Building a Floor with Palettes
We built a platform/foundation for a 10 by 12 foot metal shed, and we used palettes to do so!
Why we are using palettes:
- Free resource
- Up-cycling
- Availability
- Challenging
I'm sure there are a few other reasons we could come up with, but these four alone are enough of an incentive for us to continue using palettes as building blocks!
This was our second time building with this free resource and we were pretty happy with the result. I was defenitely as satistied as the bridge we built from palettes!
The first thing you need to know if you're going to build with palettes, is that they aren't quite uniform. At least not the ones you find ramdomly on the streets, they usually came from different manufacturers. Though on the most part, they're more or less 4' X 3'3". Another thing is that if you want to take them apart, know that it is time consuming and it isn't as easy as some make it seem to be.
The Plan
Easy, 10 X 12 feet... the palettes are 4 X 3 and change, that means we need 9 palettes full for the platform and maybe a little here and there or adding a couple 2 X 4's.
Let's take a quick look at the build!
First we took some time to pick a relatively flat area in a convenient spot that works in our (undeveloped) permaculture design...
Once we found the right area we cleared all the overgrowth of different vines and brush fighting for survival.
A while back I mentioned something about the 8 forms of capital. This build was a perfect example of making good use of --Material Capital__we have on and a round the property.
Here's a look at the rocks and stones capital we accessed... we're in a very rocky area, plus the previous owners already dugg up some of that capital for us. Wasn't that nice of them?
I tell you about the stones because each and every palette had to be leveled.
If you end up doing something similar for your dance floor or platform for whatever you need it for, try to use one stack of stones to level off more than one corner. You'll save on the amount of leveling materialand time (at some point you will have to level 4 corners, so why not level all of them while you're at it?).
One the first row was up, square and leveled correctly we moved on to the next row of three.
...continued with the same technique
And here's what I was talking about when I said something about leveling more than one corner at a time.
This is about as far as we went into the build. I forgot to bring a circular saw and we wanted the layer of plywood to overlap every seam between the palettes to give the platform more strength.
We finished off the day by nailing down two 4' X 8' sheets of plywood dead in the center of the whole thing, leaving a 2 foot border all around which we will fill in next time.
For protection I just covered it with some plastic sheeting I had saved from the dumpster on a job!
I will definitely continue to use palettes to build. We will be hosting a free workshop in July on our homestead. We will build an outdoor kitchen made of palettes, cob and slip straw! So if you want in, contact me and I'll give you more details.
Until next time...
In the End, it Always works out
Up-Vote, Re-Steem and Reply. Your comments are very welcome! Don't forget… #DreamsComeTrue!
Any pallet project gives me little thrills. Love the feel of them. I can't believe this is all in a day's work! You must be exhausted.
Well, yeah we were a bit tired, but it was because we drank a little the nighy before building. Excited to sleep in the new home, we had a small party! Clearing the land was fast and the palette build took us just a couple hours. The hardest bit, was deciding on where to put the platform!
I love any project that reuses anything. Have you thought about how quickly pallets break down? Walls are different, because they are usually protected inside and out, but with the underneath exposed you have maybe three years max.
I haven't really thought about it too much apart from having seen pallets sitting on the ground out in the open for few years before they were in really bad shape. These however will be mostly protected, the shed will be sitting on top and I want to put some kind of flashing wherever the platform is exposed (probably should do it all around to be safe!). It's the same principle as a tarp under a tent... it should be slightly smaller to keep water from pooling up under the tent!
They don't really rot, they become brittle and crack easily. If the skids aren't completely level and against the ground, the seasonal shifting of the building will be more pronounced and this alone could case cracking.
Ok yeah that makes sense. I see this sort ugly little metal shed as "temporary" later it may just become a garden tools storage. Not crazy important, as long as I learn something from whatever happens I'm good with the outcome!
Sounds reasonable.
Trial and error. We'll see what happens, I do believe you though!
Thanks
Very nice - field rocks and wood pallets for the win. A nice level work or lounge space makes all the difference in stress levels and efficiency. That's great you have access to those building materials, they'll go a long way :)
Now all I need is a pickup truck! But yeah we have many resources and building material on the property alone. I'm excited to really get started on all my different projects!
As a follower of @followforupvotes this post has been randomly selected and upvoted! Enjoy your upvote and have a great day!
Thank you very much...!
Can build almost anything out of pallets. I am always on the lookout for free pallets on my drive home every day.
I see them all the time and having a tiny little hatch back car I can't ever pick them up... so frustrating! But eventually we will have a pick up truck. I can't wait to build a little building out of them!
Happy to see you on the land!!! Man it brings back memories of our first days! So many pallets :) #dreamscometrue & all success to u!!!!
Thanks you!!!
Yes the Dream is definitely coming true... in front of our eyes! I love it. We used up all the 9 palettes we had on reserve. Got to get more.
I'm glad I brought up some memories... they were good right? #dreamscometrue
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by SenorCoconut from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.
This post has been featured in the @offgrid-online - Weekly Review Curation - Thank you for sharing your knowledge and personal experience with building with palettes.
Thank you for your support!
I made a floor like thisyears ago, and I flattened some gallon cans, and nailed them to the joints where the four come together before sheathing the floor. Nice work! :)
Oh that's a good idea!
The corners never moved, and the sheathing didn't notice it.