DIY porch furniture! It’s summertime and most of us are stuck inside for more reasons than one. The world seems to have turned upside down. Just because the outside world is in chaos doesn’t mean your home needs to be. Saving money, staying at home, and finding peace have been a few things I’ve been focusing on. I’ve been staying busy by doing DIY crafts and projects around the home to make things more comfortable. We have a small balcony and it is not comfy at all. lol. I wanted to change that. I transformed our porch and made an over sized lounge chair for my husband and I to enjoy during the summer. Here is my DIY article on how to make patio furniture from old pallets.

Step 1: Find some pallets

You’d be surprised how many stores throw away old pallets. If you are looking for pallets do not purchase any! Simply go to a store and ask. It can be a grocery store, a department store, or any large store that receives big shipments weekly. I got my pallets from At Home. It’s so funny because I went there to look at patio furniture and I ended up asking the manager for some pallets so I can make my own. Haha! That’s how many of my shopping experiences go.

Step 2: Take the pallets home and clean them.

Find a work space. If you have a small patio like me, that will be your work space. A yard would be awesome because it would give you more space to work.

Some of the pallets I found were very old and dirty. I started off by taking a broom and dusting off all of the dirt. Then, I took soap, water, and a rag and washed off the access dirt.

Step 3: Sand your pallets.

It is important to make sure your pallets are smooth. You don’t want to have any pieces of wood sticking out and risk getting splinters. It also makes it easier to paint when your wood is smooth.

I purchased a hand held sander from Walmart. It is super affordable and gets the job done!

Make sure you wear proper protection such as safety glasses, gloves, and long sleeves. The wood particles are very fine, but you don’t want to risk getting any in your eyes.

Step 4: Paint your pallets

After your pallets are cleaned and smooth, it’s time to paint! I wanted my lounge chair to be white. I got my paint from Home Depot and Walmart. You want to get paint and primer in one for exterior surfaces. Primer helps to seal the wood and keep from getting moisture inside. I put down a drop cloth and some old sheets to protect my porch from any paint. Then, I got to work!

Step 5: Let your pallets dry

For this project I used 4 large pallets. I stacked 3 to make the chair tall and then I used one for the back of the chair.

After you have painted all of your pallets, let them dry for a couple of days. While they are drying, you can try to figure out your decor. Where will you place them? What cushions will you use? Try to get your ambiance together.

Once your pallets have dried completely, it’s time to stack them and place them like a chair.

Step 6: Cushions!

In this next step, I made some cushions. This step is completely optional. I like to make most parts of my projects, but you can definitely go to the store and purchase cushions to place on your pallets.

My cushions were made with some old pillows and some old cotton curtains that I wasn’t using. I used four square pillows for the bottom cushion and three long plush pillows for the top cushion. It’s a total of seven pillows and two curtain sheets I used to make the cushions.

I folded my curtain sheet in half, then I placed all four pillows inside to measure and mark where I would have to sew. Next, I took the pillows out and flipped the curtain sheet inside out. After that, I sewed where I made my marks. I left one end open so that I can stuff it with the large pillows.

Only sew two sides. Turn the pillowcase right side out. There should be one opening to stuff the pillows inside.

It’s good to have a little extra fabric hanging in the opening so you can tuck it over your pillow.

Once your pillows are stuffed and tucked in tightly, you have a large comfy cushion! Yay!

Step 7: Set up your lounge chair and porch

This next step is just making your area look nice. I wanted my colors to be black and white with a pop of yellow. I found a yellow outdoor rug, some lights and some cute pillows from Walmart.

The finished product!

Happy Styling!