apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think people are too dumb-founded to comment. The entire tour may well be gorgeous, but this looks pretty make-shift and definitely wouldn't be something I would want in a baby's room. Splinters, stray nails, confined spaces for toddler appendages to get stuck in? It's a real chiller.

It's wonderful to be able to share quilts from one generation to the next (and my grandmother was a wonderful quilt-maker) but the down-side of vintage quilts is the difficulty in (a) cleaning them; and (b) keeping them clean, particularly in a child's room.

While I agree that this isn't ideal for a child's room, but I think the pallet day bed is a lovely idea! I've been trying to sofa bed for our spare room, and this fits the bill.

whenever i see pallet stuff here, i remember one comment someone left on another post here about certain pallets being treated with nasty nasty chemicals. they said that if pallets are shipped internationally or overseas they've been treated with super toxic stuff to prevent pests getting from one locale to the next....going to go look for the post now...

Pallets are made of poor quality wood that splinters easily. Most is pressure treated (with caustic chemicals), and the pallets are often used in warehousing and shipping settings where chemicals can can/do get spilled on the pallet. Not what I would want to sleep on.

"Please, remember what pallets are designed for - they have to withstand water, wind and weather and are therefore soaked in all kinds of nasty chemicals. Therefore: use pallets only for outdoor use - and try to paint them, this coating might keep the pesticides/herbicides in. Never use them indoors!
posted by zeta on April 23rd 2009 at 1:16pm
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http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/creative-reuse/before-and-after-pallets-used-for-outdoor-furniture-081685

I am not in the least bit dumbfounded. Just impressed. Excellent DIY!

Pallets indoors is a little too eco-chic for me.

On Design*Sponge, where this bed was also featured, Ashley Ann addressed the concerns about chemicals and splinters:

"Just wanted to note that the wood was untreated and we sanded it super smooth. There are no rough edges or parts that splinter…it did take a lot of sanding to get it smooth enough for a child’s room, but was worth it."

Sorry, but this is not something that should be in a nursery. I don't completely believe every single chemical could have been removed enough. Pallet furniture makes much better OUTDOOR furniture.

If this was actually a real pallet, then there is no way the wood was not treated with chemicals. Not trying to be a downer to an otherwise cool idea……

Finally - a daybed for the homeless - the only ones who should be proud of such an atrocity.

I think it looks great- not sure about the splinters and weird chemicals...I'll all for DIY but I guess you should do your research on materials before you go all out like this.

She might have been better off finding a pallette like this at UPS or something. Not a dumpster dive.

About wood pallets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallet

Suprisingly, many wood pallets are built from strong hardwoods as they need to hold up to the strain of a lot of weight. Softer easier to break/snap ones carry less weight and are not as strong. (Hello)

If not treated chemically and are not too ratty from use, they would make fine wood for furniture. Woodworkers sometimes use pallets to build things with as they are usually very cheap and made from quality wood.

That pallet looks like much, much nicer wood than any of the ones I have ever seen lying around. It's not just the sanding; it's the quality of the grain, the lack of warp, etc. So I'm inclined to believe this is safe for a kid's room, but I'm also inclined to believe that my chances of ever finding 'trash' this nice and attempting this project myself are slim to none.