During quarantine, I’ve found myself finding new little projects to keep me busy & to have fun with! I saw a DIY pallet planter idea on Pinterest & thought, I MUST have this.
My first project was my balcony ‘Glow Up’, which was SO much fun. So once I saw this pallet planter guy, I knew it would be the perfect addition to my new, cute space.
– Our balcony has now become my favorite place in our apartment –
I linked everything I could below–The rug & side table are from At Home & can’t be linked!
The bench & the chair also can’t be linked since we found those by the dumpster at our apartment #onemanstrashisanothermanstreasure
I started my first ‘DIY’ project with the little wood table. {another Pinterest idea} 🙂 I bought a small crate from Lowes along with wood stain- total of about $20 for everything- & decided I wanted to stain it & make it purrty & that’s just what I did! Wood stain is super easy to use & I’m glad I started out staining something small before tackling my big ol’ pallet.
BEFORE 
AFTER
stain color: dark walnut
I liked how this little table would be similar to the pallet & tie the whole look in! This was super easy & I love how it turned out!
The Pallet Planter:
The pallet part definitely took a little more work than just the painting but definitely not hard!
Where to get a Pallet:
Most things that get end up in stores, get shipped & delivered on pallets. I found my pallet in the back of a Costco. I know that if you visit any hardware store, grocery store or warehorse store , you’d definitely be able to find a pallet in the back.
NOTE: I am 100% not saying to go a steal a pallet!
Pallets also cost money so if they are reusable, the store will most likely be reusing it. However, if the pallet is broken a little bit or has any sort of imperfection where it can’t be reused, they will be tossed. I found mine by the dumpster so it was up for grabs!
Building the Pallet:
You will need someone who is a little handy to help with this part because you will need to install some wood pieces to create the planter. I had my dad & husband help me because I am nOt that handy. We were able to find another, more beat up, pallet at the Costco dumpster & grabbed it to use the wood. Measure the underneath part of the pallet where you want to create planters to get the sizing right. For mine, I did all 4 sections on the front, which needed 7 pieces of wood. {2 for the top 3 sections & 1 long piece for the bottom or base.
I used a wider piece of wood on the bottom so that it made for a base & the pallet could stand on its own.
Painting the Pallet:
Once those are nailed in & ready to go, it’s time to paint! I used the same wood stain & foam brush that I used on the small crate {a little bit of that stuff goes a long way}! I used the 3″ foam brush but I would suggest getting a larger one for the pallet since it is a bigger piece of wood.
Make sure you put something under the pallet because the stain is watery thin & could get all over the place. I used a tarp that my dad happened to have but to paint the crate, I used an old box that I just opened up. You could probably even use newspaper! You just won’t want to ruin the area that you’re painting this in. Also, if you happen to have disposable gloves, those help since your hands will get dirty.
I didn’t do anything professional with the wood like sand it down or apply some fancy top coat or anything like that & it worked just fine. Just be careful because the wood is unfinished so there is a chance for splinters!
Best advice: Make it fun! I listened to my favorite podcast while painting & made it a grand ol’ time!
Planting your Planter:
I let my pallet dry overnight & she was ready to go the next day! I bought a few herbs from Home Depot, along with some potting soil, to put into each section of the pallet! Fill the entire planter with soil & dig a hole to plant your herb.
I am working on my green thumb & hoping these babies thrive but I think if the whole herb thing doesn’t work out, this planter would be just as cute if it were filled with flowers!
I eventually want to write the herb name in white on the planter but I wanted to make sure I would be able to keep them alive first…. so we shall see!
And that’s all she wrote! This was such a fun project & I guarantee that if I can do it… so can YOU!
I also have a ‘Balcony’ highlight on my instagram documenting this process so feel free to reference that as well!
