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DIY Tufted Ikat Ottoman from Upcycled Pallet with Tutorial

By 246 Comments This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

If you are on Pinterest, it’s likely you have seen lots of various pallet projects.  Pallets are wooden squares that are used as bases to ship items.  They are usually reused or discarded, depending on the condition of the pallet.

For months I have been keeping an eye out for discarded pallets, so I would be able to make one of these fabulous upcycling projects I have seen over and over again.  Usually whenever I spot one that is being thrown away, it is in shambles and in no condition to upcycle.  Then, one day coming out of Kroger I noticed this pallet by the garbage…could it be?! It looked perfect from afar, but I felt like there must be something wrong with it since they were throwing it away.  I walked up to it and upon further inspection I really couldn’t find anything wrong with it.  In fact, the wood was basically brand new, and it looked like it had barely been used.  JACKPOT!!

I pulled up my car, picked up the pallet (it was heavy!), and tried to load it into my trunk.  Uh oh….big problem.  It wouldn’t fit in my trunk!!!  I thought, “Ok, I will just put it in the backseat, standing up along the floor!”…..it wouldn’t fit through the door!!!  This pallet was a lot larger than I was anticipating.  With no way to transport it, I put the pallet back, and sulked all the way back home.  Hours later, I couldn’t stop thinking about this pallet, and how I missed out on my chance to make something great!!  Ughhh!  Then, it dawned on me….I could maybe strap it to the roof of my car!  I grabbed a bunch of bungee cords, and took off, heading back to Kroger!!

I was really worried my entire drive there that either someone had taken it, or it wouldn’t be possible to put it on the roof.  It had also been raining very hard from the time I left it, so maybe it would be disgusting and slippery??  However, I pulled up and it was still there! Yes!!  I put a towel across the roof of my car so it wouldn’t get scratched up from the wood/nails, and headed over to pick it up.

Since it had been raining, the pallet was soaked, and there were little bugs (aka, my worst enemy) crawling all over it!!! Ughhh!!! No!!!!  I hit all the bugs off the pallet and picked up it. Um, did I mention this thing is heavy?? Luckily I was able to use my mega muscles and lift it up onto the roof, otherwise I would have been defeated again.

After I put it on the roof, I wrapped about 10 bungee cords around the sides and secured them through the windows to the inside of the car.  This pallet was not going anywhere.  I got into my car, and started to drive off, but not before I noticed 4 different people standing outside of their cars staring at me.  I looked like a legit crazy person….but I didn’t care!!! I had a vision!!  I drove on the slow side of the road all the way home, and when I pulled into the driveway, my husband was looking out the window shaking his head at me….

Did I cross the line?  Am I crazy?  I thought about taking photos while this whole process was going down, but I really actually felt super crazy and couldn’t bring myself to take any photos.

Anyway, let me tell you, it was worth it.  All of it.

So…you are probably wondering what ‘vision’ I had for this pallet.  Well, I immediately knew I wanted to turn it into an ottoman.  We had just found our new couch, and our coffee table was much too large for the couch.  We needed a smaller square table or ottoman.  I thought the pallet was the perfect size!  It wasn’t. It was too big, but I cut it down and then it was the perfect size (for real this time).

I am so excited to finally post about the ottoman!! I have been done for a few weeks now, but this is going to be a huge post, so I have been putting it off.  I am going to do my best to explain how I did it, but feel free to ask any questions you might have.  From the beginning, I had this vision of how I wanted the ottoman to look, and I thought it would be a pretty easy project….not so.  I was talked into tufting the ottoman, which added another level of difficulty (and a lot of research), but I am soooo happy that I did it.  Usually I wait till the end to show the final product, but I can’t wait! I am going to show you here, and then go step by step how I did it.

DIY Tufted Ottoman made from a Pallet! Only $70 for this HUGE ottoman! Great tutorial

Yay! I love it!

So I started off with the pallet:

See what I mean about it being in great condition?  The wood is practically new, and I would imagine that it was only used once…maybe twice, and for something minimal.

Next, I decided I needed to make it a bit smaller.  It was just a little too big for the space.  I cut it down to 36 inches by 30 inches.

You can see what both sides look like in this photo, and how I cut it down.  As you can see, the bottom side wasn’t totally filled in with wood, and I didn’t want any foam sinking into those gaps, or to have a hard time stapling the fabric on.  So I sanded the entire pallet really well (I wanted to get off all the yuckies), and then I added plywood to the bottom side:

I cut the plywood into 2 sections, so I could cover the entire pallet.  Then I nailed the plywood onto the base, and sanded the top of the plywood and along the outside edges.

After I did this step, things came to a stand still. My next step would be to upholster…however, I still had not decided on a fabric.  I went to a really nice fabric store and spent a lot of time going over the different fabrics they had.  Part of me wanted to match to the pillows, but then I was worried it would be too matchy matchy.  I started thinking maybe a solid color would work best…cream perhaps.  But then I thought about how dirty it would get with my toddler, and deep down I wanted a print.  I showed my pillows and couch to a designer at the fabric store, and she suggested a patterned textured fabric.  I ended up buying it, but regretted it immediately.

I decided to think about it for a few days, and then asked my 34 closest friends how they felt about it (this is not a joke).  Most people liked the fabric, but didn’t like it for this space.  The base color was really brownish, and I just didn’t like it for the ottoman either.  I felt like if I used this fabric, I would end up hating it and being mad about this whole project.  So, I returned it.  I had lots of suggestions from my friends….solid teal, solid purple, other patterns, cream, textured, chenille….so many options.  I was spending lots of evenings looking around at fabric online, and trying to find the perfect one.  Then, I found it.  I found a fabric that was exactly the same as the grey ikat print I have on a pillow already (see grey pillow below), except it had yellow as the base color, not grey.

Ding ding ding!!! We had a winner!  I placed the order, and then played the waiting game.  After about a week and a half the fabric came in and I knew I made the right choice.

Before I could do anything with the fabric, I had to go to Home Depot and have a piece of wood (thin wood, like plywood, really thin) cut to the exact measurement of the pallet.  I would use this wood to put on the top of the pallet, and secure the foam, batting, and fabric to it.  Next I purchased thick foam (can be found at Joann’s or any craft store), and batting (I used Morning Glory Great Glory Full Extra Loft Batting) as well.  I cut the foam to the exact size of the top of the pallet (I used the thin wood as an outline, since it is the same size).  After this, I used the thin wood to figure out where I would put my tufting buttons.  I measured everything out, and spaced 11 evenly on the board.  I marked where each one would go with a sharpie, and then drilled a small hole in the wood at each point.  I didn’t take many pictures of this process because I was on a roll and not really thinking about it.

I did make my own button using a button making thing from Amazon.  I really liked this brand because it came with the tool to make it, and it made it pretty easy. I read a lot of horror stories online though, about the buttons popping apart while doing the actual tufting-how frustrating. I nipped this in the bud but squirting a glob of Liquid Nails into the cover before securing the back on the button (if you make them, you will see what I mean).  I didn’t have any buttons pop apart-thank goodness!  I read a lot of tufting tutorials which helped me with the tufting and upholstering questions I had.  You can see them all here:

Welcome to the Mouse House (Upholstering)

Addicted 2 Decorating: How to Make a Diamond Tufted Headboard (tufting tutorial-great!!!)

All Things Thrifty- Diamond tufting tutorial

Ok, so next I layed the fabric face down on the carpet, and placed the batting on top of that.  I used Spray Adhesive to attach the thick foam to the wood, and then placed that on top of the batting (foam down, wood should be at the very top, facing you).

For this next part, I would recommend you have someone helping you.  Luckily I had both my mom, and my husband helping me, because I definitely could not have done this myself.  You need an upholstery needle (found at Joann’s or on amazon, I used the 2nd longest one), and very thick string (I used a thin cord).  I did the sides first, and then the middle.   I put the cord through the needle, then did a double layer (kind of like how you can to to thread when sewing), and tied a knot at the end.  I tied 3-5 more knots over that knot to make a large knot that would not be able to fit through the hole I drilled into the wood.  I put the needle through the wood, then poked it out the front (of the fabric).  Then I strung the button onto the cord, and came back through the same hole, out the back.  This was a little tricky, because you can’t really see where the needle is going.  I ended up putting my arm through the side and feeling where the needle needed to go.  It was hard, because of the spray adhesive, but I still did it.  When the needle comes out of the hole on the wood side again, then I tied more knots around the initial knot, ensuring it would not be pulled out.  There are lots of methods for securing the buttons (check out the tutorials I linked above), but this is what worked best for me.  I did each one, button by button, and it was very time consuming.  I had my mom and then my husband (they each helped with half) make sure that when the needle poked through the fabric, the fabric was tight and not bunched up anywhere, and that the button was being pulled to the same depth as the other buttons.  A couple times I had to go back and redo the buttons because they were not at the same depth (it looks silly if some are very deep, and some are not deep at all).  I did this over and over until I had all eleven buttons in place.

Next, I took the pallet and glued the left over foam to the sides. I didn’t want any hard edges poking out, so I thought this would help with having a softer cushion on the outside.  I also put the batting on top, so there are multiple layers of cushion.

By this time it was really late, and I had been working on this for hours, so I went to bed…..to be continued during nap time the next day!

So starting the next day, it was time to do the actual upholstering.  I turned the fabric back to the ground, and put the pallet on top of the wood backing.  I had to make sure that the side of the pallet I covered with plywood was facing up to me, so I had an even and solid surface to staple the fabric onto.  First, I pulled the batting tightly up and around, and stapled that all the way around.  Then I did the same with the fabric.

After this was done, my next step would be to attach the brackets that would hold the legs.  I had to stain the legs that I bought at Home Depot, and let them dry.

I stained them using leftover stain from our wood floors, and then after they were dry I used Minwax Soft Wax Paste to wax them.  I love how they came out.

While they were drying, I went back inside and attached the mounting brackets to the bottom of the ottoman. This was probably the easiest step. I made sure they were even, because I wanted the legs lined up with one another.

After the brackets were screwed in (the power drill is your friend here), I used a scrap piece of muslin to cover the bottom.  I didn’t want the bottom to be exposed or have the possibility of little toddler hands playing with those staples on the bottom.   I used hot glue to secure it around the bottom, tucking the edge under so it wouldn’t show.

Lastly, I used a pair of scissors to poke a little hole where the leg would screw in (you don’t need a big hole), and screwed the 4 legs into the brackets.  Voila!!! Done!!! Yessss!!!  Now, I know it’s not perfect, but I love how it turned out!

….my son loves it too!

Cost Breakdown (may contain aff. links):

Pallet: Free

Plywood for pallet backing: Free

Wood for foam support: $1.60

Foam: $7 (with 40% off coupon)

Batting: $10 (with 40% off coupon)

Button Covers: $4.99 (1/2 off coupon – don’t forget these!)

Fabric: $8.99 per yard x 2= $17.98, plus shipping= about $24

Legs: $3.65 x 4 = $14.60

Leg brackets: $2.38 x 4 = $9.52

Muslin scrap fabric: $1.20

Total: $72.91

Other things you might need (that I already had):

Upholstery Needle

Spray Adhesive

Liquid Nails

The total time it took to make this was probably around 4 hours.  I think it was well worth it!  What do you think?

If you like this project, go on over to Facebook and ‘like’ Domestic Superhero over there!

ATTENTION!!! This project is currently in a contest for Best Pallet Project on Bob Vila! If you like this, take a second and go vote for my Ottoman! I would totally appreciate it! UPDATE: I WON Bob Vila’s first round, and then championship round with this project!! Thank you for all your support!!!!

BVThmbBdge3

 

Like furniture DIYs as much as I do? Check out my other projects:

console11.jpg

DIY Dresser to TV Console

IMG_3979

DIY Dresser Refinishing Tutorial

04-Domestic-Superhero-DIY-Tufted-Ottoman-from-a-Pallet-with-Tutorial.jpg

DIY Tufted Ikat Ottoman from Upcycled Pallet with Tutorial

hutch99

Refinished Farmhouse Hutch Tutorial

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

– Allyson

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • arzea says

      Thank you, Dana!! I think I am going to work on a little side table next, and a paint company sent me all this free paint to do it…we shall see how it turns out!!

      Reply

      • Becky says

        Hi!! I love the ottoman! Which paint store sent you free samples? My next project is to paint and distress two end tables and that would be awesome! Thanks:)

        Reply

  4. now at home mom says

    WOW! WOW! WOW! What a beautiful piece you created! It looks amazing! & Yes all your efforts were worth it! You did put a lot of efforts getting the pallet, but again, so worth it! I wonder what the people in the street were thinking when they saw you 🙂 I don’t even know where to start about everything I like about your project: the palette (amazing condition, you lucky), the fabric is beautiful (good choice), the legs (love how they turned out after you stained them). Looks great in your living room! 🙂 Another amazing project you did! I’m glad, I follow your blog, you always keep it interesting! 🙂

    Reply

    • arzea says

      Thank you so much for your sweet comment Kristen!! I am so happy with how it came out, and am happy that i ended up choosing the yellow ikat print!

      Reply

  8. De'nise says

    Beautiful and your hard work definately paid off. LOVE IT! I really enjoy reading your blogs and how you always have such wonderfully detailed instructions. 😉

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      Your project turned out awesome, too! Lucky for you that your husband helped you out…mine was thinking of sending me to the loony bin 😉

      Reply

  19. Claire says

    You did a fabulous job creating this ottoman and it looks perfect in your room- great fabric choice- wanted you to know I featured this on my Saturday favorites- have a great weekend! Claire

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      I actually ended up buying some foam from Target that was meant for a dorm room bed. It was on clearance so I scooped it up!

      Reply

  26. megan says

    Oh my gosh, I love this! It turned out fabulous! My son would love something like this too! Its funny I was thinking that while I was reading your post and then saw the pic of your son :). Where did you end up buying the fabric? I am in the market for some new curtains.

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      Thanks! He loooves climbing on it and sitting on it, it’s so funny. We always had a table there before, so I didn’t know he would react that way! I ended up finding the fabric at Denver fabrics, online. Their shipping was decent and the price was unbeatable (I checked everywhere), at $9 a yard!

      Reply

    • Allyson says

      Thank you for stopping by my blog, Ginger! I hopped over and love your space! I linked up, and can’t wait for your next party! I want to get in on these linky parties too…was it pretty easy?

      Reply

  30. Amanda says

    Fabulous project! I love how it turned out. Come over to my house and make one, please? 🙂 Thanks for sharing at I Made It! Monday. Be sure and grab a featured button when you link up this week.

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      Hi Jessica…I used a foam that was meant for a dorm size bed, like the foam cushion that goes on top. I cut it in half, then put the egg crates facing each other so it would be flat on the outside. It was just over $7 on sale at Target. However, I think if you are going to buy some foam at Joann’s…you should look for 3-4 inch foam, and use a 50% off coupon on it. They have them online everywhere. You could also check hobby lobby, and use their coupons, too. Good luck!

      Reply

  36. Jann Olson says

    Your ottoman turned out darling! Let me tell you it cost a heck of alot less than my purchased big round ottoman in my family room. Your hard work really paid off! Thanks so much for sharing it with Share Your Cup. I will be featuring you this week.
    Hugs,
    Jann

    Reply

  40. Peggy-PJH Designs says

    Wow Allyson! What a story! And what an ottoman! I’m so glad you didn’t give up on it. Thanks so much for sharing on Transformed Tuesday! I’m featuring you later tonight and by the way your son is adorable! Hugs, Peggy

    Reply

  43. Julie Boarder says

    I just came across your blog on The Rustic Pig and I love your ottoman. Very funny story btw and I can’t believe what good condition your pallet was in. I have a pallet sitting beside my garage which I had my husband rush to collect in his van so I wouldn’t lose it to someone else…but now I don’t know what to do with it! Perhaps an ottoman is in our future…

    I’m now following you, thanks for the inspiration,
    Julie

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      Thanks for the sweet words, Julie. It was quite the event getting that darn pallet home…but, I am really happy I did it…and would likely do it again, lol! I can’t wait to see what you do with your pallet! Please, please keep me updated!

      Reply

  46. Lacey S says

    Great tutorial thank you! I just went over to fb and liked your page. I have had a pallet in my garage since our flooring was delivered last year. We are currently remodeling our basement and if the sectional we pick out doesn’t haven’t have an ottoman, I am so doing this!

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      Thanks for stopping by, Lacey!! I would love to see your final product!! Thanks for the like on Facebook and be sure to update me! I can’t wait to see it!

      Reply

  47. De'nise says

    LOVE-love following your blog! Your instructions and pictures on each project
    are presented so clearly with a sense of humor too. 🙂
    Thanks so much for inspiring me!

    Reply

  48. adventuresofaprincess says

    I love this tutorial! I definitely want to do something like this once the boyfriend and I move to a bigger place. Out of curiosity, do you have any problems with it tipping over because the legs are in so far? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      That is so funny that you asked me that, because I never even thought of that!! It has never tipped over, and the legs aren’t in very far…maybe 2 inches…maybe. It’s super sturdy and me, my son, and my husband regularly sit on it!

      Reply

  54. Ariela says

    What an amazing detailed tutorial. Love everything about this. I also have a grey couch and yellow accents throughout the living room. I have a cheap coffee table right now and have been wanting to change it out for an ottoman. Now to find a pallet (hopefully from work!) and pick out some fabric!

    Reply

  56. apeach4jessie says

    I am thinking of trying this. I already have 2 pallets on hand from an abandoned platform bed idea (my son decided he didn’t like the idea) so what I think I’d like to do is find a way to make your ottoman into a storage ottoman instead of adding legs. What do you think?

    Reply

  57. Linda says

    I think this is amazing! Who would have thought? The pallet that you picked up was exceptional, too. The pallets around here are much thinner wood and broken looking, but it’s still fun picking them up. I remember seeing a desk on the side of the road. It was an old oak desk and I wasn’t leaving without it (that’s what I told my husband) and it went on top of the mustang I was driving at that time. To this day, it is my husband’s favorite piece of furniture.

    Take care, Linda

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      I know, pallets in good condition are so hard to find. That is so funny about the desk…that’s always how it goes, right? Thanks for stopping by, Linda!

      Reply

    • Allyson says

      Thank you so much! I will definitely be back! I am going to start up a party tomorrow, so I hope you stop by and link up, too!

      Reply

  72. jocieopc says

    Hey Allyson, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! pallet projects are the best! You will be featured tonight at The Humble Brag, plus, you along with all our other features will receive The Better Half tshirts. Email me with your shirt size and address so I can send it straight away! 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up!

    Reply

  77. Mel {MamaBuzz} says

    Love this, and love even more that you made it out of a pallet! My husband used pallets to make our boys a playhouse/treehouse. Your ottoman is so beautiful; I love the color. Thanks so much for linking up to Inspire Me Wednesday! Featuring you in this week’s issue.:)

    Reply

  78. Sabrina says

    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!! I want the exact same fabric!! I also love your couch and am trying to find one like it. Where did you purchase yours??

    Reply

  80. Anne @ Domesblissity says

    Hi Allyson, what a clever girl you are. An excellent tutorial. I might even give this one a go myself. Thanks so much for linking up at Thriving on Thursdays. I’m featuring this at tomorrow’s party. Anne xx

    Reply

  85. Mallory says

    I am doing sorta the same thing but outside furniture, but we don’t know where to get cheapER outside material other then our expensive fabric store around town, do you know of a good site or somewhere to buy not so expensive weather proof material, or am I just out a pretty penny?:) I love the finished product, looks pretty perfect to me! And what a good inspiration! Thanks for the idea&tips

    Reply

  88. Judy says

    You did an amazing job. I created an ottoman about a year ago and tried to do the button tufting and I was one of those people who, while we stopped for a dinner break, heard the buttons popping one by one. It was a terrible, yet somehow hilarious, thing. I wish I had known about the liquid nails idea. I just have an ottoman without tufting now. Love your fabric choice as well!

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      omg, I would have died! I did so much research and it seemed like everyone said that the buttons come off so I decided I needed to fix it before it even happened! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  91. Brandie says

    I am tackling this project now and am looking back over your foam choice….after purchasing 3 inch foam, based on your “thick foam”. I should have looked at your pictures better, it looks like you actually used egg crate foam??

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      The foam you bought should be perfect for this project. I used egg crate foam, which I put on top of one another (so the eg crate part would not be sticking out, but make into more like the solide foam), because it was on clearance…which I think I also mentioned in the post. The foam you are using will be perfect and better than what I used! Please share some pictures on my facebook page after you are finished! I Would love to see the final product!

      Reply

  92. mariebamer says

    Do you know the exact name of the fabric that you ordered from Denver Fabrics? I am looking for the yellow base color and am only finding fabrics available in the grey base. Yellow would work best with my existing furniture but cant find it anywhere online! Help!

    Reply

  94. Shannon says

    How funny! We just bought the same couch (same color) and 2 of the pillows I made for it were using the same fabric you have right in the corner. We clearly have good taste. 😉 I’ve been telling my husband that our rectangular coffee table does not work anymore, so this ottoman may be a good compromise to buying a new table.

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      What a coincidence! We do have good taste! The ottoman is a perfect solution for the sectional and it’s held up incredibly well! If you make one, please visit the Domestic Superhero Facebook Page and share some pictures! I would love to see it! Good luck!

      Reply

  95. Clare Harper says

    Saw pallets at my neighbor’s house….it’s vacant and there are guys working over there….well, I went over and asked if I could have a pallet if they weren’t keeping it! They gladly gave me one which is in decent condition and the guy carried it over to my house for me! I plan on carrying bungee cords in my car if I ever spy another one! Thanks for the great tutorial!

    Reply

    • Allyson says

      SCORE! What a nice guy to do that for you! I HIGHLY recommend having bungee cords in your car at all times, just in case the perfect pallet (or something else) comes along!

      Reply

  100. Kathy Masini says

    Love this idea. I might try it with a waterproof fabric for the front porch. JUST A SMALL SUGGESTION to make the buttons and tufting easier to measure…I used a peg board for this when I made my headboard. Make this one step faster and easier. Thanks for this great idea..

    Reply

  103. SammiJo@JUSTAIRCOMPRESSOR says

    Oh wow, what a neat thing to do with the pallets. I’m amazed at just how creative people have been in using pallets instead of throwing them out. It seems like pallets can be reused for other things instead of just staking things on them

    Reply

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