pallet sofa can be of any shape and be:

• direct;
• angular;
• in the form of the letter "P".

Each of these options is unique in its own way and has its own characteristics. In this case, both whole pallets and their parts can be used as structural elements. Most often, the base of the sofa is made from the first. For the manufacture of backs and armrests, disassembled stands are used. Those who already have experience in assembling such furniture strongly recommend making a drawing at the preparatory stage.

For a small sofa that can be placed on the balcony or in the hallway, one pallet is enough. In addition, you will need legs for the legs and plywood for the back. If the presence of handrails is assumed, then it is worth taking care of the material for their manufacture. If there are two pallets, one of them can be disassembled into spare parts for the backrest.

One of the options for assembling a small sofa includes the following steps.

1. Saw the pallet lengthwise. In this case, part of it from 4 crossbars will become a seat, and the smaller of 3 - a back.
2. Attach the legs with screws and corners. It is recommended to make them wide and not very high, which will give stability to the whole structure.
3. Attach the backrest to the seat using wooden corners.
4. Install plywood on the back.
5. Treat the finished product with a primer.
6. Paint the sofa, varnish or finish with a cloth.

To make a sofa in standard sizes, 6 pallets are required. However, 8 items are recommended. Elements of the first additional will become part of the future design, and the second is bought in reserve in case of damage during processing. It should be noted that the sofa manufacturing algorithm itself, regardless of its design, is standard. In general terms, the process includes the creation of the base, back and legs, parts processing and assembly.

First of all, you need to start preparing all the elements.

1. When assembling the base, place two pallets face down and fasten them with boards and corners. The same steps are repeated with the second pair of pallets.
2. One pallet should be sawn across into two pieces, which will eventually become the back.
3. Castors are attached to one of the coupled pairs, which will later become the legs of the sofa, ensuring its mobility. Option with bars or purchased legs is possible.
4. If necessary, the prepared structural elements should be primed.

The next steps will be the assembly of the sofa, during which:

1. two pairs are connected to each other;
2. backrest is installed;
3. armrests are made from pallet elements.

The remaining parts can be used to create crates. They will be located in the space between the two halves of the base. These elements are equipped with handles, and, if desired, with special devices with rollers. The latter will greatly simplify the operation of the drawers.

By the way, out of 6 Euro pallets measuring 120x80 cm, you can assemble the base of the corner structure. When using standard wooden platforms, the furniture will turn out to be more bulky. 6 pallets are connected in pairs.In this case, the back can be made of plywood or parts of the seventh pallet. For the installation of individual elements, in addition to fasteners, polyurethane foam is used.

A multifunctional sofa for a summer residence will be the next step on the path to mastery. Another very interesting option is the terrace model. It is worth noting that, despite the apparent simplicity of the design, country furniture has its own characteristics. Wooden pallets will be a good choice of starting materials in such a situation. As a result, you get a spacious, and, therefore, the most comfortable product.

One of the main distinguishing features of such homemade sofas is the presence of wide backs and armrests.... It is possible to install platforms-trays with sides on them. In this way, comfortable places are created for the arrangement of glasses, cups and plates.

Another option for a sofa for relaxation, which can be placed outside, will be a design in the form of a terrace. Outwardly, such models resemble a staircase with several (2 or 3) wide steps. Moreover, the number of pallets in each tier may be different. The choice of layout depends solely on the imagination and wishes of the master. Each row is fixed with bars or equipped with legs.

The upper row of the lounging terrace sofa has three pallets, the middle row has two and the bottom row has one. It should be noted that a similar design, if desired, can be made sliding.

Those wishing to create furniture on which one could not only sit, but also sleep comfortably, should think about a sofa bed. This refers to a structure that has a box at the base for a standard mattress. To achieve the desired result, you will need to cut out the middle support of the pallets. Then you should fix the cut fragments between the sidewalls.

The dimensions of the uprights will be determined by the thickness of the mattress. The prepared box is installed on two pallets twisted together. You can fix the elements with self-tapping screws and metal corners. As practice proves, pallets are a very convenient and affordable material for making sofa beds. We can talk about structures of one, two and three tiers of pallets.

The finishing of various elements of any pallet sofa is carried out in several stages. Some of them are implemented even at the stage of sawn timber preparation. It is then that the individual parts are primed and painted or varnished. In addition, upholstery belongs to this type of work.

An integral part of this type of furniture are mattresses and pillows. These additional elements can be purchased ready-made or made yourself. It is possible to order pillows and mattress according to the size of the ready-made sofa.

It is important to remember that the thickness of the mattress should be at least 20 cm, which will make the operation of the furniture as comfortable as possible. The choice of fabric for finishing will be no less significant moment. The best options are natural and durable materials, which include:

• suede leather;
• velours;
• chenille;
• microfiber;
• wear-resistant leatherette.

Along with textiles, homemade sofas can be decorated with various decorative elements and even lighting. Do not forget also about shelves, niches and drawers. You can find accessories for them in any specialized store.

In principle, making a sofa out of wooden pallets is not so difficult. For this, in most cases, you do not need professional skills and a complex tool. However, all manipulations should be treated with appropriate care. Otherwise, you can make a number of serious mistakes that will have to be corrected.

Experienced experts recommend paying special attention to the following key points.

• The correct choice of pallets is of particular importance. At the same time, many advise to give preference to the “euro” category, taking into account the size of the products. On the other hand, it all depends on preference and operating conditions.
• One of the important stages of "construction" is high-quality processing of all surfaces.
• Before starting all work, you should do it yourself or download and print drawing (diagram) of the future sofa. At the moment, there will be no problems with finding such documents.
• If the design assumes the presence of several tiers of pallets, then for reliability you can glue them together. But this step is optional.
• Backrests and armrests are best done from parts of pallets.
• Fixation of all elements is carried out using self-tapping screwsproviding the most reliable connection. In parallel, the use of polyurethane foam is allowed.
• The legs of sofas are often installed swivel wheels from carts.
• The choice of finishing materials directly depends on the conditions in which the furniture will be used.... This applies to both paints and varnishes and textiles.

Summing up, it is necessary to remind about safety precautions. When performing all the above work, be sure to use protective equipment.... We are talking about gloves, goggles, masks and respirators. Among other things, it is recommended that beginners study in detail all the nuances of the process before starting to create a sofa. In this case, it would be useful to consult an experienced specialist, which will help to avoid serious mistakes.