I'd be very careful about used pallets being brought into the home for such a thing. You'd be surprised the kind of nasty things they are exposed to.

Pallet on wheels? Weeeeeeeee !!!!

Brilliant! Most pallets don't have such a reclaimed-barnwood-vibe to them, that one is a gem you were right to wait for the cab! And the red caster wheels, totally worth 50$ it POPS!

I'm not sure it's "brilliant", but if you're happy with it, then great.

Thanks, Zekep and AC! I'm loving how the project came out. Sadly haven't been able to find another pallet with as much character.

Seems like a super low coffee table for that couch, but I love the look. For anyone else who plans on replicating this, I'd try stacking 2 or 3 pallets to get a better height.

What memories this use of pallets brings. When we first moved up north in 1965 we scrounged the beaches for props for our new gallery. Many pallets nicely water washed and sun bleached were used for our shelving, and even a pseudo dock for our indoor pool that was a former maple sugar evaporating pan we found under the shed.

When are wire spool tables coming back?

I agree that it's a really sweet find and the after is very nice but I also agree that it's way too low for a coffee table.
I also heard to take care when refurbishing pallets. Since they usually get loaded onto ship for transport, there are lots of little critters that hitch hike on those things.
But I would think the stain woulld have taken care of that! :o}

Depending on what they've been used for, pallets may have been sprayed with pesticides and fungicides, or preservatives containing arsenic or worse. Sanding a pallet? No way.

the pallets are marked HT for heat treated and MB for the chemically processed ones, so it's pretty easy to avoid the pesticides, etc.

Good point, Rural & Rueful, thanks. Does anybody know a way to identify sprayed pallets? Coloration? Scent? Is the danger any worse than sanding pressure treated lumber?

@Staceysk - my thoughts exactly! I nearly did a post on them several months ago, but (believe it or not) couldn't find enough good photos. When I was a kid, my dad had made an entire outdoor dining set and a tree swing for me out of spools he collected at work. So cool!

I don't understand why the article ignores the potential health issues. Why not publish that right in the piece to educate people. No one is going to know about an HT branded pallet or that the chemical treated ones are toxic. Irresponsible.

I worked in a warehouse during college and you won't get me anywhere near a pallet again. Scraped ankles, huge slivers, and rusty nails were a daily exposure - I really don't want that in my house.

Dont re-use wood pallets. Here's why: http://www.cheaplikemeblog.com/environment/dont-reuse-wood-pallets/

I once saw a layout in Fine Woodworking (?) magazine that showed a home library with shelves and wood work all of red oak that had all been reclaimed from pallets. I worked for years in receiving at a musuem and used to save all the red oak pallets for an illustrator and painter who worked in the zoology department, He used the oak to frame his works, with beautiful results.
And DuaneHill, I hear you about the scrapes, etc!

Way more of them keep being reused for shipping than repurposed as seen here. At the job I mentioned above we used to call a few people to come and take them when we had accumulated 20 or so. They were able to sell them to some places that supplied them to shippers or businesses needing them. I see flat bed trucks stacked high with them going to such places and there are pallet scrappers like metal scrappers cruising the alleys of my city.

I swear some of the people on this blog are going to stop crossing the street because they "have just discovered how unbelievably dangerous moving vehicles are!".

If a pallet smells like chemicals, don't use it. But if you're reasonably sure it was just used for normal ol' cardboard boxes, it's probably fine. Also, if it's out in the weather (like they usually are) most everything has probably been washes out of them already.

Great project. I love pallet coffee tables. Can't wait to move into a bigger place so I can have a coffee table!

Thank you, Shangrilyla!!!

I don't get it. You need to completely bend over to pick anything up off this so called "coffee table". Pets will be all over this thing. And honestly, half the guests I'd have over would put their feet on it. I don't get it.

It's WAY to low to be functional.

I meant "too".

It might be too low for the couch behind it, but maybe she's using it somewhere else. Either way, it looks awesome. I wish the pallets I find around here looked like that.

I love it! Good job.

this is nice work, Olga! for those of you crabbing that this table is too low, there is a tradition of low coffee tables. here's just one example - an Eames coffee table that is 10" off the ground. http://www.dwr.com/product/eames-elliptical-table.do?sortby=ourPicks. this is really not so unusual.

Here's the thing: is it low? Yes it it! Unfortunately, I could not find a matching pallet to stack on top. But guess what? I still really like it and find it a great place to store a few cookbooks, to put my plant on it, etc.

So thank you to all of you who left positive comments!

I don't understand the criticism thus far. The concerns linked to say that Tylenol and produce can be contaminated by pallet. She doesn't have Tylenol or produce on her table. If someone can produce compelling evidence that this finished pallet can contaminate a house, fine. Otherwise, it sounds like scare tactics being disseminated by the plastics and timber industry.

I love this, absolutely beautiful. And the wheels - squee!

The ironic thing here is if we don't follow Olga's lead and reuse / repurpouse more then global warming will spin out of control and none of us will live long enough to get cancer from the chemicals.

Hear, hear to Shangrilyla! And with its casters this could be a useful cart around the house and garage especially as low as it is. It could look and work very well in a Japanese styled setting as well

Also, if some one wanted or needed this to be higher then 2x4s or other thickness of wood could be attached to the underside befor the casters are added. This just popped into my head. (Obviously since my last post was hours ago.)

Oh, and after all my other blather I"ll finally add that I think it's pretty cute. Looking at EMMI's series of comments makes feel a little better knowing that I"m not the only "Oh, and another thing....." commenter out there! You will now be spared any further "thoughts" that I may have on this subject. We now resume our regular programming......

People are always talking about off-gassing dangers in various product URLs like the "don't use" URL shown above -- but what is the lifepsan for the gases? That's what I'd be curious about. I'm assuming it varies widely, depending on the material (wood, plastic, etc.) in question, but who's got some reputable information on that?

I have no idea why AT continues to post projects involving palette wood without informing readers about the potential risks.

Most scrap palettes have been treated with fungicides and insecticides, many of which contain pretty serious cancerogens.

Personally I would never touch one, much less bring one into my home.

apartment therapy is a wonderful site for creative home making, and frankly i find all the criticism and b*tching quite off putting. you're bringing me down, man. why not head over to your local news website or a yahoo message board if you really need to get that negativity off your chest. i bet your mom isn't too proud of you...

@ ShangriLyla- Yes, this is why I've begun a movement to put a stop to the "Pebbles As Tripping Hazards" (PATH) people. These are people who see danger! in everything! Roller skates? No, kids can fall down & skin their knees! Ladders? No, people can climb up them then fall down! Ceiling fans? No, someone cold jump up & get their head chopped off! Water? No, people can get in it & drown! Air? No, very bad! Everyone knows that they sky can fall on our heads & crush us all to death! Pebbles? No, they must absolutely be banned because people could trip over them & break their necks! These PATHers need to be banned because they pose a clear & present danger to common sense & self induced thinking. They also make the world a much more fearful place. These are the same people who made & ate mud pies as kids, but now think that every fleck of dust contains carcinogens that will kill their own kids. They put cantaloupes into plastic produce bags at the store so the skin won't get dirty in the shopping bag. Then they throw that plastic bag into the trash so that eventually it winds up in the ocean choking a whale to death. The only danger this pallet table poses is being too low. Someone could reach down to pick up their cup of coffee & throw their back out. LOL!

LOL yes as R said, I am a multiple commenter but I vow to break myself of it. Just a thought on toxins: I don't mind people suggesting pallets may be a hazard. But how about some evidence of that?

I like it. It's a great way to get a large plant off the floor, inside or outside. Soaked with pesticides/fungicides? Seal it. There.

I just visited Olga's site and noticed that "HT" is clearly stamped on her pallet. And it looks great in her living room.

Dear Rowantree, thank you SOOO much for your lovely comment and doing the research :)

ecuadoriana1 where can I sign up? I didn't mention it before because all the henny-penny's distracted me but I like the table.

I like this idea. I do think that we should be mindful of where things come from; it's just as dangerous to grab a chest of drawers we know nothing about on the street corner, frankly.

I think people here are jumping on the "let's pick on her" bandwagon, though. There was a tire turned into an ottoman the other week and tires can off-gas petroleum and PPD, a dangerous chemical indefinitely, even after they are just strips of rubber in a landfill. Nobody really commented on that. Yes, this would could be toxic. So can almost any found or so-called "reclaimed" wood. Relax people. Relax.

wayy too low but may i suggest you scrapped the wheels and add these in black. I think that would look killer! http://hairpinlegs.com/

What I'm fixin' to do is make an entire living room suite out of pallets AND old tires! And when the furniture gets dirty I'll just take everything out back & squirt them down with a GARDEN HOSE! LOL!

I love it... red wheels and all! Plan on doing something similar when we refinish our basement! Although I'm not going to be using a regular couch around it. Floor pillows and a low futon on one side!

@lindsclou, that sounds like a great plan!!

TUPELO HONEY CAFE.....that is a cookbook from a restaurant in Asheville, where I live. I got so silly excited about seeing that.

and the pallet coffee table is nice, too.

@miss.waverly, I LOVE Asheville. Went there twice over the last year. You live in a wonderful town.

I throw out many pallets at work weekly. Go behind any decent sized retail store and you will find them. I like the DIY pallet outdoor furniture the best. My husband made me a coffee table for the back porch that only cost about $25 dollars (four casters and some post wood).

Not very creative.....I was disappointed when I clicked on the before photo and all that came was the same pallet.....but shiny with wheels. Eh.

I would presume once the stain and varnish are applied anything that might be more or less "toxic" would be sealed into the wood. I like the idea of stacking more than one pallet and using whatever is needed to bring up the height - maybe taller chunky legs and then apply the wheels.

Well said ShangriLyla! LOL

I think it's a fantastic re-use project!

I also don't know why so many crazy people come out of the woodwork only to spread negativity. This artist is just trying to inspire readers to think outside the box.

Here is a tip: Do your own research if you are freakishly worried about using something! Ever hear of google? It would have eliminated half of these comments in one click.

JOEJEEP This pallet on those hairpin legs would be way cool.

I'm almost... afraid to say I LOVE IT!! Oh and btw, The sky is Falling!

I frequently salvage and re-use pallets for my woodworking hobby.

The truth is working with any wood is dangerous - many older woodworkers are living examples of lax attitudes toward safety, particularly when it comes to sanding and breathing microparticles of wood dust. Their attitude was "everybody does it and no one's getting hurt", years later many of those artisans have severe respiratory problems and need oxygen tanks to breathe. That's not "negativity" - it's basic safety.

Secondly, this project barely qualifies as re-use - it's like "meh". I mean, it looks exactly like a pallet.
There's nothing wrong with it, and if the blogger wants it in their house, that's their perogative. You'd be surprised what a little more effort could yield, though. This is what happens when websites serve up "content" rather than ideas.

i just love the rustic look, and yes hair pin legs would also look amaze-ballz

I the idea of doing things with pallets (threated obviously) but they are just so bloody heavy! I saw one behind a supermarket the other day and I couldn't even pick it up!

@greenrenters I had to take a cab!

Anyone remember the old chestnut "if you can't say something nice say nothing" so much negativity around here by so many blowhards, can't stand it. Nice table, if it works for you, that's what matters.

I love this idea - what a great way to reuse an old pallet! Though I've never seen one with such a nice look about it, unfortunately.