One of the reasons why I started building my own furniture was because I couldn’t afford to buy the pieces I was drooling over in the windows of stores (cue, “how much is that doggy in the window”, but sub “doggy” for “dresser”). That being said, I was pretty stoked when I was asked to join in on a knockoff furniture challenge with a slew of amazingly talented bloggers. Even cooler, our budget was less than $100. So, I made a replica of a $400 nightstand from reclaimed pallet wood and $40 in lumber. Even cooler, I partnered up with my amazing family at DAP Products to turn this vision into a budget-friendly reality!

How To Build A Reclaimed Pallet Wood Nightstand

This project is sponsored by DAP Products.

P.S. There’s a YouTube video for this project! Check it out on my channel and subscribe for more videos!

If you have been following me since the beginning of time, you’ll know that I am obsessed with repurposing pallet wood. In fact, I learned most of my woodworking techniques on free wood from reclaimed pallets! If you can remember, my first YouTube tutorial was even a pallet project!

It’s been a while, but I have fallen back in love with pallet projects and the art of reclaiming used lumber. So much so, that I knocked off a $400 West Elm dresser utilizing a couple of pallets, scrap plywood, and $30 in lumber.

I think I did a pretty cool job. You be the judge!

West Elm:

DIY Huntress:

This is how I did it (and you can too)!

What You’ll Need:

Tools
Table Saw
Miter Saw
Circular Saw (for pallets)
Planer (optional)
Pocket Hole Jig
Nail Gun
Drill
Doweling Jig (optional)
DAP Carpenter’s Glue
DAP Rapid Fuse
Wood Clamps
Carpenter’s Square
Tape Measurer
Pencil
Danish Oil (Dark Walnut)
Spray Paint

Materials
Pallet Wood
(4) 2 x 4 x 8’ (cut to 1 x 1” square dowels)
(1) ½ Sheet ¾” Plywood
(1) ½ Sheet of ¼” Plywood
(1) Set 12” Drawer Slides
1 ¼” Pocket Hole Screws
2” Pocket Hole Screws

The Steps:

1. First, I deconstructed my pallets. I like to use a circular saw to cut the ends away from the stringers. I then use a hammer to pry the pallet away from the center support. I prefer this method, because it means less de-nailing for me later.

Tip:Check out my Pallet Safety post on how to find the best pallets for crafting and building.

2. Once the pallets were deconstructed, I used a hammer to knock the remaining nails out of the wood. I made sure to be really thorough because I didn’t want any nails to get caught in the saw or planer later.

3. After prepping the pallets, I ran them through the table saw to create two clean edges. I cut my pallets to 2” wide.

4. Next, I began the glue-up process. I did this by applying DAP’s Carpenter’s Wood Glue to the ends of the boards and then used clamps attach them.

I first glued up the following:

(4) Panels @ 13” wide (two side panels, one top, and one bottom)
(1) Drawer Panel at 19” tall and 24” wide
(1) Shelf Panel at 12 x 22 ½”

5. Once dry, I then cut the panels to their final size.

(1) Top @ 13 x 24”
(1) Bottom @ 13 x 22 ½”
(2) Sides @ 13 x 18”
(1) Shelf @ 12 x 22 ½”
(1) Drawer Front @ 19 x 24”

6. After cutting the panels to size, I ran them through my surface planer to get all of the boards to ¾” thick. This was totally optional, but I love the way it revealed the hidden beauty of the boards!

7. Once all of the panels were prepped, I drilled dowel holes into each board on the end in which they were to be connected (the only panel I did not drill into was the shelf). I used a doweling jig for this and set the depth of the jig to match the dowel.

Because the top and bottom panels were being drilled into at narrower widths, I used the dowels to mark the depth according to the needs of the boards.

8. After drilling the connections for the dowels, I used glue and clamps to glue the pieces together. I also used a carpenter’s square to make sure all everything was squared up.

9. Once the frame for the nightstand was assembled, I added the shelf at 19” from the bottom using wood glue, brad nails, and clamps. I also made space at the front of the shelf for the drawer front to fit in to.

10. Once the main part of the stand was built, I created the drawer box at 12 x 21 ½” using ¾” scrap plywood, wood glue, and pocket holes.

Tip: If you are looking to build this, the drawer box dimensions may differ based on the drawer slides you use, so create your box accordingly.

11. Next, I milled my 2×4 boards into 1″ x 1” square dowels to create the base. I cut them into the following dimensions:

(4) Legs @ 8”
(4) Short Sides @ 11”
(4) Long Sides @ 22”

12. After milling the pieces for the base, I attached them to the legs using 2” pocket hole screws and wood glue.

13. I then patched and sanded the entire piece using DAP Plastic Wood X.

14. Next, I painted the base with a metallic charcoal color and set it aside to dry and stained the nightstand using timber oil.

15. Once dry, I attached the base to the nightstand body by countersinking screws into the opening for the drawer box.

16. I then installed the drawer slides and the drawer box.

17. Once the drawer box was installed, I attached the face frame to the drawer using DAP Rapid Fuse to hold it in place, and then secured it using screws from the back.

18. Totally optional, but I was hating the exposed plywood on the drawer box, and decided to install scraps from the 2×4 cut offs to hide them with brad nails and wood glue.

19. Lastly, I installed a ¼” back panel to the space behind the drawer box with DAP Rapid Fuse.

This project was a total labor of love this month, but I am SO happy with the way it turned out!

It’s seriously amazing what you can make with free materials!

What do you think of my knockoff project? Want to save it for later? Pin It!

Guys… it is so possible to have what you want without having to break the bank to create it. Don’t believe me yet, check out some other incredible knockoff projects from some of my other blogging friends for more ideas!

Addicted 2 DIY: Farmhouse Console Table
RemodelaCasa: Dog Crate Side Table
Woodshop Diaries: Contemporary Shelf
The Inspired Workshop: Pottery Barn Dog Bed Knockoff
The Awesome Orange: Restoration Hardware Dining Table
Reality Daydream: Modern Circle Shelves
Not Just A Housewife: DIY Bench

Go check them all out – you won’t regret it!

In the meantime, see you all soon for another fun project!

This post is sponsored by DAP Products, Inc. All tastes in art work and product opinions are my own. For my full disclosure policy, click here.