Keep Drinks Cool With A Stylish Ice Chest Made Of Wood Pallets

If you love to entertain, that means making sure that any drinks you plan to serve stay nice and chilled, as well as easily accessible for your guests. Sodas, seltzers, beers, and wine bottles take up a lot of space in the fridge, and not all of us have a wine cooler available. A wood pallet ice chest is the perfect character-enhancing DIY for your patio or house. For outdoor use, adding this project to your DIY patio design will immediately give your outdoor space a rustic charm while also utilizing a versatile material that holds up relatively well against the outdoor elements.

Though this project takes a bit of time and some basic woodworking skills, Jeff Patterson expertly breaks down the process on his Home Repair Tutor channel on YouTube. You'll need a handful of basic materials like nuts, bolts, a hammer, measuring tape, etc. The only big-ticket tool for this project is a Dremel Ultra Saw or another circular saw. Aside from that, you'll just need your wood pallet. 

Once you've gathered your materials, follow Patterson's basic steps to create your ice chest. You'll remove your pallet slats, then measure and cut the slats to create your frame, chest legs, front, back, and sides of the chest, as well as a nicely fitted lid. You can use a combination of nails and wood glue to put it all together and, voila! You've upgraded your run-of-the-mill Igloo cooler into an eye-catching conversation starter while handing out ice-cold drinks to all your friends.

As you build using your recycled pallets, keep in mind a few various tips and tricks for optimal results ... as well as some options for aesthetic variation. Before building, if you have the equipment and time, it's a great idea to power wash your pallet. Wood pallets can oftentimes be treated with irritating chemicals. Power washing with soap or other cleaner will help get rid of potentially harmful residue. Cleaning the pallet up will also help it look its best for your finished project. 

When building, it's also a good idea to pre-drill all your screw holes. Pallet wood is notoriously easy to split, so pre-drilling helps avoid that issue.

To customize your pallet ice chest, you can paint or stain the wood with whatever color best suits your outdoor aesthetic. For a fun, interactive flare, you can include a plywood insert with chalkboard paint on the inside of the ice chest's lid. Use the chalkboard to add fun messages or artistic drawings that guests will easily see when the lid is open. This project has a lot of room for accessories as well: add features like a mounted bottle opener to further enhance your pallet ice chest's function and look.