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Decking made from pallets

Good evening all,

I am trying to overhaul my garden on a very small budget. I need to improve the safety and appeal of the back garden as I am planning on registering as a childminder. The back garden is a poorly laid patio all over, near the house it is in better nick than further from the house. I will be laying grass on the rest of the garden. I have 12 pallets, I got them for a different project that was never completed.

Can I use the pallets as a decking base? The area is small, approx. 1.6m x 6m. So in pallets that's 2 x 5. I was thinking of leaving the good area of patio, laying out the pallets and adding traditional decking boards on top and screwing them down. The area will be walked on and sat on by children to play but not be used for furniture.

Should I somehow attach the pallets to each other? There is good drainage in that area under the slabs. The soil is heavy clay underneath so I'd rather leave them on top.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts and advice.
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Comments

  • Not a bad idea but drawback is pallet wood is not pressure treated & will rot quickly. Plus the wood is fairly smooth & when wet will be very slippery.
  • cybertortoise
    cybertortoise Posts: 284 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 6 October 2021 pm31 6:03PM
    Thanks for your reply. I wondered about rotting. I would be able to replace the base in a year or so, do you think it would work as a quick fix and last that long?

    I would be adding decking boards on top of the pallets so would that give them a bit more protection from the elements?
  • Slinky
    Slinky Posts: 10,731 Forumite
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    Doesn't sound very safe to me.
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  • fenwick458
    fenwick458 Posts: 1,522 Forumite
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    decking has never made sense to me, it just turns into an ice rink when it's wet and is lethal. it also rots eventually. 
    And now that the price of wood has gone through the roof, another reason to just avoid it and pick something else

  • naf123
    naf123 Posts: 1,708 Forumite
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    Could you share photo of your garden - got some ideas but need to see it first 
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 34,021 Forumite
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    It will probably do you for a year, but if you're registering as a childminder, the power that be may have something to say about it. 

    The labour to prep your ground for grass seed costs nothing  and grass seed doesn't
    cost too much.  
    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • Bendy_House
    Bendy_House Posts: 4,756 Forumite
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    You mean actually walk on the pallets? If so, I see at least two problems - the excessive gap between the slats, and the splinters from the rough edges.
    I doubt it'll pass muster.
  • Soot2006
    Soot2006 Posts: 2,184 Forumite
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    I know a few people who made pallet decking. You could always cover it in slip-proof material  like rubber tiles etc.  The downside is it does rot quickly (esp if covered!) but it should be fine for a year as long as the winter isn't excessive this year. The upside is it's practically free and easy to replace individually rotting planks ... As a stop-gap I don't see a problem.
  • Bendy_House
    Bendy_House Posts: 4,756 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 7 October 2021 am31 8:49AM
    If rot is the only significant drawback, Everbuild Lumberjack - around £80 for a large 25 litre tub - should be able to take care of it.
    Set the pallets on bricks or similar to keep it off the ground.
    But don't have a bare pallet deck when the childminder assessor comes round...
  • GDB2222
    GDB2222 Posts: 25,741 Forumite
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    Can I just check? 

    You will be buying all the decking boards, anyway, and you want to use the pallets as the base to screw those to?

    The boards will hold the pallets together in one direction, but you will need to screw them together in the other direction.

    Yes, the pallets will rot. Then you will have to try to remove the decking boards, to reuse them. Well buried screws are extremely hard to find, let alone unscrewing them. So, in the long run, this may be a false economy, as you may have to buy new decking boards again.
    No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?
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