Wall and ceiling panels
Mixed-species reclaimed boards in random-width or uniform layups, supplied as 4×8 ft panelised sections for fast installation. Popular in cafés, breweries and office fit-outs.
Product 09
Upcycled Goods
In short
A small studio at the back of our Evendale building takes wood that has aged past pallet service and builds something else out of it — bar fronts, retail fixtures, planters, benches, wall panels and tabletops. The grain on a forty-year-old oak stringer is not something a lumberyard can sell you, and it is the reason this part of the business exists.
Quote: Upcycled Goods
Send the details and a named person at the Evendale yard replies within one business day with pricing, freight and a piece count — in writing.
The studio line
Retail display fixtures
Crates, risers, tiered stands and market tables sized to your planogram. Robust enough for a busy shop floor and consistent enough to roll out across locations.
Bar and counter fronts
Slatted or solid-board layups over a plywood carcass, finished with a food-safe hardwax oil. Built to your elevation drawing.
Planters and garden structures
Raised beds, tall planters, trellises and bench seating. Untreated hardwood, no chemical preservatives, lined where soil contact requires it.
Tabletops and benches
Laminated reclaimed hardwood, planed flat, edge-glued and finished. Sold as tops for your own bases or complete with steel legs.
Signage blanks and props
Prepared reclaimed panels for sign painters, set builders and event companies. Sold by the square foot.
From retired pallet to finished panel
- Selection
Boards are chosen for grain, colour and age. Oak and maple stringers from older cores carry the patina; newer softwood does not and is not used in the studio line.
- De-nailing and metal detection
Every board is hand de-nailed then passed through a metal detector. One missed nail ruins a planer knife and a client's table saw equally.
- Kiln drying
Material is brought to 6–8% moisture — furniture dry, not pallet dry. Skipping this step is why so much pallet furniture cups and splits within a season.
- Milling
Planed, jointed and dimensioned. The face is skimmed just enough to true it while leaving the character, saw marks and colour intact.
- Assembly and finish
Glued and fastened, then finished with a low-VOC hardwax oil or left raw for exterior applications where weathering is wanted.
We do not use heat-treated wood with unknown history in food-contact surfaces, and we never use MB-stamped material in any studio product. Provenance is tracked from the intake belt.
Commissioning a piece
Commercial commissions start with a drawing, an elevation or sometimes just a photograph of something you liked. We quote from that, build a sample or mock-up where the run justifies it, and produce. Lead time for studio work is three to six weeks depending on complexity and drying schedule. Use the form on this page with your dimensions and a description, or email info@palletsrecycle.com with drawings attached.
6–8%target moisture content — furniture dry, not pallet dry
3–6 wktypical lead time for commissioned studio work
100%reclaimed content in the studio line
The processing specification, in full
Most reclaimed pallet-wood installations we are asked to repair failed for one reason: nobody dried the wood. This is the full process, published so a designer can specify against it.
| Stage | Specification | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Oak, maple and older hardwood only. No softwood, no unknown provenance. | Softwood does not carry the patina and does not mill cleanly. |
| Provenance check | Heat-treated or untreated only. No MB stamp. No painted or chemically stained stock. | Tracked from the intake belt. A supplier who cannot tell you is an answer in itself. |
| De-nailing | By hand, every fastener pulled — not driven through. | Machine teardown leaves broken shanks in the wood. |
| Metal detection | Every board, after de-nailing. | One missed shank ruins a planer knife, and a client's table saw equally. |
| Kiln drying | To 6 – 8% moisture content. | Furniture dry, not pallet dry. This is the step that decides whether the installation survives. |
| Milling | Planed, jointed, dimensioned; face skimmed just enough to true it. | Leaves saw marks, colour and character intact. |
| Layup | Panelised into sections where the area justifies it. | Installation time drops sharply and the result is far more consistent. |
| Finish | Low-VOC hardwax oil, or raw where weathering is wanted. | Repairable in place, unlike a film finish. |
What survives commercial use, and what does not
| Application | Verdict | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Wall and ceiling panelling | Excellent | Panelised sections, 6–8% MC, fire rating checked before finishing |
| Bar and counter fronts | Excellent | Over a plywood carcass; hardwax oil; detail for seasonal movement |
| Retail fixtures and risers | Excellent | Robust enough for a shop floor; consistent enough to roll out across sites |
| Tabletops | Good | Needs correct drying more than anything else on this list |
| Bench seating | Good | Specify a hardwood frame; reclaimed boards as the seat surface |
| Planters and exterior | Good | Untreated hardwood, no chemical preservative, lined for soil contact |
| Flooring | Not recommended | Wear layer is too thin and inconsistent after milling |
| Food preparation surfaces | No | Provenance cannot be certified to food-contact standards |
| Structural elements | No | Recovered wood has no grade stamp and no certified strength class |
Commissioning a piece
- Send drawings, an elevation, or a photograph
Commercial work usually starts with an elevation. Sometimes it starts with an image of something somebody liked, which is fine.
- We quote from that
And we will tell you honestly if the construction shown will not survive commercial use, then propose something that will.
- Sample or mock-up where the run justifies it
Colour and grain in reclaimed wood vary, and a sample settles expectations that a description cannot.
- Production
Three to six weeks depending on complexity and the kiln schedule. Drying is the long pole.
- Delivery and install support
Panelised sections ship flat with a layout drawing. We do not install, but we will talk to whoever does.
- Raw material is also sold by the board foot — de-nailed, metal-detected and kiln-dried — to woodworkers and makers, pickup at Evendale.
- Prepared signage blanks are sold by the square foot to sign painters, set builders and event companies.
- We do not use heat-treated wood of unknown history in anything that touches food, and never MB-stamped material in any studio product.
- The studio line will never be a large part of our revenue. It is the part visitors always ask about.
Common questions
Is pallet wood safe for indoor furniture?
Heat-treated and untreated wood is. Methyl-bromide-stamped wood is not, and chemically stained material never enters the studio. We select from known-provenance stock only.
Can you match a design I found online?
Usually. Send the image with your dimensions. We will tell you honestly if the construction shown will not survive commercial use and propose something that will.
Do you sell to individuals?
Yes, though the studio is built around commercial runs. Small one-off commissions are quoted case by case and are limited by shop schedule.
Can I buy raw reclaimed boards?
Yes — de-nailed, metal-detected and kiln-dried boards are sold by the board foot to woodworkers and makers. Pickup at Evendale.