Rustic Pallet Wood Sofa Table

Ready to turn some free pallets into a beautifully rustic sofa table? I designed this table specifically to hold DVDs on one side, and larger baskets or folded blankets on the other side.

Finished shelf is 6' long, 18" deep, 36" high.

• Two 8-foot pallets
• Three standard size pallets
• Five 8-foot 2x4's
• Table saw
• Bandsaw
• Planer
• Belt Sander
• Palm Sander
• Pneumatic nailer
• Miter saw
• 3-inch screws
• 1-1/2 inch screws
• Wood stain
• Chip brushes

From the 2 x 4 lumber, cut:

6 --36" long

14 --32.25" long

12 --15" long

Using the 36" boards and the 32.25" boards, lay out the front face of the shelf and the back face of the shelf according to the first two photos above. Screw the pieces together using pocket screws.

Now add the 15" inner cross boards to hold the front and back faces together, again using the photos as a guide. Attach these cross pieces using 3" screws.

Disassemble the pallets. I highly recommend a Deck Wrecker pallet tool to make the job easier.
Run each flat pallet board through a wood planer multiple times until desired smoothness and consistent thickness. You will do a finer sanding in the final steps.

Cut pallet boards to the following lengths:

5 --72" long

15 --36" long

Using 2 of the 72" boards, use a band saw to cut notches in the corners and middle to allow for fit around the upright support posts.

Cut similar notches in 6 of the 36" long boards.

Lay 72" boards across the bottom of the frame to create one long lower shelf.

Nail into place with a pneumatic nailer.

Repeat with 36" boards, creating an upper shelf on the left side, and two upper shelves on the right side, as shown in the last photo. Nail into place with a pneumatic nailer.

Using additional planed pallet wood, cut pieces on a diagonal using a miter saw. Attach them to the top of the frame using a pneumatic nailer.

Cut additional planed pallet boards to 18" length. Using a pneumatic nailer, attach them to the ends of the shelf, horizontally, as in Photo 1 above.

Add three strips of vertical trim to the front face to cover the support posts, as in Photo 2. Nail in place.

Using a belt sander with 80-grit sandpaper, sand the top, sides, and shelves to desired finish smoothness.

In a well-ventilated area, brush wood stain on top, sides, face, and shelves (if desired.) Allow stain to soak in to desired shade; then remove excess stain with a rag.

Allow to dry completely. Apply clear polyurethane if desired.