Guide: DIY outdoor furniture from wood and pallets

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Last content update: 28 October 2026

1. Primary sourcesstandards bodies and timber-industry references, listed at the end of the guide.
2. Every figure linked to its sourcenumbered and dated sources.
3. Dated updatesthe edition and the verification date of each source are printed.

Built from the references of the IPPC (ISPM 15 standard), EPAL and France Bois Forêt, cited in the guide.

Most pallet furniture tutorials and picnic table plans show one piece at one size. This guide starts with the pallet itself (reading the ISPM 15 mark, keeping HT, rejecting MB, preparing the boards), then outdoor lumber (European use classes), and shows with the calculators of the site what each dimension changes: 9 pallet sofa configurations, 4 lounge sets, 4 picnic tables, 4 wooden tables, 3 benches. Seven pieces are then calculated from start to finish: parts, lumber to buy, hardware, steps.

In pictures

Illustration photos published by their authors under free licences: examples of the same kind of build, not customer projects.

What you get

• Pallets: the EPAL format, the ISPM 15 mark read line by line, a keep-or-reject table and a sorting checklist.
• Outdoor lumber: use classes 3.1, 3.2 and 4, where each part of a garden piece belongs, why grey wood is not weak wood.
• Dimensions that matter: seat heights with and without cushion, picnic table leg angles and footprints, knee clearance under a table apron, sun lounger props, Adirondack chair back angles.
• Seven builds with dimensioned drawings, cut lists, an optimized cutting plan and step-by-step instructions: pallet sofa, pallet lounge set, pallet bench, pallet sun lounger, simplified Adirondack chair, picnic table, wooden garden table.
• Joints, finishes and winter care, and 4 printable sheets.

Contents

1. Pallets: which ones to take p. 4
   • The EPAL format p. 4
   • Reading the ISPM 15 mark p. 4
   • Preparing the pallets p. 5
2. Store-bought lumber for outdoor use p. 6
   • Use classes p. 6
   • Sections used by the plans of the site p. 6
   • Wood that turns grey p. 7
3. The dimensions that matter p. 8
   • Seat height of a pallet sofa p. 8
   • The pallet lounge set p. 8
   • The picnic table p. 9
   • The wooden table p. 9
   • Bench, sun lounger, Adirondack chair p. 9
4. Building and finishing to last outside p. 11
   • The joints used by the plans of the site p. 11
   • Keep it off the ground p. 11
   • Finishes p. 11
   • Cushions and winter care p. 11
5. Example: pallet sofa p. 13
   • Steps p. 14
6. Example: pallet lounge set p. 15
   • Steps p. 16
7. Example: bench from pallet slats p. 18
   • Steps p. 20
8. Example: pallet sun lounger p. 21
   • Steps p. 22
9. Example: simplified Adirondack chair p. 23
   • Steps p. 24
10. Example: picnic table p. 25
    • Steps p. 26
11. Example: wooden garden table p. 27
    • Steps p. 28
12. Frequent questions and sheets p. 30
13. Sources p. 33

Page numbers of the PDF that is sold (33 A4 pages, October 2026 edition).

Who it is for

• You want to build a patio set, a sofa, a bench or a table, from reclaimed pallets or store-bought lumber, and want it to last several seasons outside.
• You hesitate on the dimensions (seat height, length, number of seats) and want to see what each choice changes before cutting.

What this guide is not

• Not a guide to indoor hardwood furniture with mortise and tenon joints: it is about screws, bolts and pallets.
• Not for furniture used by the public (restaurant, school, park): such furniture has other requirements.
• Not a structural design: stay within the dimensions given and check every joint before use.

Dimensions are metric first, with inches in brackets; lumber sections are the metric sections sold in Europe (22 × 145, 27 × 145, 45 × 45, 45 × 95 and 70 × 70 mm).

The 3 sources cited in the guide

1. EPAL — specifications of the EPAL 1 Euro pallet (1200 × 800 × 144 mm) — link, checked on September 30, 2026
2. IPPC (FAO) — ISPM 15, Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade, annexes 1 and 2 (2018 revision) — link, checked on September 30, 2026
3. FCBA, LCB, ATB, FNB, ARBUST — design and construction guide for timber decks, 4th edition (March 2020), document in French — link, checked on October 21, 2026

How it works

1. Pay on Stripe: card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, no account to create.
2. Instant PDF: the download is on the confirmation page and the link is emailed to you.
3. Guaranteed to match its description: any question or correction, write to the seller (address in the footer): we send a corrected file or refund you, as the terms of sale say.