bench impress

From habitat magazine - issue 38, step by step

Transform wooden pallets into a portable bench or kitchen island with Resene paints and wood stains.

How to make a portable bench from wooden pallets

This kitchen bench is made from upcycled pallets and a repurposed coffee tabletop.

Pallets, shelf and tray painted in Resene Spanish Green, benchtop in Resene Colorwood Dark Rimu protected with Resene Aquaclear. Walls painted in Resene Tea and Resene Casper. The flooring is finished in Resene Colorwood Shade. The jug is Resene Poet.

This portable bench, made from wooden upcycled pallets, is equally useful as a kitchen island, a garage work bench or a drinks bar. Start with height. Kitchen benches, for example, are typically 900mm high. So, for a kitchen island, choose a pallet that’s 800mm wide (shipping pallets come in various sizes). With a benchtop and castors/wheels, your finished island will be about 900mm high. If your benchtop is thin and you aren’t using castors, 900mm-wide pallets are ideal. For a patio drinks bar, 1000mm is perfect.

Also, look at the length of the pallets and choose a couple the same as your benchtop. Or cut a benchtop to size. We’ve recycled an old coffee table, so we decided on pallets to match this length.

If you want to use your bench outdoors, swap the Resene Colorwood natural wood stain and Resene Aquaclear (indoor wood stain and clear finish) for Resene Waterborne Woodsman penetrating oil stain. No clear finish is needed for exterior wood stains.

You will need

Materials and tools:

2 shipping pallets (we used pallets measuring 1200mm x 1000mm)
Timber for a benchtop (we used the top from an old, scratched rimu coffee table 1200mm x 600mm)
1200mm x 600mm x 12mm treated plywood (for shelf)
120 grit sandpaper and 220 grit sandpaper
Sanding block and/or electric sander
Paintbrushes and Speed brush (for applying stain)
Clean rags
4 x 6.3mm angle brackets with screws
Electric screw drill and drill bits
4 x 40mm screws (for shelf)

Resene products:

Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat – we used a 500 mL can but you may need more or less depending on the size of your bench
Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen tinted to Resene Spanish Green (or colour of your choice) – we used a 1 litre can but you may need more or less depending on the size of your bench
Resene Colorwood wood stain tinted to Resene Dark Rimu (or colour of your choice) – we used a 250 mL pack but you may need more or less depending on the size of your bench and the depth of colour you want to achieve
Resene Aquaclear – we used a 500 mL pack but you may need more or less depending on the size of your bench and number of coats

Step-by-step instructions

How to make a portable bench - Step 1 Step 1
Prep your pallets by first washing with Resene Timber and Deck Wash following label instructions. Once dry, sand the pallets using 220 grit sandpaper to smooth the rough edges. Wipe off all sanding dust.

How to make a portable bench - Step 2 Step 2
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat and allow to dry.

How to make a portable bench - Step 3 Step 3
Apply one coat of Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen tinted to Resene Spanish Green (or colour of your choice; Resene Ravine is a subtly muted grey-green that would also work well with walls in Resene Quarter Tea). When dry, lightly sand with 120 grit sandpaper to achieve a smooth finish. Use a clean damp rag to wipe away dust, then apply a second coat of paint.

How to make a portable bench - Step 4 Step 4
If using a recycled benchtop, sand it using 120 grit sandpaper to remove any existing stains and scratches. Wipe off sanding dust. Apply one coat of Resene Colorwood natural wood stain (ours was tinted to Resene Colorwood Dark Rimu) with a paintbrush or speed brush. Use a clean rag to wipe away any excess stain. Allow to dry. For a darker colour, apply another coat, wiping off any excess.

How to make a portable bench - Step 5 Step 5
Apply 3-4 coats of Resene Aquaclear.

How to make a portable bench - Step 6 Step 6
To determine the correct width of the shelf, position the pallets and benchtop (we allowed a slight overhang on the long sides of the benchtop) and measure the width between the pallets (it will sit on the middle pieces of the pallets). Ours measured 460mm wide. Cut your shelf to this measurement.

How to make a portable bench - Step 7 Step 7
Sand the shelf, then apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat, followed by two coats of Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen tinted to Resene Spanish Green (or colour of your choice) allowing dry time between coats. Once it’s dry, screw it in place, drilling pilot holes first and then fixing the screws

How to make a portable bench - Step 8 Step 8
Position one of the brackets beneath the benchtop and against one of the pallets. Drill a pilot hole through each hole of the bracket into the pallet. Secure with screws. Repeat for the other three sides.

Finished project - portable bench or kitchen island Finished project
A close-up of the finished project.

Resene Shade

› For a video on how to make this bench, visit www.habitatbyresene.com/palletbench.

Project: Jane Wrigglesworth
Images: Patrick Roberts

▸ Download a PDF of this article

autumn/winter 2023, issue 38

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