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Hanging Pallet Wood Shelves

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It’s a knock-off of a similar Pottery Barn Kids shelving unit that had a hefty retail price of $69! I wanted to copy Project Nursery’s version exactly, but I could never find the pre-finished laminate for a price I was willing to pay.

Since we live in a neighborhood that is still being developed, there are constantly pallets getting left around work sites which we snag whenever we get the chance. I was nervous that the white shelving would be too one-dimensional over the chevron walls, so when the idea to use pallets for the shelves came up I thought it would be the perfect eye-catching feature for little man’s nautical room.

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own hanging pallet shelves:

Pallet Wood
Drill
Sand Paper
Wood Stain
Polyurethane {or Lacquer}
Rope
Hanging Hardware

My two shelves only took one piece of pallet wood cut in half.

Since my rope was 1/2″ I used my drill to make a 1/2″ hole in each corner of my shelves.

I chose to sand the wood down after I drilled, so I could get all of the splintered wood around the holes. I’m sure it’s possible to sand the pallet wood perfectly smooth, but I left it a little rough for the rustic feel.

Now, I’m going to tell you about one of the most amazing products I’ve ever used: Minwax Wood Finish in a spray can! My husband thought this was a silly product {though he has something against all spray-paint products}, but I think I’ve changed his thought process a little bit. This product sprays on perfectly smooth, and covers a large area. It took me less than 2 minutes to stain both of my shelves. I left the stain for 10 minutes and wiped it off. *Awesome*

{BTW: I am in no way, shape, or form getting paid for this opinion…it is just a great product that saves me time and energy & I thought I’d pass it along to you.}

I am obsessed with this color…Early American. It’s beautiful and almost gives the wood an “old-boat” feel.

After the stain was dry, I sealed the shelves using clear spray-on lacquer.

While the stain & lacquer was drying, I cut my ropes to size. Since I opted to use a synthetic rope, I taped off the ends and melted the fibers together.

I was going to tie the ropes to hold the shelves up, but I was really afraid that this synthetic rope wouldn’t hold very well. We decided to use a stapler to secure the ropes underneath the shelves. Really, you can’t hardly even tell {as long as you aren’t standing under the shelves…}.

I found the hardware to secure my shelves in the aisle with hinges at the hardware store. I’m not really sure if they were cabinet pulls or what, but they gave off the look of a dock anchor which is what I wanted, so I bought them.

What do you think? I still have to go shopping for accessories to go on the shelves, but I love them so much!

The grey & white chevron walls along with the white rope lend a polished feel to the room, but the wood shelves add such character!

*Keep an eye out for this FREE pirate printable next week!

Sorry for the picture overload, but I am so excited the room is coming together!

I found this mason jar awhile ago and had to purchase it because there was an anchor on the front! I’ve never seen one like that, but it was the perfect thing for a nautical room. The shells, coquina, and sea glass are all from my home town in Florida. I had my mom collect them so little man could have a cool reminder of where I’m from.

I’m pretty proud of the finished product here; I’d have to say it’s not too shabby considering I spent under $10 on the whole project!

These are the perfect accessories to really tie little man’s room together…now I can’t WAIT for it to all be finished!!!

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Comments

  1. Holy moly this is fantastic! Your version is better than the original you pictured!!! I have two questions 1) Do you use a sander or sand paper? and 2) For the stain in a spray can, would you recommend it for larger projects like desks? Or no?

    Reply

    • *THANK YOU*! I have a sander that I use…I have tried to hand-sand projects in the past and it’s TOTALLY worth buying a sander! I actually am preparing to use the spray-on stain for a bit of a larger project later this week, but I would think it would be PERFECT for a desk. It goes on so evenly, and doesn’t leave a lot of extra to cause drips.

      Reply

  2. Love those shelves! I like them better than the inspiration too!
    I also wanted to thank you for sharing your herringbone wall! I found it & used it as inspiration for a large canvas I just painted for over my desk. I posted about it today if you’d like to check it out.
    Can’t wait to see what fun project you tackle next!
    Sarah

    Reply

    • We usually get them at the construction sites in our neighborhood, but my Father-in-Law has gotten some for us that he’s seen on the side of the road. I’ve also seen them behind strip malls sitting by the trash bins.

      Reply

  5. Totally loving those shelves! My son’s room has a bit of a nautical twist to it, and those would fit in so well. Hmmm… The wheels are turning. :) Great job!

    Reply

    • There are so many options…I even thought about tying several together vertically and making one large shelf…I think it could be cute for books, or even shoes or something.

      Reply

  7. This is awesome! I love pallet ideas! I have never heard of stain in a spray can…hmmm. Thanks so much for sharing this at Rustic Restorations Weekend!

    Reply

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