Build a cozy garden bench from pallets

For you, there's nothing better than sitting in your garden with a good book, basking in the sun, and enjoying the warmth on your skin? Or are you more of a sociable type, spending the last warm summer evenings in the garden with friends, enjoying a barbecue and a beer? No matter how you like to spend your time, one thing your garden absolutely shouldn't be without is the right seating for every occasion. If that's what you're missing, we have just the thing for you! We'll show you how, with little effort and a little skill, you can build a beautiful bench for your garden from old wooden pallets.

This is what you need

Tools:

• saw
• screwdriver

Material:

• 4 wooden pallets
• Screws (optional)

Is that all?

Not quite! One thing you should never forget when doing physically demanding work is to drink enough – even if the heatwave is over. So, pack a water bottle and you're ready to go!

Ready, set, go!

First, you need to saw the pallets correctly. To do this, it's best to work on one pallet at a time and set the finished pallet aside. This way, you can tackle the work step by step and automatically keep track of the progress.

And this is how the pallets must be sawn:

For the seat, the pallet simply needs to be "narrowed" a little. The surface, consisting of five wooden strips, is reduced by one strip. This automatically eliminates three of the stable "feet," making the pallet a bit lighter.

Now it's time for the side rests. To do this, place the second pallet in front of you and saw out a rectangle from the pallet as shown below. Repeat this process with another pallet! Feel free to take a breather and a drink every now and then! A quick tip: Make sure you place the saw on the correct side of the pallet for the second armrest. It's important that the sawed-off sides with the unsightly edges near the armrests aren't facing forward when you assemble the bench later.

Now it gets a little more difficult. But don't worry - with a little concentration you'll have no problem making the backrest too! Place the fourth pallet in front of you and think about what needs to be sawn out of the pallet. The goal is to later assemble the four prepared wooden pieces to create a sturdy bench. This is how it works: Saw out a total of four pieces from the pallet. It's important to note that every pallet has its own characteristics and is sometimes smaller, sometimes larger, or sometimes built a little crooked. To ensure that the bench can be put together easily and fits perfectly later, it's helpful to adapt the backrest to the rest of the bench beforehand. To do this, simply temporarily put the side rests and the seat together and mark the places on the backrest that need to be sawn away with a pencil.

You're almost there! You can now make yourself comfortable on your new bench!

Now that you've finished preparing all four parts of the bench, you can assemble them. This is actually quite simple, but it requires a bit of strength, as the pallets aren't exactly light. To complete this final step without any outside help, it's best to lean the bench against something during assembly.

The final touches

Although the bench should stand and hold firmly even without screws thanks to the Tetris principle, it can't hurt to stabilize it with one or two screws – just for the comfort of sitting on it. Decide for yourself whether this is necessary.

For professionals:

To ensure you enjoy your bench for a long time, it's a good idea to sand and varnish the pallets beforehand. Feel free to do whatever you want! But what we wanted to show you with our instructions is: It's so easy to build something new and beautiful from old wood! Now it's time to sit back and relax! The armrests also make great cup holders :)