Use Old Wood Pallets To DIY A Garden Fence On A Budget

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Installing a garden fence is one of the best ways to keep critters out of your garden, but they can be so expensive. Depending on the material you want to use, you could be looking at spending anywhere from $8 to $90 per foot. If you need just 10 feet of fencing, you're already looking at spending nearly $100 at a minimum! For a budget-friendly fencing alternative that won't sacrifice any functional benefits, consider a DIY build with wood pallets. A wood pallet costs between $10 and $25, but there are also more affordable options to pursue if you're willing to buy used pieces. There are often even places where you can find free wood pallets in your community. If you talk to local businesses or check out social media groups in your area, you might be able to get enough pallets to fence in your garden for free. In addition to the pallets themselves, you'll need sturdy garden stakes and a drill and screws to attach everything together.

The pallets can simply be stood up on their sides and secured in place to form your garden fence, although there are ways to adjust or customize it. Pallets come in a range of sizes, but most full-sized pallets are at least 30 inches across. That means it won't take a ton of pallets to fence in even a large area, which is great news when you have a lot of space to cover. The downside is that pallets do have gaps between the boards that you will need to cover to keep out smaller pests.

There are a few different ways to assemble your pallet fence, depending on how much time and effort you're willing to put into it. One option is to completely disassemble the pallets into wood boards and turn them into a classic picket fence. This is a great option if you hate the look of pallets or don't want any gaps in your garden fence, but you will need to spend more time breaking down the pallets and installing the boards one at a time.

For a quicker fix, stand your pallets up along your ideal fence line, making sure that the ground is relatively level so they don't wobble. Line them up end to end, attach them together using straight flat brackets (like these Everbilt Stainless Steel Mending Plates) or pieces of scrap wood and screws along the seams where the pallets meet to create one solid fence, and then secure them to the ground. You can pound sturdy stakes, such as VANROUG Ground Anchors, into the ground at regular intervals along the fence and screw the stake to the fence.

Your fence is technically done, but it doesn't have to be. Use chicken wire or another material to cover the gaps and keep rabbits or other small critters from squeezing through it. Paint, stain, or other craft supplies will also help make it look a little nicer. One final step is to seal them to protect your wooden fence from rotting in the rain.