Pallet Under the Bed Storage

Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven't posted in a while, we have been so busy with getting everything situated for the move in. . . .17 DAYS!!!!! But, hey whos counting!

Continuing on the trend of organizing and making room in my apartment for James so that it becomes OUR apartment, we needed some additional storage because I am just not ready to give up my storage/ craft closet. . . . Can you blame a girl?  Sorry Love!

So with the inspiration of pinterest and all of there lovely pallet projects, I decided to give it a go on my own! Before we get started ladies, you need to know that ripping apart pallets is NO JOKE! And the worst part about it is, there is no easy way to take them apart, you gotta use the crow bar and mallet. . ITS THE ONLY WAY! But in the same breath, the look and the quality of wood is just amazing! And who can overlook the word FREE. So. . . clearly its worth the work, just go into with a can do attitude and patience. . . Lord knows there was a large amount of spiritual growth happening during this deconstruction! Can I get an Amen?!?

For this project, I decided to make x4 under the bed storage bins to store sheets and tshirts etc ( ie the things that take up space but are hardly ever folded) The measurements are for my bed specifically, you can clearly adjust the measurement to fit your space easily!

Material Needed: (for one bin only) 

x12 90 degree small brackets ($0.58 each)
x4 90 degree long brackets ($0.47 each)
x1 box #8 1/2 inch wood screws ($ 4.00 each)
x4 34" long pallet boards ( Free)
x4 31 " long pallet boards ( Free)
x2 2x2x8 boards ($1.98 each) 
x4 2 inch industrial wheels ($2.58 each)

Tools needed:

Power drill

Circular Hand Saw

Mallet

Crow bar

Total Cost PER BIN:  $27.12 
Retail Cost:  $89.00-$144.00 each!!!

Directions:

1. Tear Pallets apart, there is no easy way folks, just be gentle so to not split the wood. This will take the longest amount of time! Figure 1 hr per pallet to deconstruct, I needed 1.5 Pallets per drawer.

2. Remove any nails. . I had to cut some ends off for the nails I couldn't remove.

3.Lay all boards out and pair boards together to achieve the same height per side. Each board is a different height and width. The idea is to get boards that are the same thickness and achieve a common height to ensure they fit under the bed. I had 18.5 inches to work with under my bed.  My magic number height was aprox 15 inches plus an additional 3 inches of room for the wheels ensured that I could slide my bin easily in and out from under the bed. . Does that make sense?  You also need to make sure that when pairing the boards together that they are the minimum length needed to build your box. Because the boards may crack when you are taking them apart, now is also a good time to trim up the boards to make sure what you are working with is "Good Wood"

4.  Cut boards to the correct length. Mine bins were a rectangle, not a square and required different measurement per sides. Just something to think about. . . 

THE HARD PART IS OVER. . .The next steps go quickly!

5. With your long brackets, arrange your boards in an "L" shape to begin attaching the brackets. You will need to make sure that the top and bottom board match up in width and allow any gaps to be between the boards not on the outside. We are trying to form a box that is consistently the same height the whole way around. 

These are the long brackets, note that my top and bottom board matches the other top and bottom board to form a nice corner.

6. Once you have the box constructed, now we need to form the bottom so you can actually hold items in your bin.

6. With the box constructed, determine how many boards you will need to achieve a even gap between each board to form the bottom. I needed 6 boards with aprox a 2 inch gap between each board. 

7. Measure, Mark and Cut boards to length. 

8. Take freshly cut boards and space evenly to form the bottom of your bin. You will want to construct the bottom with the bin sitting normally ( Ie the bottom boards, laying on the floor with you climbing/ leaning inside to construct the bottom)

I wanted you to see the spacing of my boards, this is obv the finished product and hopefully helps you to see my vision!

9. Take small brackets and place on each end of the boards. I had 6 boards and a total of 12 brackets. 

These are the small brackets. Note that the bracket is flush against the side wall of the bin and then attached to the board. Some of mine had gaps like you see above.. it didnt bother me.

10. Screw one side of the brackets into the actual board first, making sure that the other end of the  bracket is also touching the side of your bin. Do this for all of the boards

11. Then go back through and match the bottom of you brackets is flush with the bottom of your bin and screw the bracket to the inside of your pallet bin. 

12. At this point, you should have a fully constructed bin with a bottom. Flip bin over and attach the 4 wheels to the bottom. 

My wheels (bought at Home Depot)

13. Take your fully completed bin and make sure that you measured your height correctly by sliding your bin under the bed. If the bin is too tall in some areas or is scraping. Take the top board and unscrew the long corner brackets and close the gaps in between the board until it fits. Note that once you move one board down, you will more than likely have to move the remaining 3 top boards. 

I also added handles to my bins to make it easier to pull out from under the bed! 

Handles are from Hobby Lobby (bought them on sale)

Bad pic of my completed bin

Let me know what you think! Happy building!