Pallet Spice Rack

Spices have a tendency to accumulate in weird places if you don't have a big enough space. And sometimes you take more time looking for spices or just giving up to buy more... So I made an easy to see and organize spice rack out of pallets.

Step 1: Dismantling and Layout

There are many sites and tutorials out there for how to take pallets apart and what kind of pallets to use. I try to find pallets that are not treated with chemicals and didn't aid in transport any kind of chemicals that may have leaked.

When dismantling, I have found it easiest to stand the pallet on it's side and slice through the nails on each end and do the same in the center. This allows you to utilize the full length of the pallet boards without splitting the wood or your back.

Once you've dismantled your pallet, lay out the boards in a way that works for your designated space. We had a large blank wall and a lot of spices, so I tried to cut the boards as little as possible.

Be aware that some boards are different widths and may need to be exclude or used in a different spot. I tried to use the same wide for all the outside and shelf boards.

Run a quick belt or rotary sander on all sides of all the boards you plan on using.

Step 2: Assembly

Using a wood glue, nail gun or hammer and finish nails, connect the four sides of the spice rack. Because I wanted to cut the boards as little as possible, I used the full length of the pallet boards for the sides and only cut the boards that were used lengthwise.

Wood glue is what actually keeps everything together, the nails just adds a little stability during the drying period and when finished.

In this picture, you can see that I started laying the other boards on top of the frame. This is also done with wood glue and nail gun.

Continue gluing and assembling the back boards to the frame.

Step 3: Finish Up

Once the back boards and the frame are combined. Insert boards for shelves, glue and nail from the sides. The measurements for the heights of the shelves were based on the different heights of my spices.

Step 4: Hang and Add Spices

Before hanging, it might be a good idea to run the sander over the entire piece one more time, just to knock off any extra pokeys or glue. If you aren't to certain about the quality of wood you used, it might also be a good idea to spray the whole thing with a bleach and water solution to kill any bacteria that you don't want in your kitchen.

Because I was going for a rustic look, I didn't worry too much about being perfectly square or level. We just screwed the rack into the wall and voilà! Of course, I had to alphabetize all our spices as well.

My fiancé is the cook in the family, and he LOVES how easy it is to find all the spices. When you know what you have and where it is, you save money by not buying extra!