Hudson Valley, NY: Reusing Wood Pallets? How to Get the Right One
So you have a long spring and summer of DIY (Do It Yourself) projects, do any of them involve reusing wood pallets? Do you know which wood pallets are the ones considered to be safe? Which ones can be used without thinking twice about it and which ones you will want to stay away from?
How can you easily tell which are the wooden pallets that you will want to use? Can you just as easily tell which ones are harmful to you and your family? What project are you thinking about completing?
Before you start your project, what are the signs of a 'good wood pallet?
The signs of a good wood pallet include complete boards, no foul odors (think animal urine) as these pallets can spend some time outside, and no rusted nails. If you see a pallet that looks like it has a stain, or that something has been spilled on it, stay away from it. You will never be 100% sure as to what that stain is and why take your time trying to clean something or plane something that could be harmful.
Is there a clear cut sign on a 'good wood pallet' or do you just take a chance?
The easiest way to check your pallet is to look for a little stamp the has been burned into the actual wood. The stamps you are looking for include a HT or a DB. HT means that the pallet has been heat treated, not chemically treated which is great! That is what you want. Then there is also a DB code on pallets. The DB stands for debarked. The pallets that you want are HT and DB'd. You might not always be able to find both, but in the very minimum you will need your pallet to say "HT."
Where can you find these wood pallets that you can use?
Believe it or not, there are a few places that will sell you, inexpensively, used wood pallets. But the best place to try to find these useable pallets is behind businesses in their loading docks. There are also businesses that will leave the pallets in front of their locations with a free sign on them. Always just double check with the business that those pallets are 'good to go' to a new home (yours).
What can you use these recycled wood pallets for?
Got any pictures of your projects? What have you made or created using these pallets? Feel free to share the photos with us, we would love to see them!.