Build pallet furniture: DIY pallet sofa with backrest and drawers

Let’s start off with the drawers. You can build them with ease with just a few tools and materials.
You can find all the wooden boards and planks pre-cut to the right size at your local DIY store.

In step one, take one long side panel and one short back panel. Next, clamp the two boards at one corner of your work surface.

Now drill two holes where the boards overlap. Then screw the two planks together (Fig. 1).

Now take two other wooden boards, place them at a corner on your work surface and fasten together with screws. Next, connect the two corner pieces to each other. Finally, screw the finished frame for the drawer together (Fig. 2).

Now position the bottom panel so that it is aligned on all sides with the frame of the drawer (Fig. 1) and fasten in place with screws. Place screws every 100 mm or so along the length of the frame to ensure the panel remains firmly attached to the frame (Fig. 2).
Alternatively, you can also use nails instead of screws.

When you are done, you will be able to open the drawer by simply pulling on the cord. Firstly, mark and drill holes on the front side in order to attach the cord. Choose the appropriate drill bit based on the thickness of the cord.

Once everything has been fastened in place and all the holes have been drilled, you will now need to sand the nearly finished drawer.

You can now apply a coat of paint to give the drawer a premium look. The paint will also make the wood more weatherproof. It’s completely up to you what colour you choose.

Has the paint dried?
Then attach the handle for the drawer. To do so, thread the cord through the holes you drilled earlier and tie a knot at the ends to prevent the cord from slipping out.

If you will be using the furniture outdoors, it is recommended that you attach another wood panel to the pallet. This will serve as the cover for your drawer to keep the magazines, blankets and pillows you store in it from getting wet.

Securely clamp the panel in place (Fig. 1) and screw it together with the pallet from below. The easiest way to do this is to use an angle screw adapter (Fig. 2).

Your drawer is finished and can now be inserted into the pallet.

Are you looking to make your pallet furniture even more comfortable? We’ll show you how to build a matching backrest for Euro pallets in the steps to follow.

You’ll only need a few tools and materials to create a backrest for your pallet furniture.
You can find all the boards you’ll need pre-cut to the right size at your local DIY store.

To make it possible to adjust the backrest later on, you’ll need to saw out the notches on the two wooden support slats.
Simply check the template to find out where to saw the grooves and the angle you’ll need to use. Print it, place it at the lower end of the short slats and use a pencil to trace the design onto the wood.

Download template here

Now, clamp the first plank securely in place and saw out the marked notches.
Repeat this step with the second slat and then sand all the sawn edges once.

Now clamp one of the long wooden boards at the front to your work surface. Next, position the two short pre-sawn boards so that they are flush with an inside spacing of 430 mm. Clamp them securely in place to ensure you can drill all the holes and fasten everything with screws.

Predrill two holes and fasten the boards together with screws where they overlap.

Now attach seven more slats from above to the frame. Begin by placing the first board so that it is flush with the top edge (Fig. 1), predrill holes and fasten in place with screws.

Now position the other six boards 15 mm apart from each other. Use a spacer here if you want. Predrill the holes and use four screws to fasten each board into place (Fig. 2).

How about a splash of colour? You can now paint the backrest any colour you want. By painting it, you also help to weatherproof the wood.

In the final step, take the Euro pallet to which you want to attach the backrest.
You will now need to attach the last remaining wood board from below at a distance of 80 mm to a crossbeam of the pallet. This board will be used later on to hold the backrest in place.
Securely clamp the board (Fig. 1) and fasten in place using several screws (Fig. 2).
You can now attach the backrest (Fig. 3) and adjust it to the desired angle.

Relax and enjoy!