When Luc moved to Lyon, he bought a house without a terrace, but with a more or less spacious garden. That’s where he got the idea to arrange their exterior in order to have a pleasant space to rest or receive his guests.
When he saw the estimate proposed by the professionals, he decided to build his own deck out of pallets in order to save his wallet. This article explains how to build a pallet deck.
What are the steps to build your own pallet deck?
Whether you’re a green person or not, it’s always a good idea to avoid waste and give a second life to materials you no longer use. So, to recoup his expenses, Luc opted for a deck made entirely of recycled pallets. To do this, he had to be patient and go through the following steps:
Working the soil
This first step consists of removing the stones on a 10 m2 surface in order to level the whole with a roller. Nevertheless, it is important to create a slight slope so that the terrace can evacuate rainwater in rainy periods.
Preparing the base
In order for the deck to hold up for a long time, it is advisable to pour a 5 cm thick gravel and do the same for the sand. Then, you must compact the whole thing by using a wet roller and then repeat the same operation.
Soil stability
At this stage, you must wait 4 days to ensure that the surface is completely flat and that the soil is stable.
Moisture control
Here, the goal is to prevent moisture from resurfacing, and this happens mainly when grass grows back. You will need to install geotextile felt to protect against this possibility.
Laying materials
When everything seems to be on track and your laser level is giving you precise and reliable measurements, it’s time to lay the cinder blocks followed by about 15 pallets of the same size. The latter must not be in direct contact with the ground, as this could reduce the sturdiness of the whole.
Recovery and installation of the slats
To do this, we will have to dismantle other pallets, regardless of their size. Once this is done, you will obtain slats that can be laid side by side to cover the entire cheap terrace.
However, a small space equal to the size of a beer cap should be left to allow water to drain properly. This is especially important if the wood swells.
Sanding and treatment
The final step is to sand your new pallet construction and treat the wood with a mixture of linseed oil, turpentine, siccative and walnut stain. The mixture should be applied in several layers.
And that’s it, you’ve come full circle; you now know how to make an easy pallet deck for fun barbecue days!
