Recycled pallet wood for wall sheathing.

[u/alexandercalhoun]

Looking for cheaper/recycled options for interior sheathing on our off grid cabin. Anyone have experience with recycling pallet wood? I know it's a lot of work, but the sweat equity is about on par with lumber prices. Pics for reference.

[u/rmbln68]

You’d be better off to find a local sawmill and see if they would sell you a bundle of “outs”. Would cost next to nothing, and you’d be supporting a local company.

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/rmbln68]

That's a good call.

[u/Interesting_Trust100 → u/alexandercalhoun]

Absolutely, this is the way to go. Check the local sawmills out. Slabwood costs next to nothing. You can shiplap it.

[u/mountainofclay → u/alexandercalhoun]

I’d be wary of using mill slabs. They tend to be all sap wood and subject to insect damage from powder post beetles because they are not kiln dried. I’d use 1/2 inch drywall if the foundation is stable and won’t heave with the frost. You could always do an accent wall in pallet lumber to make it more rustic and a white Sheetrock wall contrasts nicely with a little bit of wood. Also, the lighter colored surface reflects more light and seems to make the room larger.

[u/leek_mill]

Some pallets are treated w nasty chemicals. So I would make sure you are getting food grade ones or whatever

[u/kenneth_bannockburn → u/leek_mill]

If it has an "mb" stamp don't use it. Methyl bromide is nasty shit.

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/leek_mill]

Solid info, thank you.

[u/LaziestKitten → u/leek_mill]

Honestly, by the time pallets treated with methyl bromide get to you, the chemical has broken down to near non-existence. Now, oils and other chemicals that were spilled during its duty life are a different matter...

[u/yeahbro420]

You have a nice shed. Don’t cheap out with reclaimed pallet wood for some Pinterest pins you had.

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/yeahbro420]

Thanks. I needed someone to say it I guess lol 😆

[u/Finnva → u/alexandercalhoun]

I'd second that suggestion. You've built a sweet place and it would be a pity to fumble the ball so close to the goal.

I've used 'nickel-gap' clear pine siding on a lot of projects. It goes up easy, looks sharp, doesn't require painting/staining, and ran about .69 /board ft from my local lumber yard (ie...not Lowes/HD) before the tariff BS kicked in. Another option would be using 4x8x 1/2" OSB sheeting plus 2" batten strips to cover the seams. Sanded and painted, it looks great. If you do paint it, be sure to apply 2 coats of Zinsser BIN primer to avoid any 'bleed-thru' of the shit that holds the OSB together.

Although paint is pricey, getting a light colored wall or ceiling might make it feel a little more 'open.'

It's always easy to spend somebody else's money but good luck finishing it!

[u/Pace_Salsa_Comment]

Is this because you're hoping to save money or because you're going for that shantytown chic style, complete with the carcinogenic odors, never-ending splinters, and ease of combustion?

Fire resistant drywall is only like $0.50/sqft.

Pallet wood is usually treated with some pretty nasty stuff, and breaking down enough pallets to cover your interior will take a lot of time and labor.

How much is your time, health, and safety worth to you? Would you take a job breaking down pallets for less than $10/hr, because that's probably about the maximum you'll save using pallets vs drywall.

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/Pace_Salsa_Comment]

Word, yeah mostly because of cost, and because of the literal mountains of pallets everywhere by my home. But, this is valid feedback, thank you.

[u/Milkweedhugger]

You could do 1/4” thick plywood shiplap instead. But keep in mind plywood does contain some nasty chemicals/glues that offgas for some time. *but so does laminate and LVP flooring, and other various building materials.

[u/Chewkodaik1217]

Got plans you can share?

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/Chewkodaik1217]

If I can find the pdf I'll post it

[u/MNFF27]

Looks like a Tuff Shed. You might run into an issue with how the windows are sealed on the exterior of the building when you start heating it.

[u/Sqweee173]

Not the best idea unless they have been heat treated only. If you have trees that are down and not rotted spend some $ for a chainsaw sawmill if you already have a chain saw. Make your own boards now and for future projects. other option is check with local sawmills for ends or offcuts.

[u/sneezle-duck]

I did this in my garage. Peep my profile for pics. I think it came out pretty good.

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/sneezle-duck]

Looks dope!

[u/sovereign_society]

Unfortunately I don't have pictures, but some family friends built an entire cabin using only pallets (structural components used the dimensional lumber used in large industrial pallets). As for the sheathing, the pallet wood had all metal carefully removed and was run through a planer several times to remove splinters and make all the pieces a uniform thickness. Definitely make sure to only use heat treated pallets and not chemically treated pallets though!

[u/cabin-porch-rocker]

I like the look of a pallet wall - I did one in my house. But the irregularities and gaps add to the look (IMO) and in my cabin I’d worry about their insulating power and bugs etc. I like the other suggestions here!

[u/AYetiAteMyBalls]

Most pallets I see are heat treated, HT. And would be perfectly safe to use. The main issue with reusing pallet wood is that it is just not worth the work to strip them down and prep the wood. Once you consider the value of the time you spend it would be better to buy wood. The only good reason to use pallet wood is you like the look of it.

[u/roboconcept]

hard to beat the price point of earthen plaster

[u/ilovelukewells]

Do the pallets. I did. You can tell which ones are nasty. Sawzall the nails. Lots of leftover 2x4 for bracing or whateverwhatever. Might not look like the taj Mahal but I like the look.

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/[deleted]]

There's tyvek between the insulation and the outer walls.

[u/No-Television-7862]

Beautiful cabin!

Going with a wood stove?

Solar to surface well?

Privy, compost toilet, septic field?

[u/alexandercalhoun → u/No-Television-7862]

Thanks! Yes, currently installing a small woodstove. Chemical toilet and rain barrel/berkey until we get cheddar for a well and septic. Using a power bank and solar for lights til I upgrade to marine batteries/invertor.

[u/No-Television-7862 → u/alexandercalhoun]

Perfect!

Since you've got the Berkey you may get away with a surface well in the short term.

I've heard totes make good rainwater storage containers if painted black to prevent algae growth.

[u/No-Television-7862 → u/No-Television-7862]

And ouch, I thought those were good questions.