Can I use pallet wood for flooring?
Yes you can build a floor with pallet wood to create a unique handmade rustic look for any space. Not to mention that the material is free and abundant so it will be easy to source.
What are the challenges to build a floor with pallet wood
Pallet wood is more challenging than normal material. Pallet wood comes in unstandardized sizes and needs to be processed to be able to puzzle it together.
The wood also comes in unstandardized thicknesses so that is another challenge. I personally decided to nail the wood in and used a floor sander to smooth them all out into an even surface. An easier approach may be to plane each piece with a table saw.
Is pallet wood good to build with?
Pallet wood is typically made of pine which is a softer wood. This means it can’t hold much weight in construction but can be a decent flooring material. The wood is comfortable to step on but can be less durable than other hardwoods like Oak or hickory. Over time the floor may need touching up with sealer or be nailed back in.
How many pallets do I need to build a floor?
| Square footage of coverage | 100 | 200 | 400 | 600 |
| Number of pallets need | 9 | 17 | 33 | 50 |
Each pallet board will be 4” wide and roughly 5 feet long. Meaning each board covers 1.67 SqFt. Each pallet on average has 8 boards. This breaks down to each pallet covering 13.36 SqFt.
Measure the square footage space you want to cover and then divide that number by 13.36 to find how many pallets you will need to cover the space. Take the final calculated number and add 10% to it.
For me I needed to cover 200 SqFt of floor space. This broke down to me needing 17 pallets. Finding 17 pallets was easy as they are ubiquitous in most areas.
How to process pallet wood for flooring
Before pallet wood can be used it must be processed and standardized. The first step is to pry the pallets apart with a prying tool and a hammer. This part is serious hard work as its not always easy to pull the pieces apart. Only pull off the pieces that look favorable and leave rotted or damaged pieces.
How do you prepare the pallet wood for indoor use?
When processing the pallet wood it is important to be patient. There will undoubtedly be nails, screws and staples hanging out of the pallet boards after they are pried off. Use a hammer to pry out each protrusion from the board. If that doesn’t work use an angle grinder to cut off the excess pieces until it is completely smooth.
Sometimes part of a board will be in good condition and the other side is rotted. In these cases you can just cut off the end and use the good part.
Cutting the boards to build a floor with pallet wood
As mentioned the wood must be the the same width and thickness. This way the pieces can be puzzled together and will lay smooth. I used a table saw with a bumper to make repeated cut at the 4” width and half inch thick.
The length of the boards doesn’t matter as much. You want varying lengths to give the floor a more sporadic and puzzled together look. I wouldn’t make the length under 3 feet. The good news is you won’t have to worry to much about cutting lengthwise. The lengths of the pallet wood will be naturally varying.
Prepare the subfloor for installation
Fill any holes or imperfections in the subfloor with silicone sealant. For a plywood subfloor you want to lay wax paper before installation. The wax paper will act as a moisture and air barrier. Roll out the paper and cut it to size. You don’t need to attach it as it will be fixed in place when the boards are nailed in place.
I personally have not installed a pallet wood floor on a cement floor so I am not sure how it would attach.
Start to build a floor with pallet wood
The pallet wood floor should be laid one row at a time going from one end of the room to the other room. My area was 8 feet by 24 feet and I installed the pallet boards widthwise on the 8 foot part. Due to the fragility of the boards I would recommend using brad nails to attach them to the subfloor. Laying flooring is definitely an art to get all the boards to look good next to each other.
Step 1: Interspersion
As you make more and more rows make sure there is even interspersion of different lengths of boards. You never want seams between boards never lining up or being to close to each other. You will also want features like knots in the wood or various direction of wood grain to be to interspersed as well. Even variance within the mosaic of wood boards makes things look the most natural.
Step 2: Cut notches
You may have to cut notches in boards to accommodate door jambs, cabinets, staircases etc. Place the floorboard next to the part that needs to be wrapped around. Mark on the board where to cut with a pencil.
Step 3: Gaps
Its really important to make sure there are not too many gaps between the boards as they will be hard to fill later. Gaps at the end between the board and the wall must be small enough that they can be covered in trim. After installing all of the boards go back and fill any gaps or divots with wood filler and wipe smooth.
Step 4: Sanding
This part is almost as arduous as pulling the boards apart. Sanding is a job I never look forward to. Once all the boards are finished being nailed in take a floor sander and smooth everything out. These floor sanders can be rented at any equipment rental store for $40-60 per day. Remember to wear respirator and use fans to create ventilation before sanding.
Its important to note that it may be impossible to get the floor boards to be completely smooth. Pallet wood is supposed to offer a rougher more rustic look. As long as the floors are safe to walk on thats all that matters.
Step 5: Staining
The smooth floors are ready now to be stained. Tape off any walls or trim that are in the path of being stained. The fumes from stain are pretty noxious so use that respirator and se4t up multiple fans pointing outside to ventilate. This is the most exciting part of the whole process as you will see how the fill floor will look. Use a roller brush with an extension pole to apply the stain.
I chose a blue for my floors that really added a unique touch to the space. I would recommend using a darker color stain if possible. This is because pallet boards are lower quality wood and the darker stain will cover up any imperfections.
Step 6: Sealing
This is probably the most important part of the whole process is sealing the stained wood properly. Since the pallet wood boards are not the strongest it’s crucial to apply generous multiple coats. I would recommend an oil based sealer as they are more durable than water sealers. Apply 5 generous coats of oil sealer to the floors apply ing it with a new roller brush every time. When you build a floor with pallet wood you must take extra precautions to make sure it will last.
Conclusion: How to build a floor with pallet wood
Anyone can build a floor with pallet wood with enough hard work and determination. Using pallets is a perfect example how something that is usually thrown into the dump can be used to create something beautiful.
More resources: https://associated-pallets.co.uk/blog/wood-wooden-pallets/