Pallet Tables

I am so behind in my blogging, I will have to just do some quick posts to try to catch up...

I made two tables last year, completely out of pallet wood.

I even had some 2 x 2s with my pallets. Those I cut in two to make the length of the legs (about 19" long") so there was no wastage. The construction is basic and you can see it here:

and here is a close up:

I don't nail or screw down the tops because they can change widths with changes in humidity, so I use Z clips that insert into a groove in the apron of the table. This allows the top to expand and contract as the clips move in and out a bit while still in the groove.

One of my tables was painted with a dry brush technique using turquoise paint on the legs and aprons and white solid paint on the top:

For the second second table I used a technique I had not tried before but found Becky using for some of the creations at her blog Beyond the Picket Fence (thanks Becky!) First the top was painted in turquoise and then after it dried I sanded it smooth so that the turquoise paint was still in the crevices of the rough pallet wood. Then I wiped stain over the painted top and wiped off the extra. Also, I stained the legs and apron.

Here's a close up of the top with my little model: