Purchasing lumber for a fence can be an expensive venture, especially if you are not planning to build an ordinary fence. Here are five fences you can build using pallet wood that you recycle.
You will need:
- · General woodworking tools
- · Measuring and marking tools
- · Wooden pallets
- · Wood screws or nails for building the fence
- · Stain and sealer or primer and paint
- · Sandpaper, if desired
First, dismantle the pallets and stack the wood. Discard any pallets that are contaminated with oil or smell as if they have been exposed to chemicals.
Sort the wood according to thickness, width and length. You can rip wider boards to the proper measurements and cut longer boards to length.
Sort the pallet cross members; these have various uses.
If children are playing in the yard, it may be desirable to sand the wood lightly to lessen the chance of splinters. It will also help the primer and paint application to be smoother and more professional looking.
Purchasing 4-by-4 fence posts may be desirable, or use PVC lumber that will not succumb to the elements.
For each of the following fences, you may have to purchase additional lumber. The pallet wood will cut overall costs considerably.
Louvre Fence
Begin with the posts set apart at 8-foot intervals on center. That means that there is an 8-foot distance from the center of one post to the center of the next one.
Set 2-by-4’s 4-feet on center between the posts. You can combine the pallet cross members to create the middle boards and paint the seams in the center.
Decide on an angle for your louvers, 30° is a good angle; 45° is also good. You can cut various triangles from the cross member wood and experiment to find an angle that looks good for your fence, blocks the view from passersby and allows airflow through the fence. Be sure that all your triangles have the same shape; a flat side and a short height.
Attach the triangle so that the angle starts at the outside of the fence with the top of the short end towards the inside of the fence. Make sure that the flat side is level; this helps to ensure each angle is the same.
You should stain and seal or prime and paint to ensure the fence’s longevity.
Picket Fence
Picket fences can surround a yard, a garden bed or anywhere you want to place one. Cut your pickets from the wide pieces of wood and use the cross members between the posts. Place pickets next to each other along the fence or use a spacer, usually a picket, to keep the distance uniform.
You do not have to have a pointed look to your pickets, cut them in any shape you desire. While most picket fences are painted white, paint yours to match your personal style.
Lattice-Topped Fence
Begin as for a standard fence with posts set four or 8-feet apart on center. The bottom part of the fence is a solid board fence topped with lattice.
Attach top and bottom rails inside the posts; the height will depend on your pallet boards. Rip pallet cross member boards to make 1″ wide boards. Mark a center line on the top of the bottom rail and the bottom of the top rail. Attach the 1″ boards against the line to the outside.
Attach the pallet boards to the 1″ wide boards with sides touching each other. Attach an additional 1″ board across the top and bottom of the wide boards.
Install lattice on top of the top rail. It can be trimmed and framed with various edges or used in a box-type frame.
Modified Lockboard Fence
Build the fence as for the lattice fence, but add an additional panel of wide boards with 1″ boards on the top and bottom, with a top rail crowning the fence. For a modernized look, stagger the heights of the lockboard sections.
Portable Fence
Take this portable fence anywhere. Begin with two cross members as cross rails for the fence. Attach the pallet wide boards in any configuration you desire, such as dog-eared, picket or lockboard.
Be sure to leave at least 6″ of bottom rail beneath the fence boards. If desired, cut the ends to a point; this allows the sections to be driven into the soil at your destination. If that is not allowed, use buckets filled with concrete or 2-by-4 wood with stands to act as posts and secure the fence sections to it.
No matter what type of fence you build, using pallet wood will considerably lower your overall costs. Most flaws and stains in the wood can be covered with paint.
Source: The author of this article has over 40 years of experience in diverse subjects and skills such as DIY, home improvement and repair, crafting, designing, and building furniture, outdoor projects, RV’ing and more.
