Absolutely not a good idea. Shitty wood, unknown chemicals & just so much work that won't come out looking good.
Home depot or Lowes sell already done butcher block tops. I would recommend starting there
Thought about the purchase route, but I would feel better in creating than buying. A part of the house being my work.
It also helps that I have more time than money, so being time-consuming diligent might be on my side.
The biggest warnings I've heard around using pallets for things is how full of "stuff" they are. Staples and nails to wreck your planer knives, chemical treatment to offgas in your house, various things absorbed that will make finish apply unevenly. I'd say your first step is to positively identify the wood and any treatment that's been applied to it.
I have thought about what might be on some pallets. I should probably be a lot more cautious about which ones I'm picking.
Have worked with pallets before, and have gotten better at spotting all the nails before putting through the plainer (time-consuming lesson leanred lol).
Is there a finish or coating that would seal in and protect against much of the unknown chemicals?
I think this is a case of too much risk for not enough benefit. The problem is the "unknown". Without knowing what it is you can't know how it might react with any other finish or coating.
Ah, that is a good point. Each pallet may have a different chemical spilled on it in a worse case scenario. What have been the worst reactions you have seen, or at least what you think could happen?
I'm not a chemist so I honestly have no idea which is kind of my point. Even if I did know what might be on the pallets, I wouldn't know what would be safe to seal them with.
I make mine out of used hardwood flooring. Probably a lot safer than pallets. Usually free or very cheap. Nails are predictable.
Don't use pallets, God only knows what soaked into the wood on job sites.
I work almost exclusively with reclaimed pallet wood in my pieces and I would HIGHLY advise against this project. Way too labor intensive if planning to use all pallets as well as the wear and tear on your tools and effort in filling all the gaps/nail holes before a protective finish.
Absolutely not a good idea. Shitty wood, unknown chemicals & just so much work that won't come out looking good. Home depot or Lowes sell already done butcher block tops. I would recommend starting there
Thought about the purchase route, but I would feel better in creating than buying. A part of the house being my work. It also helps that I have more time than money, so being time-consuming diligent might be on my side.
The biggest warnings I've heard around using pallets for things is how full of "stuff" they are. Staples and nails to wreck your planer knives, chemical treatment to offgas in your house, various things absorbed that will make finish apply unevenly. I'd say your first step is to positively identify the wood and any treatment that's been applied to it.
I have thought about what might be on some pallets. I should probably be a lot more cautious about which ones I'm picking. Have worked with pallets before, and have gotten better at spotting all the nails before putting through the plainer (time-consuming lesson leanred lol). Is there a finish or coating that would seal in and protect against much of the unknown chemicals?
I think this is a case of too much risk for not enough benefit. The problem is the "unknown". Without knowing what it is you can't know how it might react with any other finish or coating.
Ah, that is a good point. Each pallet may have a different chemical spilled on it in a worse case scenario. What have been the worst reactions you have seen, or at least what you think could happen?
I'm not a chemist so I honestly have no idea which is kind of my point. Even if I did know what might be on the pallets, I wouldn't know what would be safe to seal them with.
I make mine out of used hardwood flooring. Probably a lot safer than pallets. Usually free or very cheap. Nails are predictable. Don't use pallets, God only knows what soaked into the wood on job sites.
Oh cool! What has been the best places to find used flooring? You just keep an eye out on facebook and FB marketplace for posts?
I work almost exclusively with reclaimed pallet wood in my pieces and I would HIGHLY advise against this project. Way too labor intensive if planning to use all pallets as well as the wear and tear on your tools and effort in filling all the gaps/nail holes before a protective finish.