IT IS A WAY TO GET THE KIDS TO PLAY OUTSIDE, IN THE SHADE. A PLACE TO KEEP THEIR OUTSIDE TOYS AND NOT HAVE THEM STORED ON THE PATIO. A PLACE TO GET DIRTY AND TO GET LESS DIRTY AS YOU WALK ACROSS THE YARD BACK TO THE HOUSE AT THE END OF PLAYTIME.
I needed a basic "L" shaped deck, so after finding a perfectly sized long pallet for the long leg of the "L", I just used a standard single-sized pallet for the return leg. The picture shows one pallet on top of the other so it might be difficult to see that there are two pictured.
The good news is with most pallets the bottom "skid" pieces of wood can be used to fill gaps or replace bad wood on the top of the pallet. So I essentially had to disassemble the pallet down so that just one slat of wood held all of the cross pieces in place, like an "E" shape. Disassemble carefully as the wood is soft and had knots so it can split and break if you aren't slow and methodical, and maybe even if you are.
I didn't have to adjust spacing of the joists or add more for support. Even though the pallet wood is low quality, they are made to be tough and support a lot of weight.
I also supported the board that was cut through to create the hole. I used a piece of 2x4 wood screwed to the adjacent slats to transfer the load and add support.
I created a frame to fit the Ikea storage tub and worked to screw it to the frame pieces, level it, and support it.
While the tub is strong, it is plastic and it will be loaded with play sand and a toddler or two so you'll want make sure it is supported from underneath to prevent any broken plastic or broken dreams.
Hey look, he likes it! It's not finished quite yet but it's a good sign when you can't keep the kid off of it.
Someone went crazy with the nail gun on this pallet, so the drilling out the nail heads tip made disassembly possible. So I removed the slats next to the middle slat.
I took the best of the slats I removed and reinstalled them where I had broken slats before.
Each planter is narrow due to the pallet's original dimensions, but you could customize the size if you wish.
So now I just had to plant what I had and add potting soil to fill in any gaps. I put what I thought to be more toddler-durable plants in the lower