40 DIY Pallet Shelves Ideas

Lots of people consider DIY in general and woodworking, in particular, a complicated hobby. However, that is a wrong notion, as there are simple and easy projects; one of them is DIY pallet shelves.

You can find an ocean of guides on how to make shelves from pallets on the Internet. Nevertheless, a huge portion of these guides either has some clarity problems.

In this article, we have prepared 40 DIY pallet shelves ideas with detailed instructions that you can choose to perform and save your time.

Let dive into it!

1. DIY Pallet Shelf Rustic Home

For the first project on this list, we figure that you will appreciate a simple recipe. That is why we chose this DIY pallet shelf, as it is incredibly easy to build without the need for sanding or varnishing.

All you need to know is how to use basic woodworking tools like drills and saws. Also, it’s a small project, so you don’t need more than 1 pallet and 2 hours to finish the whole thing.

Project details: diycandy.com

2. Small Pallet Coat Rack with Shelves

This project requires a little bit more experience with woodworking than the first one. However, it also carries the advantage of being incredibly customizable.

You can first measure the available space that you have and decide at which length you will cut the pallet.

Also, it’s possible to simplify the whole process by leaving the vertical partition out.

Project details: ana-white.com

3. DIY Wood Pallet Flower Shelf

Lots of pallet projects, despite their name, require you to completely dismantle the whole pallet. But it is not the case for this pallet shelf.

The idea is to make use of pallets’ integrated side curves to prevent leakage, as you will water the flowers every day.

You only need to saw 1/3 of your pallet off and cut this part in half. Then, you add the two parts back in and sand the whole thing down.

If you do it right, there is no way that water can leak through the pallet wood layer.

Project details: hometalk.com

4. Jenna Burger Pallet Bookshelf

This time, you can make 2 bookcases from the 2 ends of a pallet. A 2-shelf bookcase with a lot of books looks like a jumble.

With this project, you can adjust the space between the two to make it tidier.

It is a fairly easy and fast project, with an estimated working time of under 1 hour (not counting staining).

You just need to remove the pallet’s center strips and attach them to the pallet’s side. Next, you cut the pallet down in the middle, do some sanding and staining, if you like.

This is a great pallet-shelf for your kid’s room to fill favorites books.

Project details: jennaburger.com

5. DIY Rustic Pallet Wood Shelves

The project’s name is indeed self-descriptive. Do you intend to jazz up your house but are still up in the air?

Well, these pallet shelves will be a charming addition, bringing a rustic and antique vibe to the house.

The secret to this rustic feel lies in the arched planks. These planks, after a thorough sanding, add quite a bit of personality to the shelf.

Project details: instructables.com

6. DIY Pallet Tool Shelf

Unlike the projects that we have introduced, this one is more of a long-term project.

It is also arguably the biggest one, measuring 38” in width and 59” in height. You need at least 4 pallets to build the whole thing.

You can improve the storage space even more by attaching things like crates to the two sides.

Project details: funkyjunkinteriors.net

7. DIY Pallet Ladder Shelves

Sometimes, you need to store different things of varying sizes on a shelf. They, of course, cannot fit the same way into the same shelf size.

With this design, each step is larger than the former, allowing you to store much unique stuff without worrying about them not fitting. You only need about 2 pallets for the whole shelf.

Project details: 1o1pallets.com

8. Pipe & Pallet Shelf

If you are not a fan of the pallets’ chunky appearance, you can try out this Pipe & Pallet Shelf idea.

We call this one a “free-style” shelf since there is no left, right, or back side, somewhat making your corner look neat and spacious.

While the main material remains pallets, you will break them up completely with a reciprocating saw.

Instead of the usual screws, attach some flanges onto your wall, then attach some pipes.

Place the longest wood planks you retrieve from the pallets onto these pipes, and you have a simple and elegant shelf.

Project details: hometalk.com

9. Whole Pallet Shelf

The main draw of this project lies in the fact that you will make a shelf out of a whole pallet. And the result looks like a huge photo frame to exhibit all your keepsakes.

As such, there will be no pallet breaking involved from start to finish. All you need to do is sand and paint a pallet, turn it sideways, and attach it onto your wall with some screws.

Project details: martysmusings.net

10. Pallet Spoon Shelf

This project focuses on complete reuse, as it doesn’t just make use of used pallets but also spoons.

The selling points of this plan are those spoons, adding a shiny touch and making it less monotonous.

After you have finished the shelf, flatten the spoons by hammering them and then bend them with something round. Doing so ensures that they can smoothly transform into eye-catching hooks.

Project details: instructables.com

11. Wood Pallet Wine Rack

The beautiful thing about this project is that it doesn’t just function as a wine rack but also as a glass holder. Also, you only need 1 wooden pallet for this project.

The glass holder can both add in a layer of elegance and improve storage capacity.

That is why you need to be extra careful while marking and cutting it. Remember that each stem should be grooved ¾ inch.

Project details: hgtv.com

12. The Kurtz Corner’s Pallet Shelf

The thing setting The Kurtz Corner’s Pallet Shelf project apart from the others on this list is its material-saving nature.

With just one pallet, you can make at least 4 shelves. And you still have enough wood to arm each one with a board of hangers.

You start by cutting the pallet into 2, then cut each part into 3. The top and bottom parts can both act as the shelves’ frames. Break the middle part for boards to act as the base for each shelf.

Project details: thekurtzcorner.com

13. DIY Pallet Wall Shelf

This project is the first one on this list to utilize French cleats to hang the shelf. These are strong yet won’t damage the wall and easy to make, as all you need is two 8″, 1×4 planks, which are easily obtainable by breaking a pallet.

Remember to leave the pallet base intact and sand it to act as the frame for your shelf. Get some corner braces to attach boards and layer the shelf.

Project details: instructables.com

14. Reclaimed Pallet Wood Wall Shelves

If you happen to not have that much free time on hand, this project is perfect for you. It won’t even take you more than 30 minutes to finish the whole thing.

To start things off, you break 1 pallet into 3 parts. The top and bottom parts each can be the base for 1 shelf.

Beak the middle parts to get 2 long and flat boards, attach one of them for each base, and you have 2 perfectly functioning shelves.

Project details: hgtv.com

15. DIY Pallet Laundry Shelf

People who have lots of clothes know exactly just how much of a mess unorganized laundry baskets can be.

With this project, you kill two birds with one stone by getting rid of the pallets lying around and building a shelf for laundry basket storage.

The special thing is that you will build a shelf with 2 supporting boards on the sides, acting as sliding rails to hang your laundry baskets.

With this design, you can fit at least 3 baskets at once. Also, you can custom size to store more baskets.

Project details: cookeatgo.com

16. DIY Liquor Cabinet From Pallet Wood

This DIY liquor requires 1 pallet to be enough for you to make 2 cabinets, saving lots of materials.

Also, unlike the Wood Pallet Wine Rack as previous, you will not store glasses by a glass hanger but a top shelf.

The way to make this top shelf is to first attach in 2 3-1/2″ wide planks near the stringer’s edge. Then, you install 2 smaller boards to act as the face and keep the glasswares from falling.

Project details: homeconstructionimprovement.com

17. DIY Rustic Pallet Shelf

This project will tell you how to turn it into a beautifully rustic shelf for your kitchen without spending any money.

To ensure that even weirdly-shaped bottles can fit within the shelf, add in a few spacers. All you need to do is make some skinny wood strips, put them on top of each runner, and nail the board back.

Project details: practicallyfunctional.com

18. XXL Pallet Shelf

This DIY shelf comes with a unique design, like a big cage with communicating compartments. It is also the first one on this list that can only be made from EURO pallets.

To build this thing, you need 2 EURO pallets of exactly the same size. Cut off their slats and put the pallets together, fixing them with screws. Place the slats back on to act as shelves. Cut a Plexiglas to size to act as the top.

Project details: hometalk.com

19. DIY Kitchen Pallet Shelf

The kitchen is an area where you can visit daily. So you can turn 1 thrown pallet into 2 fully functional shelves for your kitchen to hanging knives, dishes, and glasses.

Another special thing about this project is, in our opinion, the knife rack. Rather than making a knife hanger, you will insert magnets into the front slat.

Once the knives are stuck there, you get a unique way to show off your knife collection.

Project details: theexperimentalhome.com

20. Jen Woodhouse Reclaimed Pallet Bookshelf

It is not at all an overestimation to say that the time, effort, and materials needed for this project are the largest till now. A prime example is the number of pallets, which is 4.

This plan is not a small floating shelf at all but a real giant bookshelf that can store all of your book collection.

You must break all the pallets up to collect 6 2x4x8 and 6 2x10x8 boards. Join 2 2x10s together with 2 2x4s to create the bookshelf frame. Fit the remaining 2x4s onto the frame to act as shelves.

Finally, cut the 2x10s up into smaller pieces to separate the shelves’ space.

Project details: jenwoodhouse.com

21. Pallet Bench With Shoe Shelf

The main idea of this project is to make use of the pallets’ naturally curvy bracers. That is why you will break everything down, aside from the bracers.

As this project focuses on being a bench more than a shelf. It has a unique part, the cushion, so you can sit on it whenever taking on or off your shoes.

To make sure that the cushion feels comfortable, you should cut foam longer than necessary.

Link source details: instructables.com

22. DIY Vintage Pallet Wine Rack

Turn your space into a home bar with this plan! Unlike the project wine rack as we intro above, this rack doesn’t come with a glass holder, but it brings out vintage and luxurious sense just like any bar club.

The interesting thing about this project is that you are not limited to only one layer. If you have lots of bottles to show off, you can start cutting at the first beam of the pallet.

Use that first beam’s slat to construct another layer and you get a two-story wine rack.

Project details: shelterness.com

23. DIY Pallet Bookshelves

For this bookshelf, you don’t need lots of material nor time to finish your favorite bookshelf. With just 1 wooden pallet, you can make 2 of these shelves.

We are also impressed with the way this project attaches the shelves to the wall.

Instead of the usual hollow-wall fasteners, they make use of the recently “Hercules Hooks.” You don’t even need to drill with these hooks, just simply push them in and they will stick.

Moreover, you can paint any color that you want to fit with your room.

Project details: sixsistersstuff.com

24. Easy DIY Pallet Wood Shelves

This durable wood shelf requires arguably the least material out of all the projects on this list. All you need is a third of a pallet to make one, but it is still among the most durable.

Throughout the whole process, you will not alter any of the existing joints and nails.

Project details: doriturnerinteriors.com

25. Kitchen Pallet Shelf

This is the first project on this list to make use of wire meshes, which we usually discard without a second thought.

Rather than attaching a clunky piece of reclaimed wood under the shelf, you will be a wire base.

After cutting the frame from the pallet, place it onto a wire mesh and mark. Then, cut according to the marks, drill some holes at the bottom of the frame and connect the mesh.

Project details: instructables.com

26. Burlap DIY Pallet Shelf

While the projects we have introduced till now focus on the top and bottom parts of the pallet, this one is different. You will be using the middle part and save the 2 other parts for future projects.

After giving your shelf a thorough sanding, wrap burlap around it on the back. Doing so will make them look less tedious and homier.

Plus, you can add tint and red paint or any color you like to create attraction for your shelf.

Project details: debbie-debbiedoos.com

27. Creative Pallet Gardening Shelf

This pallet idea requires almost no work, as you won’t be breaking the pallet up nor adding anything to it.

The most complicated part of the whole project is turning a portion of the pallet into a compartment to store some of the small items as pruners, gloves, etc.

Afterward, you need to do is attach the tool hangers onto the pallet and fix them onto a wall.

Project details: ourlittleacre.blogspot.com

28. Leather Strap Pallet Shelf

We all have unused or old leather belts lying around. Instead of simply discarding them, this shelf design offers a great idea of turning them into functional leather straps for a little shelf.

You don’t even need a whole pallet for this project, as 1 slat alone is enough for 1 shelf.

Project details: leathersmithdesigns.com

29. DIY Pallet Rustic Wall Shelf

To be honest, we consider this project more as an art exhibition. It does not follow the stable but boring symmetrical pattern and box shape that most pallet shelves do.

Instead, each layer of the shelf is asymmetrical. Thanks to this construction, the shelf, as a whole, looks a lot more artistic and beautiful. This choice also allows for more storage capacity.

Project details: 1o1pallets.com

30. Wall-Mounted Pallet Wine Rack

This project is the miniature of project Wood Pallet Wine Rack in this list. It doesn’t come with a top board for more storage, so you can’t store many liquor bottles in this rack.

However, you can freely customize the size of this wine rack by using either half or a whole pallet.

A half-pallet wine rack can store about 3 wine bottles alongside 4 glasses. A full rack’s storage capacity is double this amount.

Project details: homedit.com

31. Basic DIY Pallet Shelves

You can consider this project the more basic version of the DIY Pallet Wall Shelf. All in all, it won’t even take you 20 minutes to finish the whole thing, counting staining.

That it’s so simple to make is also a drawback, as you won’t have anything other than a shelf for storage, not for decoration.

After all, you only need to do 2 cuts to get a fully functioning shelf. The first cut is through the second pallet slat on its top. The second one is around the spiral shank nails to obtain the baseboard.

Project details: homefixated.com

32. DIY Pallet Floating Shelf

This project is special in the way that it offers you a much more polished shelf. Instead of making shelves from a board, now you stick them together to form a smooth cuboid.

Of course, in exchange for the beautiful finished product, you need to spend quite a bit of time and energy.

Start things off by completely dismantling the pallet into planks. Grab the 2 widest and 2 normal planks, glue them together to form a rectangular shape. From the remaining planks, cut and place 2 end caps to finish.

Project details: angi.com

33. Threaded Rod Pallet Shelf

It’s undeniable that a shelf made completely out of pallets tends to look chunky. To fix this issue, this plan makes use of threaded rods, improving the elegance of the shelf.

Start it off with the usual pallet dismantling process, ensuring that you have 18 2x3s and 18 10-1/4x4s. Each shelf layer will be built from 3 2x3s and 3 10-1/4x4s. Drill holes through the shelves and slide them onto the rod.

Project details: instructables.com

34. Pallet Wood Shelf and Staining

This plan is the second one after the DIY Pallet Wall Shelf to make use of French cleats to attach to the wall.

French cleats ensure that you can build this project as big as you want without worrying about the wall getting destroyed.

As a result, the finished product is a monster 52 inches in width, 34 inches in height. It also has 3 layers, so there is quite a lot of weight involved.

Project details: westfarthingwoodworks.com

35. Original Pallet Shelf – Ana White

This fast and easy project can yield a new and attractive addition to the aesthetic of your dining room. Also, it allows you the choice to make a single two-compartment shelf or 2 single compartment shelves.

After cutting the pallet and obtaining the frame, take a look around your kitchen and ponder if a two-compartment shelf is too big. If the answer is yes, you only need to saw right in the middle to separate it into two.

Project details: ana-white.com

36. Pallet Bookshelves With Knobs

While the first few steps of this project are not that different from the Basic DIY Pallet Shelves, it differs greatly in the last few steps.

To improve the shelves’ storage capacity, you will add in some knobs to hang things.

You can get the knobs from your local DIY store or Lowes. Stain them in a matching color with your shelf, drill holes and attach them.

Project details: wherethesmileshavebeen.com

37. DIY Pallet Coat Rack

You might start your DIY Pallet Coat Rack with the same steps as the others on this list. You will need to saw the pallet into 3.

However, this time, you’d better turn the frame upside down, as our main focus is a rack.

Stick some hooks inside the rack and fix a slat on top of it. This way, you can place some decorations of your choice on it.

Project details: re-fabbed.com

38. Pallet Bathroom Shelf

The special thing about this project is that you won’t be doing conventional box designs but a bolder approach.

It has to be space-saving and neat since your bathroom is not that spacious to accommodate a chunky shelf.

So remember to dismantle the pallet in a way that you can retrieve a plank that has 2 blocks on each end and a free block.

Attach the free block onto the plank with screws. Mount 3 wooden boards onto the blocks, and you have the shelves. The last thing to do is painting and hanging the finished product.

Project details: instructables.com

39. Wall-Mounted DIY Pallet Shelf

If you are a fan of beverages and have a lot of unique bottles to show off, this project is perfect for you.

Unlike other wine rack projects on this list, it is a four-story rack, enough to fit at least 40 bottles at once.

The biggest challenge that you will face is to safely hang this thing up on your walls without destroying it. Our recommendation is to use French cleats, as this method is the least damaging.

Project details: diyshowoff.com

40. DIY Home Pallet Shelf

The home shelf took inspiration from the love shelf that has been popular on these days. You must break a pallet into multiple slats of equal size.

You then start stacking the pieces together to form the words, starting with the bottom “E.” We believe that the hardest part is the “M,” as you must work with 45-degree angles.

Project details: hometalk.com

Conclusion

After reading through this list of 40 DIY pallet shelves ideas, we hope that you can now build your own pallet shelf.

Each guide that we introduced to you has its own strengths, weaknesses, and unique characteristics. If you are not confident, you can try the water out with easy projects.

All projects have a link pointing to more detailed instructions. You only need to follow them closely to build your own pallet shelf.

Also, you can customize anything if it’s suitable for you and your home.

Did you find this list enjoyable? We hope that the answer is yes, and if you have a DIY passion in mind. Let get started now!