Make a bed base from pallets

Important tips

• This project involves arranging eight pallets into two layers of four, then cutting the base down to the right size to match your mattress.
• If you have acres of space, you can save yourself the trouble of cutting and reinforcing the base, by skipping Steps 3 and 4. This will leave you with an oversized base (you could use the extra space as a bedside table, perhaps), but the neatest, most space-efficient way is to cut the base to size. If you’re doing this, look for pallets that are strengthened with three lengths of 4’ x 2’ timber, as they are easiest to resize.
• You should also make sure your pallets are not chemically treated. Look for ‘HT’ on the side, which means the wood was heat treated, rather than chemically treated.

Standard NZ bed sizes

• Single 1880mm x 910mm
• King Single 2030mm x 1070mm
• Double 1880mm x 1370mm
• Queen 2030mm x 1530mm
• King 2030mm x 1670mm

Optional extra – add some legs

Some pallets are held together with blocks around 200mm long. If you find one of these you can remove the blocks, paint them, and glue some old carpet on the bottom to provide non-scratch legs. If you don’t have old carpet you can buy self-adhesive carpet tiles and stick these on the bottom. We used nine legs in total (all removed from one pallet) to provide an even weight distribution across the base.

You’ll need….

• 8 pallets (free)
• 20 Surefix 6g 34mm square-head wood screws ($13.14 for a box of 200)
• 150-grit sand paper ($1.36)
• 8 reinforced mending plates, zinc plated, 76.6mm x 16.3mm ($1.44 each)

Optional extras

• Paint (we used about a litre of Resene Quarter Pearl Lusta for ~$10)

If adding legs:

• Self-adhesive carpet tiles or old carpet squares and ADOS Greenstik Carpet Adhesive ($29.99 for 1 litre)
• 24 x 60mm angle brackets ($1.91 each)
• 1 pallet with wooden blocks holding it together (rather than 4’x2’ beams) that can be used for legs

Tools required

• Drill
• 2mm drill bit for wood
• Square-head drill bits and extensions
• Hammer
• Skill saw, earmuffs and eye protection (or handsaw)
• Tape measure
• Pencil

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Check your space and find some pallets

The first step is to measure the space where your bed is going. Make sure you account for any power outlets, wardrobes, doors and windows.

As for sourcing pallets, you can usually find them at hardware stores, but always ask before taking. Otherwise go to the dump or buy them from The Pallet Warehouse in Auckland (www.pallets.co.nz).

Check for any obvious breakage and ideally use identical pallets. You will typically need eight.

Step 2: Measure up

If you already have a mattress, measure it to work out how big your base should be. Otherwise, use the standard bed sizes (see above).

Next, arrange four pallets on the floor to make a rectangle. Have the openings facing you, and the bottoms facing up. Then stack the other four pallets on top, to mirror the lower level, ie. with the bottoms facing down.

Make sure they all line up and the top is level, then use your mattress measurements to mark where you are going to cut the base to size. Mark your cut lines, and scribble on the waste wood so you don’t lose track of which parts you’re cutting off and which parts you keep.

On each level there should be one pallet left entire, and three marked up for trimming.

Step 3: Salvage the spare 4’x2’s

You next need to remove the end strengthening pieces on the pallets that you are trimming. So, ignoring your cut lines for the moment, put your ear and eye-protection on and carefully run the skill saw parallel to the 4’x 2’ at the waste wood end, cutting it free from the battens. Flip the pallet and do the same on the bottom side.

Then bang off the off-cuts that are nailed to the 4’x2’ and remove any nails. If you can’t get them out with a claw hammer, hammer them into the wood and mark them with a big X so that you know there is metal inside in case you want to cut in that spot.

Step 4: Finish the edges

Now wedge the spare 4’x2’ in between the battens, just inside your cut line, so that it will be right at the edge of your newly-shaped pallet.

Stand on top of it to keep it in place or use clamps. Pre-drill 1-2 holes in each batten, and fasten in the new spot with screws. Flip and repeat.

Now, very carefully trim off the battens right next to the 4’x2’, along the cut line. You have now removed all the waste wood, and are left with a smaller-sized pallet that makes up the perfect dimensions for your bed! Repeat this process for all the pallets that need cutting to size.

Optional step: Add some storage

We wanted to maximise storage under the bed. An easy way to do this is to remove the front bottom battens (or chamberec board) on each of your pallets and stack them with bottoms together. This provides enough space for books or baskets.

To do this use a skill saw (or hand saw) to cut the front bottom batten close to each of the 4’x2’s.

Make sure you leave the pieces of batten that are attached to the 4’x2’s – you don’t want to remove the whole board because you would end up with a very wobbly bed!

Step 5: Sand and paint

Give the frame a good sand-down to remove any splinters and rough edges. There’s nothing worse than catching your shin on a raw pallet edge or ripping a hole in your favourite pyjamas! If you’re keen and confident then you can soften the corners first using an angle-grinder with a sandpaper disc fitting. Painting the wood is strictly optional; however if you choose to paint it, do so now, before the base is assembled – painting pallets is a fiddly task.

Step 6: Connect the pieces

Once your paint is dry it’s time to connect the pieces. Assemble one layer of pallets by arranging them bottom-up on the floor and connecting them by screwing in mending plates. You can buy these in long strips and then snap or snip off as you need them – you want the bed strong enough to last through all kinds of use, so don’t hold back with these!

Now is the time to attach legs if you have them.

Step 7: Complete the base

Next, assemble the other layer in the same way as Step 6 (but without the legs) then flip it over and put it in place, on top of the bottom layer (remember, the two layers are joined bottom to bottom). Join the layers with mending plates – then step back and admire your completed bed base!