Where is the best place to find free pallets

[Roger Feeley]

New house/new shop. I'm thinking of breaking up a LOT of pallets and covering the shop walls.
Home Depot want's $15/pallet so that's a non-starter. I think more businesses are sending pallets back.
Are there any types of businesses that would tend to give them away?

If I do this, I would need about 130 pallets.

[Paul Follett]

I have gotten te from a local tile store for free, but I have never needed ... or wanted to break down 130.

[Brian Henderson]

Around here it's really difficult because most shipping companies are "buying back" pallets they send out for a quarter each so virtually no businesses are letting them go.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Check with the receiving/shipping departments at local hospitals or businesses. I saw 2 guys who regularly picked them up for free at a local medical center. A lot of hospital supplies arrive on pallets.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Asking around your local area would be the best way to get leads, I would think.

[Roger Feeley]

Heck, I'd give them a quarter for them. I just don't want to give $15. If they are that expensive, I just won't bother.


Around here it's really difficult because most shipping companies are "buying back" pallets they send out for a quarter each so virtually no businesses are letting them go.

[Roger Feeley]

I know that sounds like a lot but I'm thinking of covering the walls of a 1200 sq ft basement shop with the stuff. I think it could look really great. Maybe throw a coat of floor varnish over it...

check this out: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/359584351471531595/
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(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/359584351471531595/)

[Dennis Peacock]

Around here, it's getting harder and harder to find "free" pallets. Most places I've asked want $6 each for them.

[Jerome Stanek]

If there are any CVS pharmacies going in try them. When I was installing their fixture and casework I would have a hard time getting rid of them.

[John K Jordan]

I found more than I can use at a local electrical supply house. I use them to keep stacks of hay bales off the floor in my storage building.

Your post reminded me of a picture I saw going around once about people making use of old pallets:
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But seriously, I do salvage wood from pallets for woodturning. I discovered a local granite kitchen counter company gets their slabs from overseas on big pallets made from thick lumber. These are often made from unidentified but heavy "exotic" woods, some with spectacular color and figures. And it is all free since all the pallets get ripped apart and thrown into a big bin inside the shop.

JKJ

[Richard McComas]

In my area I often see free pallets under the free section of CL. It would take long to get enough for a wall here.

Example:https://anchorage.craigslist.org/zip/5496219620.html

https://anchorage.craigslist.org/zip/5445527954.html

https://anchorage.craigslist.org/bfs/5452876592.html

[Raymond Fries]

+1 for Craigslist. I see adds here for them to pickup. You might also put an add in Craiglist in the wanted section.

Good Luck.

[Jon Nuckles]

I see them all the time on Craigslist's free section here in the Chicago area. Often posted with "fire wood" in the title, though I have seen it suggested that they are treated (against bugs or mildew?) and should not be burned. Don't know if that is true, nor whether the treatment would mean that they shouldn't be used for your wall.

[Brian Elfert]

A local hardware store that sells a lot of power equipment is often giving away crates and pallets that the equipment arrives on.

[Tim Boger]

Put a WTB ad in your local Craigslist, I'm sure there are plenty of business's that would be thankful to have their collection taken away.

[Fred Perreault]

Here on the Cape there are pallets galore that go wanting for a home. Landscape supplies, gardening supplies, pipe and plumbing supplies, golf courses, and more. The vendors usually don't want to have to handle the pallets again, as they can buy new ones from the tree trashing companies cheaper than the cost of handling multiple times of the used ones. The heavier, thicker stock pallets might be returnable, but rarely. The issue is the variable sizes and thhickness of the stock they use for pallets. There are small ones, big ones, thin ones fat ones, stapled ones nailed ones, very rough sawn ones smooth ones.... well, you get the picture. Years ago, when they used mahogany frequently for pallets, I was making all kinds of stuff from them. + for Craigslist

[Sam Murdoch]

Take a vacation to Maine. Bring a trailer. Our local transfer station has them come in my the truck load for processing through the chipper. You are free to load as others are unloading. Recycling at its best.

[Erik Loza]

Back when I did retail management, there were two types of wooden pallets. The "plain white ones", that nobody seemed to care what happened to. We would see guys drive aroung in pickup trucks behind all the building in our strip malls, collecting those. It was funny: Some tiny Toyota pickup with a dozen pallets stacked in the bed, tied with rope.

The second type of pallet was called a "chep" pallet. Maybe it said chep on the side? Anyhow, these were spray painted blue and appararently, corporate paid a deposit for them. They were sturdier and heavier than the pine pallets and used those terrible spiral nails. We were under orders to lock those up and they were to be returned to the distribution center on the next truck. Also, I heard the places that bought pallets wouldn't touch them. Not sure if that was true but mentioning this because I see those blue chep pallets all over the place, now, so it must still be a "thing".

Erik

[Brian Henderson]

Heck, I'd give them a quarter for them. I just don't want to give $15. If they are that expensive, I just won't bother.

There used to be a time where there were pallets everywhere, they were disposable. Then people realized that it was expensive to keep buying new ones and shipping companies wanted them returned and were willing to pay a premium (or, more likely, just give credit against the delivery costs) to get them back. Now they're really hard to find and the ones you do find are poor quality and in bad condition.

[Walter Plummer]

Around here they are behind almost any industrial park building. That said most of them are very thin and poor quality wood. Not sure you would get much usable material.

[Paul Follett]

Back when I did retail management, there were two types of wooden pallets. The "plain white ones", that nobody seemed to care what happened to. We would see guys drive aroung in pickup trucks behind all the building in our strip malls, collecting those. It was funny: Some tiny Toyota pickup with a dozen pallets stacked in the bed, tied with rope.

The second type of pallet was called a "chep" pallet. Maybe it said chep on the side? Anyhow, these were spray painted blue and appararently, corporate paid a deposit for them. They were sturdier and heavier than the pine pallets and used those terrible spiral nails. We were under orders to lock those up and they were to be returned to the distribution center on the next truck. Also, I heard the places that bought pallets wouldn't touch them. Not sure if that was true but mentioning this because I see those blue chep pallets all over the place, now, so it must still be a "thing".

Erik

I just ran across this and found it intresting...

Blue pallets: pool CHEP (Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool from Australia)

more info http://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/