He Upcycles Old Wood Pallets Into Perfect-Sized Patio Chairs With Charm

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Have you looked at wooden patio chair prices lately? They are not cheap! You might find a pair for around $100, but that really adds up if you hope to seat more than two people. Fortunately, if you know where to find some old wood pallets, you can upcycle them into perfectly sized patio chairs nearly for free and add charm to your patio without breaking the bank. A YouTube video by DIY with Andrew shows how simple it is to construct a patio chair with just one old wood pallet. And judging by the pile Andrew grabs his pallet from, he's planning to build a full set of charming patio chairs. While it's not a quick DIY, this project is not demanding and only requires a few tools.

You'll need a pry bar and hammer to disassemble the pallet and remove nails, a sander to smooth each board and make it look new, a tape measure and jigsaw to measure and cut slats to size, and a drill and wood screws for assembly. Assuming you have these basic tools on hand already, and you've been able to source free wood pallets, your only real cost is going to be 2-inch wood screws and sandpaper. If you have those too, congrats on your free patio chairs. Next, you might want to make a picnic table to go with them.

The video goes quickly from disassembling the pallets, sanding, cutting, and assembling the reclaimed pallet wood into a sleek and functional lounge chair. Andrew uses four slats for the seat and cuts out notches for the armrests so they fit snugly to the back supports. Three slats make the backrest. He measures the correct angles for the back supports using a speed square. While the video isn't explicit, it appears to be a 15-degree recline angle for this chair. Consider making your recline angle from 10 to 15 degrees for a comfortable lounge chair. Andrew also pre-drills holes for the wood screws, which is critical because pallet wood is thin and tends to split easily.

Commenters complain about the lack of details in this DIY, prompting a second YouTube video with the exact measurements of each piece. Be sure to note these before you begin so you don't have to jump back and forth between videos for the build. Andrew also doesn't show any kind of paint or stain for his chair. However, because old wood pallets are porous and prone to cracking, weatherproofing is important for all of your wood pallet projects. You can apply a topcoat like Minwax, which needs to be reapplied every few years, or use a penetrating marine-grade wood sealer that only needs to be reapplied when water stops beading up on the surface of the chair.