Can You Use Old Pallets for Wood Flooring?

Features

• According to the U.S. Forest Service, wood pallets use 40 percent of the nation’s hardwood lumber. An estimated 170 million discarded pallets go into landfills each year. When pallets are trashed, they decompose slowly in landfills. These pallets are made from woods such as oak, ash, cherry, walnut and maple. The long-lasting woods are suited to furniture, cabinetry and paneling. Many old pallets can be diverted from landfills and into flooring production because they contain the same woods used in wood flooring.

Process

• When old hardwood pallets are chosen for flooring, they go to pallet dismantlers or to flooring manufacturers. Old wood pallets are disassembled and nails removed. Pallet boards are inspected for defects and type of wood. Nail holes are filled with putty. The old wood is dried to remove moisture so that the wood becomes more stable. The dry boards are planed to standard thickness and cut to flooring sizes. Boards, reshaped with tongue-and-groove that fits the wood pieces together, are finished, stained and cured. The wood is prepackaged as flooring.

Benefits

• Reusing old pallets diverts the wood from landfills. The hardwood is already harvested and builds floors without cutting down trees. The pallet woods provide the same durability as other hardwoods. Customers like the appearance of the old pallet wood because it retains visual appeal. Each flooring package has the character of working wood. The nail holes, though filled, show the boards are authentic recycled wood. The flooring is installed using the same techniques as other wood flooring. Because the wood is converted from pallets to flooring, it meets certification requirements for post-consumer recycled content.

Tips

• Dismantling old pallets for a home floor project is tempting, but not practical for most do-it-yourself projects. The volume of pallets needed to find usable, matching wood is staggering for one person and the labor is intensive. Wood must be inspected for mold, chemical contamination, rot and pests. Many old pallets are not uniform in wood thickness or size. When wood pallets are pressure-treated, they contain chemicals not suited to home woodworking. A better solution may be to contact a local pallet dismantler or recycled wood supplier. You can pick over boards that typically are de-nailed and checked for major defects. When you have a few pallets not suited for flooring, convert them into smaller projects such as craft projects or use them as firewood.