5 ways to upcycle pallets

1 CUSHIONED SEATING AREA

Choose your cushion or beanbag first (check it’s suitable for outdoor use) and let its breadth and depth guide the size of the supporting wooden pallet seat underneath. Screw or nail the pallets together.

2 BUG HOTEL

Stack the pallets on top of each other and screw or nail them together. Stuff logs, cones, plastic tubing, sticks and straw into the gaps. Position the frame in a sheltered spot in your garden so it doesn’t get blown about by any strong winds.

3 STANDING BAR

Join two palettes together so that they sit flat on the ground and attach a plank of wood to act as the bar's surface. Add a chic coat of paint and you've got yourself a new outdoor hotspot!

4 LIVING WALL

Cover up a boring fence with with painted pallets to create a pallet planter wall. Short lengths of guttering make ideal planters that are easily inserted and stay in place without fixing. 5 COMPOST HEAP

Clear and level the area where the compost heap is to go. Stand one pallet on its long end and hammer two stakes through either end to anchor it to the ground. Position the pallet and stake two others at right angles to the first pallet to make the sides. Wire them together to keep the structure stable.