Why We SHOULD NOT Be Using Pallets in Our Interiors

By: Diy maven Sep 28, 2011

toddler bed, kids eco furniture, recycled materials, DIY, pallet bed, shipping pallets, lori danelle

Okay, here's the deal, a blogger by the name of Nick went on a rant a few months back about why we should absolutely NOT be using rescued pallets in our interiors. His argument is compelling indeed and has made me re-think all those 'pallet projects' I've promoted over the years. 

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First he points out the history of rescued pallets.

  • They are "exposed to water, all manner of vermin and insects" and bird droppings.

Then he brings up E. coli & Listeria.

Then he mentions fungus. 

And if all that isn't bad enough...

  • Think pallets made of engineered wood and cardboard might be a better option? Think again; they're oftentimes loaded with formaldehyde. 
  • Engineered wood and cardboard are also notable harbingers of 'creepy crawlies' like cockroaches. 
  • Also of concern is the stuff shipped on the pallets, which could include noxious items that off-gas themselves.

One of Nick's readers took this picture:

THEN Nick counters all those "but MY pallet is SAFE" arguments. 

  • You used only kiln dried pallets. Great, but left in any damp & warm situation (see rainy pic above) for any amount of time and they become a breeding ground for mold.
  • You sanded and washed your pallets. Great, but boring insects and chemicals might still be in there.
  • You know where your pallets came from. Great, but companies reuse pallets all the time. 

So, that's Nick's rant in a nutshell and it's a total buzz kill! BUT it's also a very compelling argument that is hard to dismiss. To read the entire article, follow this jump.

Now, tell me what you think. Has Nick's rant changed your opinion of pallets used in interior decor? Should I stop promoting rescued pallet projects?

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Pallets burn GREAT!!!! and start real fast, slivers are a real plus too

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All good comments, I think common sense dictates, I use very clean pallets and steer away from contaminated (chemical etc. ones), most of my projects are outside or for small turning projects.

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This may be naive, but... can't you just seal the pallet wood?  Wouldn't that put a barrier on top all of those terrible things that are supposedly in the wood?  It seems like if you're just careful about cleaning, sanding, and sealing the wood, it would eliminate many of the risks.  I don't know, I've never used pallet wood, but it seems like it is the simplest soution.

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I used to work with logistics for a large bakery and at least here in sweden the EU-pallets are used for transporting foodstuffs.

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The issue however, may be different. Yes, wood is wood and is found in the outdoors etc. And it's also true we build our homes and furniture out of it. But most of our furniture is highly process with sanding and cutting. The "nasty stuff" gets sanded off of what eventually becomes our furniture. Additionally, manufacturers probably store the better wood for furniture indoors. In the same veign, houses do go up in all kinds of weather but they get wrapped pretty quickly and rarely, if ever, sit as long as pallets do. It's still a caution to consider when using pallets found outdoors for a long time.

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Nick probably has an Etsy business selling pallet furniture. Just sayin'.

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For all of you that want to shrink into a corner in fear, be my guest. I've worked with wood and in the furniture industry most of my life (56 yrs.) and the comment above that wood is wood could not be more dead on. The furniture you by at your local home store with that has been made in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Mexico, and any mumber of other foreign countries should raise more red flags than anything made from pallets. I have no idea what Nick's motives are and don't really care, but his fears are only overshadowed by his ignorance of facts. You as a consumer never really know what journey every piece of wood in your furniture travels from tree to showroom floor. Where does it come from, how is it milled, what is it treated with, where and how is it stored, how is it dried, what type of insects are indigenous, to the harvest location, what types of mold or fungus form on the wood during the drying process, and etc.. Just because you buy wood at a lumber, you haven't erased the unknowns by any stretch of your imagination. If this is all you have to worry about, it is time to find something constructive to do with your life. In other words - GET A LIFE.
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Leslie addressed exactly what I was thinking- wood is wood so what is the difference if it is a pallet or other lumber? 

Also the idea of pallet furniture from pallets made just for that purpose seems to defeat the whole point of recycling!

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thank you, Leslie!

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I am a floor merchandiser for a furniture retailer and work closely with manufacturers and importers of wood furniture. It's WOOD, folks! It's alive, it grows out in the wilderness. It can't be sterilized. If you don't want contact with nasty stuff, you better order up your plastic bubble to live in quickly. Believe me, you HAVE NOT seen nasty until you have to dig a big fat worm the size of your little finger out of a piece of expensive wood furniture. That's right! The larva are in the wood and continue to live in the wood while the tree is cut, processed, sprayed with chemical agents to kill creepy stuff, made into furniture, stained, varnished and shipped to your local furniture retailer. Where, it continues to grow fat and happy as it burrows around inside the wood eating and getting fatter until one day you find a little unexplained pile of sawdust in, on or around your lovely $3000 china hutch. This can go on for years. Chew on that the next time you are dusting your furniture. You can't spent your whole life looking for all the horrible possibilities. Recycling is a good thing. Do it! Live it! NO FEAR!
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Pallet furniture is so popular these days that there are companies that actually make pallets specifically for furniture. You'll pay a little more for them than just begging them off of Home Depot, but if safety is of concern to you, furniture pallets are no more dangerous than the store-bought furniture you buy in the store.

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The sulfur smell that you are smelling is called oak.
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Tiffiany I could not agree more. Besides it is inexpensive they look awsome and you can have furniture even if you don't have that much monies. Sooooo have fun and don't stop.

 

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I'd just like to point out something that I feel should be a very obvious conclusion; you say "They are "exposed to water, all manner of vermin and insects" and bird droppings." Where do you think any wood comes from? The wood headboard you currently have, these pallets, your dining table...? Oh ya they all come from trees...and funny thing about trees is (this is where it gets good) they're...OUTSIDE!!! Thus exposed to water ie;rain and snow, and they tend to be a natural habitat for many species of "vermin and insects", they also are the home to thousands of species of birds... As far as all the chemicals and such do you remember about 30 years ago when our furniture,houses, and, children's toys even were painted with lead coated paint? People didnt even think about until recently. We're exposed to chemicals on a daily basis some we may not even know about as we didn't lead at the time. And as far as your argument about Tylenol blaming the wood pallets for a "smell" of course the multi-million dollar company isn't going to take a hit like that. Your entire logic is naive and just uneducated.
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I actually get my pallets from a company I know personally, who don't store outside and use new heat treated pallets. They don't look as weathered as the outside ones - but I just do the vinegar and steel wool treatment if that's what I want.
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Well what are our homes made of? Sterilized materials? Nope. Right now I am looking out my window at the residential construction site across the street. All of the wooden framing materials are sitting on the dirt ground...oh and it's snowing. But they will still be used to build walls. Our carpets, countertops, painted walls, etc are loaded with chemicals too. Our cleaners, air fresheners, soaps, shampoos contain carcinogenic chemicals and yet they are deemed "safe".  I won't be licking my pallet wall any more than I lick my carpet.  My pallet boards are cleaned with hot water and bleach and air dried completely before use. I'm happy with that. 

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Original post was Sep 2011 and it still going strong, hehe.

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I say go for it! Be creative! It can't be any worse than a garage sale find that has bedbugs! Yipes! Our world is WAY too clean! I don't know who Nick or anyone else is on this blog/forum and there is NO judgement from me either way! I do wish Nick would put his attention toward more pressing issues! Just saying! Blessings!

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You can easily clean the wood before using it indoor. Sanitizing takes care of most of the above concerns and then sanding it will help clean most chemicals/oils/dirts off the outer layer of wood. You can also seal it with a urethane, and use a green one if you want to be extra careful with chemicals around your family.  

 

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Well, if you go along with Nick's train of thought....then, no wood is worth anything, ever!  What about the reclaimed wood craze, huh?  Any wood reclaimed or salvaged is no good?  I don't think so.  As long as it is cleaned, prepped, painted, stained and/or sealed it should be safe to use.  Common sense folks; don't fall for hysterics.

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