My wife and I love pallet furniture and crafts. We wanted to build a wine storage unit that served as a side board in our dining room. We had a hard time finding pallets since pallets are becoming more and more desired so we decided to make our own pallets!! After inspecting a few pallets, we could see that they are very simple and inexpensive to make. You can even make them the desired size from the start! We hope you like this instructable and that it inspires you to come up with your own home made pallet ideas.

Step 1: Purchase Supplies

If you look at most pallets, they are made up of just 3 things: 2x4's, thin pieces of wood and nails (or screws)!

For this project, you will need:

(5) 2'x4'x96" (this is the most common at hardware stores) ~$2.82/ea = Total $14.10

(24) 5/8" x 5-1/2" x 5 ft. Wood Cedar Picket ~$1.57/ea = Total $37.68

(1) Box of 1-5/8" wood screws Total ~$8.47 per box (1 lb.)

(1) Gallon of stain (we used Behr Semi-transparent, Cordovan Brown (ST-104) Total ~$36.98

(1) 1 inch x 2 feet x 10 feet Poultry Netting Total ~6.27

Total cost is right around $100!!

Step 2: Cut Wood

For the picket pieces, using a table saw or mitre saw, cut the dog ear off the end. This only account for about 1 inch. Do this on all 24 pieces of the pickets.

For the 2x4's, using a table saw or mitre saw, cut each 96 inch piece into 5 equal pieces measuring 19 inches. You will end up with 25 pieces of 19 inches.

Step 3: Stain Wood

Once all the pieces have been cut, stain all the pieces and let them dry according to your stain directions. You can obviously choose any stain you would like or leave it all natural.

Step 4: Assemble

We assembled this piece by making sections with 4 layers and then stacking them. To assemble each layer, you start by attaching (3) picket pieces to (3) 2x4 pieces. Then flip it over and attach (4) 2x4 pieces. Then flip it back over and attach (3) more picket pieces. You now have one section done. Now do this 2 more times and you will have 3 sections that are composed of 4 layers. You then do the last layer with (3) picket pieces and (3) 2x4's. You start this layer first by cutting the chicken wire to fit the desired area. You then staple the chicken wire to the 2x4's and then screw the (3) picket fences over the chicken wire. Now you merely stack the four sections to complete the main portion of this project. The sections are heavy and will stay in place fine. We found it easier this way when we needed to move it.

For the last piece we take (3) picket pieces and again staple a cut section of chicken wire to the back of the picket pieces. Then wherever you are going to place the finished piece, you screw this final section to the wall. You will what to use dry wall screws.

Step 5: Add Accents

Now you can add the finishing touches. In our design we added little chalkboard signs to categorize the wine types. You can find these things at your local hobby or craft store.