Pallet Storage Crate {DIY}

After seeing countless numbers of reclaimed pallet projects, I had to jump on the bandwagon.  

My biggest need around here is storage for books.  Somehow, between myself and the three gremlins, we have managed to accumulate more books than the local library.  And, on top of that, we have a stack or two of books from the local library.  A few weeks ago, I made a couple of forward facing shelves.  But, those don't actually offer much storage, so I needed the pallet storage crate.

I got the idea, of course, from Ana White.  The plans for the project can be found here.

The plan seemed simple enough.

1. Stalk local business until you find just the perfect pallet.
2. Tear it apart.  Somehow.
3. Recover for 3 weeks because tearing apart the pallet was so frustrating.
4. Build the box.
5. Get distracted for another week on projects like the Cubby Storage System and the Wooden Read Sign.
6. Get it together and actually finish the project.

Ana left her pallet crates unfinished and they look wonderful.  But, I have been working a light olive/turquoise/splash of magenta color scheme in our playroom/schoolroom, so I decided to use paint left over from the chairs I made a few weeks prior.

This was probably not my favorite project, simply because the crate was SO well nailed together that it was difficult to tear apart (even with the help of this awesome video here).  But, watching my kids dive into the crate and read book after book...awesome.  

I went back and forth on this, but finally decided to add the coaster wheels to the bottom.  And, yes, if you're wondering, it took literally less than a minute for the kids to use it as a bumper car.  It took less than a day before my big kid tried to stuff my little kids into the crate.  He wouldn't confess to this, but I'm pretty sure his plan was to send them down the stairs.  Thankfully, they don't fit inside.

The one part of the crate I really like is the roughness and natural grain of the wood showing through (I'm not sure what you call this - unmilled?).  It was very hard for me to decide whether or not to paint this.  I finally decided to go for it, and I really like how it turned out.  

I really like how it turned out.  The best part?  It only cost the price of the wheels!