DIY Pallet Top Table

As the first piece of furniture that greets your guests coming into your home, an entryway table should be a beautiful centerpiece that is inviting and will capture attention. When I found this sofa table, I knew exactly where I would put it! But it definitely needed a little love. I used milk paint for the base as you can see here, but the top was an entirely different project. See what I did to transform this beauty into the perfect pallet top table.

The top of this sofa table was missing its glass when I picked it up (before here). I wasn’t too heart broken because I am not a huge fan of glass tops anyway. Coming up with a new idea for the top of this table was priority. Originally I was going to buy some pine planks and use that until my brother-in-law dropped off a perfect pallet! What is better than a free top with amazing texture?!

STEP 1: Acquire a pallet

First, when searching for a pallet make sure you inspect them for splitting wood. If the wood is splitting in many places, when you remove the planks they will fall apart. Once you have a sturdy pallet you will need to remove the top planks.

STEP 2: Remove the planks

The easiest way to remove the planks of wood is with a sawzall. Make sure you have a metal blade and position your sawmill in between the plank and 2×4. Next, saw right through the nails. I found this to be a much better alternative than prying them off with a hammer. You can take them off with a hammer, just be careful not to split your planks in the process.

STEP 3: Sand the pallet top

Once you have your planks of wood off they will be really rough like these.

I used 80 grit sand paper and my disc sander to sand the planks. Sand the sides and tops of the planks to create a smooth finish and avoid splinters.

Once you have sanded all your planks your wood should look nice and smooth, but still have a texture to it. I love the texture of pallets, it adds so much character.

Create a pallet top table using reclaimed wood

STEP 4: Assemble the pallet top

After your planks are sanded turn them wrong side up and lay them out how you want them for your pallet top table. I didn’t want all my seams together so I staggered them. (as you can see above) Next, you will need to brace the underside to hold them together. I used wood glue and a finish nailer to hold the braces on.

Once your glue has dried, place your pallet top on your piece. The pallets will hang over 1 inch on each side of this table. I then glued my pallet top on and used my finish nailer to secure the top to the sofa table. After my top was secured, I sealed the top with a spar urethane.

So there you have it… a beautiful new top!