diy: shingle pallets to kitchen island

I spent some time this summer on a fairly large do it yourself project. of course I was inspired slightly by pinterest. I gathered a few inspirational photos together, drew out my plans and headed back home to get started.

back in march i moved into a two bedroom condo. it has an open concept living room and kitchen area. I didn't own a kitchen table, nor did I want to buy one. the space didn't seem to fit the style of having a traditional kitchen table. but I desperately needed a place to eat at **to save my poor couches! and some additional storage. alas, a kitchen island was the perfect solution.

as a more casual option than a table and chair set, it was the perfect solution. I first looked at buying a pre-made island, and then I touched on the idea of getting one custom built. but those options were pricey. I was driving home from work one day when the answer hit me! Pallets!

everyone has been getting creative with old pallets lately, and now I had a project on my hands! I have to admit that it turned out so much better than I thought it could. and it has proved to be so functional since I brought it back to the city. check out the pictures below!



Before

During (Base)

During (Top)

After

I started by sanding the pallets down to give them a smoother finish. I used a full pallet for the back of the island and cut another pallet in half to use as the sides. 

I ended up staining the island to give it a finished look. I made sure to use a light stain that I applied to the wood, then wiped off with a rag. I really wanted the natural look of the wood to show through.

I installed some shelving on the inside to provide some additional storage. for this I used dimensional lumber.

the last piece to create was the island top. this took a lot of planning and I could not have done it without help from my entire family. we made a border with 2 by 2's and use a piece of plywood to support the wood we inset in a pattern. the remaining wood we used (and what really makes the statement) was all from pallets that we cut up into pieces. we then started putting our puzzle together. it took some trial and error, and a lot of cutting to get all of the pieces to fit together. to finish off the top I used a bar top finish, which is equivalent to 60 coats of varnish.

I could not have pulled off this project without help from my family and boyfriend. it took two full days to complete and a lot of patience. but I am so happy with the result! it's purpose is a kitchen island right now, but someday **when I buy a house it can be used as a bar too.

have you tackled any DIY's recently? have you used pallets in a creative way?