If your garden shed could use some enhancing, consider creating easy pallet decking that can be built almost instantly! Also makes a great place for planters for easy mowing. Here’s how.

Decorating the rustic garden shed that was rebuilt last summer has turned into quite the backyard activity lately!

Catch up with the entire garden shed series:

 

How the shed was originally built from a greenhouse HERE

Potting Shed bench and sign HERE

Saving the Shed in 2020 HERE (this is the most up-to-date pallet shed plan)

All Rustic Garden Shed projects are HERE

View the Garden Shed sign addition HERE

You may remember the latest addition where a tall vertical garden shed sign and black flowerbed edging was added. The added features to this sloped roof wonder really finished off the side!

But I never did finish the front of the garden shed.

While the shed style is already cute with the window boxed fern and galvanized containers for decoration, I was waiting to either land the right wood or pallets to create a DIY decked area to give the shed a little more presence. A pallet decking wood porch could also become the perfect spot to place the planters on for easier lawn mowing too!

Using new lumber to build a shed front porch was of course an option, but I felt it would have looked too new with all the other reclaimed wood siding used on the garden shed.

So I patiently waited for whatever wood came my way to create the desired wooden pallet deck.

Landing the perfect wooden pallets!

 

How to choose the perfect pallets for decking

 

• Ensure they are sturdy.
• Check that your foot will not go through the wood gaps. Reinforce if needed.
• Make sure they aren’t rotten. The better shape to start, the longer they will last.
• Check that the pallets aren’t too rough. If so, be prepared to sand them.

And then I found the perfect free pallets for the pallet wood shed addition!

Dozens of pallets can be had from most piles. But the fact that I found leftover pallets of the exact same size was the key to making this easy pallet deck without additional building!

6 smaller pallets were stacked along the curb just a few houses down from me. I was on my bike at the time, so I sped home to drive right back with the truck and a tape measure.

And you guessed it… into the truck these little mini pallets went! I was about to finally get that little pallet shed porch for a garden shed yet!

So if you too have a rustic garden shed or that special wooden shed that could use a little front porch entrance to pretty-it-up for the summer, this idea may work for you too!

Here’s the instructions to create a beautiful wooden deck of your own: (easy for beginner builders!)

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Easy pallet decking to enhance a garden shed

 

Decide what your pallet porch will do

 

1. Determine what you want your pallet porch for a garden shed to do. Then collect the right sized pallets or build it to suit the shed frame or side walls.

My own main purpose was to give the pallet storage shed more presence. However there was one other factor I needed to work around.

This little garden shed actually holds firewood. The goal was to be able to open the shed door with a wheelbarrow nearby so the firewood could be easily loaded.

These smaller pallets fit the dimensions perfectly! They were the depth of the door swung open, so the wheelbarrow could remain on the ground without requiring a ramp. Perfect!

Just make sure your own pallet decking can manage the stability and create thea smooth surface required for gathering garden supplies, etc.

Adirondack Pallet Chair Makeover

Clean and sand?

 

At this point, in most cases I pressure wash any reclaimed wood then give it a good sanding once dry. The before and after can be astounding! However it can also remove patina so you need to gauge what’s more important to you.

A really good example of how wood turns out after being pressure washed is at: Adirondack Pallet Chair Makeover.

Video – how to clean reclaimed wood effortlessly

 

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Or click the video above to watch a short pressure washing before and after!

In this case, leaving the pallets as-is was a good option. If I ever drag the pressure washer out for another task, I will likely hit the pallets to give them a quick once-over. However I did like the patina as-is and wanted to enjoy them just the way they are for a spell.

(update: I pressure wash the pallet decking when I wash the shed each spring. They both look great!)

Read: The easiest way to clean reclaimed wood HERE for more info.

Level the ground

 

2. Level the ground in front of the pallet shed with a shovel.

You’ll need a smooth surface for the pallets to sit on so they join up perfectly.

Using a shovel, the ground in front of the shed was eye-leveled, then scraped to remove the moss, weeds, grass and to level the soil.

Place and level pallets

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2. Place pallets into desired location to resemble a deck.

I decided to lay the pallets right on the ground instead of using concrete blocks. I don’t mind if they eventually rot. I’ll just replace them with others when that time comes.

But I do plan to keep my eyes open for an easy fix that perhaps the pallets can sit on that won’t have them rotting quite as quickly. I’ll update this post if I change things up.

Ideas to keep the pallets from wood-rot:

 

• slice some small logs like thick coasters, then place them under the pallet footings
• lay down landscape fabric, then top with a layer of gravel
• secure some heavy gauge construction plastic under gravel
• place down some small cement footers such as bricks
• pressure wash, sand, then seal the wood with an outdoor durable wood product such as tung oil or stain

3. Place a construction level on top of the pallets to determine if they are level.

Working with one pallet at a time makes it easy to lift the pallets to adjust the soil underneath until pallets are level in all directions.

And that’s about it!

You could use wood screws to secure them together, but mine are without.

Ready to see how cute this little pallet porch for a garden shed turned out?

The finished pallet decking porch!

 

And that my rustic garden shed loving friends, is how I built the world’s easiest pallet decking porch in the land! The decking option adds additional storage space for plants or other things you’d like off the lawn too!

I didn’t even pressure wash them… yet! And I may not. I rather like them as-is myself!

And of course, you could choose your type of decking. The pallets could be covered in more reclaimed wood for an upscale finish that covers the gaps. Or the top could be covered in a sheet of plywood for extra stability and durability. You get to choose!

But as is, the pallet supports walking weight perfectly, and creates a uniform place to step down on. The pallets have built-in structural beams that do the job well.

I think the diy pallet deck porch really adds that special something that was missing! Doesn’t the garden shed resemble a tiny home now?

Doesn’t the porch look homey? It may require a pallet porch redo as it ages, but that’s ok, I’ll just come up with another unique and easy wood pallet deck design!

And the scale and size of these pallets couldn’t have been more perfect!

At one point I had debated on adding another row to create a larger porch, but it would have interfered with the wheelbarrow loading. And I feel I would have needed to add more wood on the top to better support the pallets for more walking.

However as a front step, the pallet slats as-is provides enough structure, strength and the perfect built-in drain holes!

The perfect pallet decking for planters

 

Not to mention the perfect place to hold a fern in a galvanized planter bucket along with other planter potentials!

No more yard trimming around these planters! The porch pallets offer a flower bed border for easy upkeep with a yard trimmer.

Learn how to build the Orchard Crate / and turn it into a window box

Quaint front porch look!

 

I have some visions of perhaps planting some additional flowers or plants in the clay pots and galvanized planters, however I certainly don’t mind the low upkeep with just the perennial flower bed and 1 fern as is!

The grapevines growing over the shed and the tall sumac tree behind the shed take over plant-wise nicely all on their own anyway. And the mossy flower baskets provide a little pop of plant green as well!

Kinda has a potting shed vibe with the empty planters, doesn’t it?

Check out when I gave the garden shed a Potting Shed theme HERE

Other shed decking ideas:

 

Don’t have access to pallets? No problem! Here’s a few other ideas that can help you create your own version of a garden shed deck or porch!

• line the front of the shed with brick, cobblestone, or cement bricks
• place planks right on the ground like I did with THIS PALLET WALKWAY HERE
• cut away the turf, then fill in the bed with mulch, using stepping stones to stand on
• create metal decking or wire decking for a 100% weatherproof option
• line long pallet rack beams beside each other for one long, continued porch effect

Learn how to make the Garden Shed sign HERE

Find the Garden Shed stencil HERE

Yep. I really think these deck boards were just the right touch!

Visit: Pallet adirondack chairs HERE

Which tie in so nicely with the pallet adirondack chairs as well, don’t you think?

 

So is the little pallet garden shed finally complete?!

Well… there’s always the addition of some possible outdoor string lights or a lit solar lantern or two… but don’t you worry. If I add more, you’ll be the 2nd to know about it!

But currently as a simple pallet firewood shed, it’s working! Because nothing beats free storage… or should I say a free porch!

Now I think I need to build a bench somewhere so I can sit and stare at it… because it’s fun to look at!

Fun addition right?! Think you’ll beef up your own garden shed with a pallet porch of your own?

Questions and answers:

 

How long does pallet decking last?

 

Pallet decking can last a season or several years, depending how you build your pallet deck. You will get more durability if you protect the wood with a weather protectant of some kind, as well as set the pallets on something waterproof.

How do you waterproof a pallet deck?

 

I’d suggest look into tung oil options, however there are many other environmentally friendly products now on the market that may do the job perfectly, if you don’t mind coating the wood each year.

Which pallets are safe?

 

Any pallets that are heat treated and look relatively clean are the ones to choose. Any pallet that appears saturated in oils and are not stamped with heat treated will likely have chemicals that may be dangerous to step on of you go bare foot.

Read this to learn how to choose safe pallets: Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about pallets.

Visit all the simple pallet shed updates HERE

Other garden shed enhancing projects:

 

20 easy garden shed ideas to enhance your own!

How to add pallet details to revamped adirondack chairs

Create this easy pallet or reclaimed wood garden walkway

Build this super easy pallet garden walkway

See other pallet projects HERE

Visit other garden walkway ideas HERE

Check out many other outdoor projects HERE