Be creative with wood and learn how to paint a pallet! (2024)

FAQs

Should I prime pallets before painting? ›

No two pallets are the same, and as such you're likely to see slightly different results on the surface of each piece. If this sounds good to you, that's great! If it doesn't we recommend you use a primer before applying your paint.

If the pallet is being used outside, the best things to use are oil based. Either an oil based stain or oil paint, it will hold up better since pallets are not made with the best of woods. Good luck. Any paint will work but may want to prime first so wood doesn't soak up all your paint.

LIGHT TO DARK OR DARK TO LIGHT (CLASSICAL) PALETTE

With this palette you lay out in the following order – yellows, reds, violets, greens, blues, browns, black and titanium white. You can also put the white first. The dark to light is just in the opposite way starting with your blacks, browns, blues and so on.

Traditional wooden palettes for oil painting have stood the test of time because they are lightweight and strong and when they have a smooth, hard surface they are a delight to paint with. You can buy a fully-finished palette or an un-finished one that simply requires you to add a few coats of oil to be ready to use.

You can start by just selling one size pallet or you can start with selling multiple sizes of pallets. Some of the harder to find sizes can sell for higher prices and you can make more money. If you try to find pallet buyers on your own you will need to be a good sales person.

Pallet sizes will always play a major role in determining the sellback value of your used pallet supply, and the general rule here is that standard sizes like 48×40 and 48×45 will have higher sellback values as compared to custom sized pallets that are less useful for other businesses.

Selling products from pallets gives you a profit margin around 30-40% per sale. Liquidation pallets should contain, on an average, 70% products in functional condition ranging from “as new” to “dented” or “scratched” product condition levels.

What happens if you don't prime bare wood is not pretty. Similar to new drywall, raw wood soaks up paint like a sponge. As a result, your surface will look blotchy since pores in the woodwork unevenly absorb the paint. More importantly, the painted wood will likely peel in two or three years without primer.

A classical palette is most often oval, but can also be rectangular, and is tapered to ensure optimal distribution of weight. It has a thumbhole and insert for brushes, and is designed to be held in the non-dominant hand while the other is used to mix and paint.

Red pallets: pool PECO (The Pallet Exchange Company from the USA) Blue pallets: pool CHEP (Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool from Australia) Brown pallets: pool IPP (IPP Logipal from Europe)

Why are pallets painted red? ›

Whenever you see a red or coloured pallet specifically it means it belongs to a company and is on a rental system. Those types of pallets are not specifically for sale. If you are caught using these without permission there could be implications of unauthorised use.

Over the years, people have asked why CHEP pallets are blue? The answer is that CHEP paints its pallets blue. CHEP uses blue as a pallet color coding aid as well as a marketing advantage. The blue color makes its pallets easier to identify.

The most common way to lay out ones palette is from light to dark; whites, yellows, reds, browns, blues, blacks. Squeeze your paint at the edge of the palette so you have access to the largest area. Similarly spread your colours out around the palette.

The basic idea is to have a flat, non-porous container (with low sides so you can get in there with a palette knife to mix your paints), lined with a soft absorbent material (soaked with water) which is then topped by a paper that will allow a very small of moisture to penetrate, keeping your paint wet.

Go over the pencil lines with a Pabeo Ink pen. (I initially tried using a Sharpie but found that the wood just soaked up the ink). The Pabeo pens are brill because you can write on most surfaces with them, even scratchy pallet wood. To get the letters clear you will need to trace over them three or four times.