Welcome back to “The Wonderful World of Pallets: Building a Pallet Studio”! In this fifth and final blog installment, Bonnie Grant tells us how to put the finishing touches on the pallet studio we have been creating!
Part One: Getting Started
Part Two: Location Prep & Flooring
Part Three: Putting Up Walls
Part Four: Adding Your Roof
Part Five: Final Touches
Details, Details, Details
Once the roof was finished, we installed the doors and window. The window was easy, as it was constructed with a nailing fin or flange along all four sides. This meant we just had to seat the window and nail into the flange. The door posed more of a problem, as it was old and not entirely true anymore.
Use shims as you level the door and temporary nails set into the frame so you can try the door out and make sure it swings evenly. Often more and more shims are necessary in some parts of the door jam in order to make the door operate smoothly. Take your time on this or you will be stuck with a sticky door or one that won’t close properly.
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Final touches include finishing the interior. The world is your oyster at this point and décor decisions can run rampant. You may choose to finish the walls with sheet rock, fiber board or other materials. We began by pushing pieces of bat insulation into the gaps of the original pallet walls and stapling them into place. For the back wall, we used the huge sides of a crate, cutting them to fit and nailing them in to place. A little spackle fixed the seams.
I wanted the side walls to reflect the project, so we pulled apart more pallets and cut them to fit. It was fun watching the wall begin to take shape but getting boards off pallets proved to be quite a chore (I recommend big hammers and pry bars). Make sure you use boards of the same width in order to avoid a jagged, toothed appearance and create a more finished wall.
Once you are done, you may opt to plug any chinks with a foam insulation, caulk or spackle. Paint a good primer on all the walls and then paint if you wish. I liked the whitewash appearance two coats of primer gave the pallet boards and left them just as they were. Cutting away the plastic around the trusses exposed them and added to the charm with the unfinished rafters.
It’s up to you whether you insulate the roof and finish it. I enjoy the rustic appearance and our climate is not terribly cold, so I left it as it was.
Tighten it Up
We went around the structure before painting the exterior and checked for nail holes, gaps, and any issues. The front second and fourth beams with the extra 2 x 4’s, left a one-inch square gap, which you may choose to fill. We wanted the ventilation so simply covered these with fine mesh.
We also had some gaps between the roof and the lower rafters at the back and cut pieces of wood to fill these. After priming any added wood, it was time to paint. Our paints were rescued from a friend’s move, but you may have specific colors in mind. Try going to the paint store and check out their “reject” section where mixed colors didn’t meet the expectations of patrons for a less expensive option to full price purchase.
