Bin Cabinet/cart Made With Reclaimed Materials

I had a stack of bins full of craft materials in my kitchen for the longest time. I was tired of having to move the stack when I needed to get into the cupboard or microwave. My kitchen is long and fairly narrow and scooting the bins around was a pain in the butt. I jury-rigged something to put wheels under it but wanted something more solid for my craft storage. When I passed a stack of nice-looking pallets along the road the other day, I got a spark of inspiration. I loaded a pallet into my van and took it home. It took some planning and work, but I now have a piece of furniture I can be proud of.

Supplies

Pallet

Tools to disassemble the pallet

Saw

hammer

drill

screws and/or nails

Old side table top

Paint (optional)

Step 1: Measure Bins

The first thing to do would be to measure your bins. You can also use laundry baskets to turn this into a laundry center. Either way, measure the width, length, and height of the bins or baskets. Decide how tall you want the finished product. I had two bins and each was 11 1/2 inches high. I also wanted a shelf for smaller bins so I made the cabinet a few inches taller.

Step 2: Disassemble the Pallet

I took off the bottom layer and left the top in one piece for the time being. Pallets are different so if you decide to make this, make sure you get one that has been used for non-toxic things. The book "DIY wood pallet projects: 35 rustic modern upcycling ideas to personalize your space" by Karah Bunde has a rundown on the marking found on pallets and how to tell if you can use it for this or any other project.

I had my father cut the pallet down the middle of the center slab since I couldn't cut a straight line to save my life. I moved one of the cross pieces closer to the middle one before he cut it so he could cut the extra height as well.

Step 3: Assembling

Using scraps from other projects, I nailed support pieces and later screwed them together to make sure the piece would be sturdy. You can use wood glue to help with this, too. Also, I used a piece of board in the bottom which the bottom bin sits on. Make sure one of the inside boards is at a height that the top bin can hang over the bottom using the handles of the basket/bin and either/both can be easily removed if they are needed elsewhere. I also added two angle braces for an optional shelf. The back section was covered with the planks left over from the bottom of the pallet.

Step 4: Casters

Part of the reason for this project was to make a movable cabinet for my storage needs so I screwed a set of casters to the bottom. Make sure they are strong enough for your project.

Step 5: Adding the Top

A few years ago, my dad scrapped a small side table. Since the top was in good condition, we saved it for a future project. After taking careful measurements, I discovered it would fit on the top of my little cabinet perfectly. If you make a similar project, you could use a piece of countertop, a slab of scrap wood, or a butcherblock.

Step 6: Finishing

I sanded the biggest part of the rough spots off. I had planned on painting it, but the weather turned bad and I was unable to do so. I could leave it the natural finish and put some kind of protectant or leave it unfinished. I also added a curtain on a pressure rod.