DIY - Pallet Board Projects

Earlier this summer I posted some pallet wood projects that Mr. Wonderful made with some free pallets he picked up. I had asked him if he would make me some rustic decorations that I could use at an outdoor Bridal Shower and also mentioned that I knew where he could pick up some free wood for the projects. He loves a project and you can't beat free so he was all in. The initial projects were quick and easy and were finished in no time however he did not use anywhere near all the wood so I suggested he make a simple little free standing counter for the backyard. Something like a little Tiki Bar. Something with a bit of character. I thought it would be cute and could be used to hold food or maybe beverages. Well, he took the idea and made it bigger and better than I had imagined. He has been contemplating a DIY outdoor kitchen for some time and decided this would be a great way to see if it would work in our backyard space before going to all the time and expense. He did not waste any time getting started. 

He prepped the area by adding a concrete slab next to the patio. Once that was finished he framed it in.

Then the old pallet boards were attached.

Braces were added for the bar top.

In the meantime, he was preparing the boards for the counter tops which he decided to buy instead of using the pallet boards. 

We also decided we wanted a raw edge board for the bar top.  

The one he chose was too long so he had to decide on the length before he cut it. 

He used a marine varnish to seal the wood. In fact, he had to use a torch to pop the bubbles each time he put on a new layer. 

He also had a few bugs land on the wet sticky surface but was able to lift them out carefully and then get the marks they left smooth again with the torch. 

It turned out just the way we had hoped. 

The entire project ended up much bigger in size than I had first imagined however it fits the space nicely. 

We have been using it a lot and enjoying the extra outdoor counter area.

It has also come in handy for serving food as I had hoped. 

And, it definitely looks rustic, which we like. 

There was not much wood leftover after all of that, however, I had some other ideas for pallet projects but those were put on hold until we could locate some more free pallets.  

Have a wonderful Saturday!