Free wood on the burn pile? Perfect for making a picket fence garden shelf!
Do you remember this fence I saved from the burn pile?
I started by dismantling 2 sections of the picket fence.
How to Make a Picket Fence Garden Shelf
Then I proceeded putting it all back together with some of the weathered 2x4’s.
I kept the great patina side on the front, and the uglier weathered side on the back side.
Here’s a close-up of how it all came together.
well, this is the way it sat for a couple of weeks in storage. Can you see that it’s crooked? I do NOT like redoing things right after I do them. There’s something about waiting a couple of weeks, then I can pretend I’m fixing someone else’s goof. hehehe
Crooked Shelf
If you couldn’t see it up there, I’m sure you can see it here. I tried to convince myself that if it were in the yard, it wouldn’t be noticeable.
I straightened up the shelves, and I added an additional board across the front. Someone on my facebook page shared a picture of a similar one and I really liked the look. I really like that it covers up the newly cut ends of the 2x4’s.
I really should start looking at my pictures as I build. As I look at this picture I’m second guessing my shelf placement. I think the top shelf should be a little higher. I see things totally different in pics than I do in real life. Am I alone? Does that happen to you too?
I like the rustic-weathered color with the backdrop of the green grass. Too bad I didn’t have any flowers to show off on this rustic garden shelf.
I’m now out of this fence after doing this project and the rustic garden bench.
If you follow me on Facebook, you may have seen these pallets—I have the opportunity to take any and all that I want. I do NOT want to be a hoarder, and only want to take what I think I can use up over the next 2 months. Some are heat treated, some are not marked. So far, I haven’t picked up any. I think I will take 2. I think it’s sort of an unending supply of pallets. Seriously, i prefer weathered fencing.
What about you? do you take pallets apart? Or do you take the easy way out like I do with fencing?
gail
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Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.
Kelley
Nice. I love the upcycling of the old fence. Great use, and it looks great too. Thanks for sharing.
Christine
Oh, hyell yes, I take pallets apart! Just picked up a bunch of brand new, sweet, wood-smelling oak pallets from a medical equipment importer. I'm weathering them a bit out in the front yard to become my kitchen floor. LOVE them. Who needs a barn for wood?!
Pat
Bwahahahaha!
Gail-- you make me laugh, not at you but with you of course. I take the same approach when it comes to fixing 'goofs'!
I like this little picket shelf. Would look great on my covered porch...covered in little green plants!
Great score on the fence too, by the way.
Patricia
Lisa
Thank you for sharing love this idea !!!
Laurel@chippingwithcharm
Fun shelf...perfectly rustic 🙂
Terri
Such a cute shelf...leave it to you! You rocked it, as always! Drooling over all those pallets...lucky you!
Julie @ follow your heart woodworking
Your garden shelf is lovely! I find pallets are really difficult to disassemble and often end up splitting. BUT, if you can use shorter pieces, say for signs, then the best thing is to just cut with a jigsaw or whatever, between the cross pieces. Then there are no nails or screws to remove.
Diane
This is so cute!!! I have pickets laying around and plan on making this as well for the garden!! Thanks for all the great ideas!!!
Candace
Love the shelf! I think for a shelf the top shelf is at a perfect height because if you add pots with plants and flowers, the tops would cover up the cool fencing designs. If it were a table, the top shelve would be good higher so you don't have to bend over when working, but for a shelf, it's good to be low. Love it.
Mindi
This is really cute! I love the finished look with the boards on the front. I agree fence wood is much easier to use than pallets. You should take a couple at least, even if you just cut around the nails the boards can be good for small projects!
Di B
Most pallets i have come in contact with are impossible to take apart. I have been eyeing on at a job site but don't know for sure if I will be able to dismantle it. How can you tell?
Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co.
What a cute shelf Gail! The additional boards on the front give it a nice finished look. And no, I have never taken a pallet apart, but I love seeing pallet projects!
Holly
Great garden shelf! I don't use either fencing or pallet wood and I have about 25 or 30 pallets in the barn that seed arrived on. But I do use barn wood. I guess it just depends on what you have access to.
cassie
super cute! it would look great on a porch with plants on it!
kirby carespodi
I have about three dozen old pickets hanging around...I love this idea! And as for pallets, we occasionally grab one out of the dumpster at DLs work and use them for potting benches, unless they're oak. (Occasionally, they're oak.)