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Pallet Coat Rack With Bench: An Entryway Wall From Two Pallets

ByCozy Room Co Published
A bare sage-green entryway wall with a white pallet leaning on it next to the finished pallet coat rack with a cushioned crate bench.
The same wall with two white pallets, a box shelf, coats on black hooks and a cushioned crate bench
Slide the line to compare Same wall, two days later. Now it holds coats, boots and a bench.Save

Picture a wet November evening. You come in the door, drop your bag on a hook, sit on a soft cushion to pull off your boots, and slide them into a cubby underneath.

The lantern on the shelf above is already glowing. A neighbor dropping off a parcel looks at the wall and asks, "Where did you buy that?"

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That's the pallet coat rack with bench from our video. Two pallets stand one above the other, screwed into the wall, with a white box shelf on top, a row of hooks and two crates with a cushion as the bench. You can build it yourself in a day, plus a night for the paint to dry. With free pallets, it all comes to about $135 to $165.

When a pallet entryway video goes around, the comments ask the same things. What holds it to the wall? Are those real pallets? Isn't it a dust trap? Every answer is below, with 7 steps and a picture for each, plus the five mistakes that make a pallet wall wobble, smell or pull away from the wall.

At a glance

  • Time: a day of work, plus a night for the paint to dry
  • Skill: beginner. You sand, paint and drive long screws with a drill.
  • Cost: about $135 to $165 with free pallets, not counting tools
  • Best time to build: now. On Pinterest, searches for pallet projects run highest in mid November. Built this month, it's ready before wet boots and winter coats start piling up by the door.
Watch the whole build (23 seconds).
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If you buy one thing

Start with a non-slip bench cushion

The cushion is what turns two crates into a seat, and a non-slip back keeps it from sliding every time someone sits to pull off boots.

See options on Amazon →

How the Pallet Coat Rack Goes Together

Diagram of the pallet coat rack from the front: two pallets screwed into the studs, a box shelf on top, six hooks, two crates with a cushion, and the heights under an 8-foot ceiling.

The pallets never just lean. Every pallet is screwed into the wall studs, so the whole wall holds coats, bags and a full shelf.

  1. Two matching pallets stand one above the other, each screwed into the studs through its thick crosswise boards.
  2. A white box shelf sits on top, screwed up into the top pallet, so it can't slide when someone grabs a coat.
  3. Two crates lie on their sides at the foot of the wall, screwed together, with a cushion on top: a low bench with two cubbies.

In the original video, the screws seem to vanish into a brick wall. Here every screw goes through the pallet's thick boards into a stud, and you can see where each one went.

What You Need, and What It Costs

A woman lifting a white pallet up a sage wall onto another pallet, with crates, a rolled cushion, a box and a drill waiting nearby.
  • Wood pallets, two matching ones, about 48 by 40 inches, stamped HT.
  • Wooden crates, two, about 18 inches wide, for the bench.
  • Bench cushion, about 36 inches long, with a non-slip back.
  • 1×6 boards, two 8-foot boards, for the box shelf.
  • Coat hooks, six black ones, with their screws.
  • Wood screws, a box of 3-inch screws, plus 1 1/4-inch screws for the shelf and crates.
  • Paint and primer in one, one quart of warm white, and a small roller.
  • Sandpaper, 80 and 120 grit, and a sanding block.
  • Tools: drill with bits, stud finder, level, tape measure, saw, step stool, work gloves and safety glasses. A dust mask helps while you sand.

What it costs: about $135 to $165 in all with free pallets, not counting tools. That's with prices we found at US stores on October 20, 2026. The crates are about $29 for two and the cushion about $35 to $40. The shelf boards are about $31, the paint about $15 to $20, and the hooks, screws and sandpaper about $25 to $45.

Two buying tips:

  1. Ask a local garden center or hardware store for free pallets, and pick two the same size. Look for the HT stamp, and skip any stamped MB or with stains or a smell.
  2. Measure before you build. Two 40-inch-tall pallets plus the shelf stand about 87 inches, so they fit under an 8-foot ceiling. Taller pallets may not.

Step 1: Screw the Lower Pallet Into the Studs

Close-up of a hand driving a long screw with a drill through the side of a white pallet into the wall.
  1. Sand both pallets until no splinters catch a cloth, then wipe off the dust.
  2. Paint them white, two coats, and let them dry overnight.
  3. Mark the studs on the wall with the stud finder.
  4. Stand the first pallet against the wall, long side across, and check it with the level.
  5. Drive a 3-inch screw wherever a thick crosswise board crosses a stud.

Watch out: never screw a pallet into the drywall alone. A tall, heavy unit can pull away and tip, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It campaign explains why tall pieces need a firm fix to the wall.

Step 2: Stack the Second Pallet and Screw It

A woman on a step stool driving a screw through the top of the upper white pallet into the wall.
  1. With a helper, lift the second pallet onto the first, edges lined up.
  2. Check it with the level, then hold it flat against the wall.
  3. From the step stool, drive a 3-inch screw wherever a crosswise board crosses a stud.

Watch out: get a helper for this one. A pallet is heavy and awkward above your waist, and one slip can dent the wall or your foot.

Step 3: Fix the Box Shelf on Top

A woman reaching up with a drill to screw a white box shelf onto the top of the stacked pallets.
  1. Cut the 1×6 boards into a long top, a bottom and two short ends, the same width as the pallets.
  2. Glue and screw them into an open box, then paint it white.
  3. Set it on top of the upper pallet and screw up through its bottom into the pallet, every 12 inches.

Watch out: don't just set the shelf on top. A loose shelf slides when someone tugs a coat off a hook below it.

Step 4: Set Two Crates for the Bench

A woman sliding a second white wooden crate on its side next to the first at the foot of the pallet wall.
  1. Lay the two crates on their sides at the foot of the wall, open faces out.
  2. Push them together, centered under the pallets.
  3. Screw them to each other through the touching sides with 1 1/4-inch screws.

Watch out: join the crates before anyone sits on them. Loose crates slide apart, and the cushion goes with them.

Step 5: Screw on a Row of Hooks

A woman on a step stool screwing a row of black hooks onto the top white pallet.
  1. Mark six hook spots in a row along the top pallet's lower crosswise board, about 5 inches apart and clear of the wall screws.
  2. Drill a small pilot hole at each mark.
  3. Screw each hook on, and tug it to check it's firm.

Watch out: put the hooks on the thick crosswise board, not on a thin face board. Thin boards split when a heavy bag swings on them.

Step 6: Lay the Cushion on the Crates

A woman pressing a long terracotta cushion flat onto two white crates at the foot of the pallet wall.
  1. Wipe the crate tops clean.
  2. Lay the cushion along the crates, ends even.
  3. Press it flat, and check it doesn't slide when you sit.

Watch out: pick a cushion with a non-slip back, or put a rug gripper under it. A smooth cushion on painted wood slides every time you sit down.

Step 7: Fill the Shelf, Hooks and Cubbies

A woman crouching to set a pair of tan boots and a pair of black boots into the cubby under the cushioned bench.
  1. Hang the everyday coats and bags on the hooks.
  2. Set boots in one cubby and a basket for hats and gloves in the other.
  3. Put light things on the top shelf: a few books, a battery lantern, a small plant.

Watch out: keep heavy things low. Books and a lantern are fine up top, but a heavy box on the shelf makes the wall top-heavy.

The Mistakes That Make It Fail

A woman on a step stool setting a black lantern on the white box shelf above the pallet wall, with books at the other end.

People who see a pallet entryway wall look for what's wrong. These five give it away in seconds:

  1. Screws in drywall only. Every pallet goes into the studs, a screw wherever a crosswise board crosses one.
  2. An MB pallet. Only HT-stamped, clean pallets come indoors.
  3. Lifting the top pallet alone. Get a helper and a step stool.
  4. A shelf that just sits there. Screw it up into the top pallet.
  5. Loose crates and a sliding cushion. Screw the crates together, and use a non-slip cushion.

Get those five right, and the wall looks like it was built in.

Keep the Pallet Wall Clean and Steady

A smiling woman sliding a woven basket into the cubby under the cushioned bench, boots in the other cubby and coats on the hooks.
  • Run a vacuum brush down the pallet gaps every week or two. Dust collects there, and that's the honest downside.
  • Touch up scuffed paint near the hooks once a year.
  • Check the wall screws each fall, and tighten any that turned loose.
  • Wash the cushion cover when it looks tired, and empty the boot cubby of grit.

Then hang up your coat, sit down, and let the next guest ask where you bought it.

Watch this build, and the next ones, on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

Start here

Want a soft seat by the door before the wet boots of November? Start with the cushion: the rest is free pallets and an afternoon.

See options on Amazon →

FAQ

Are Pallets Safe to Use Indoors?

Pallets stamped HT were heat treated, with no chemicals, so they're the ones to bring inside. Skip any stamped MB, and any with stains or a smell.

How Do You Attach a Pallet to the Wall?

Screw through the pallet's thick crosswise boards into the wall studs, one 3-inch screw wherever a board crosses a stud. Drywall alone won't hold it.

What Size Is a Standard Pallet?

The most common size in the US is 48 by 40 inches. Stood with the long side across, two of them stack to about 80 inches.

Where Can I Get Free Pallets?

Garden centers, hardware stores and small shops often give them away. Ask first, and pick two that match.

Isn't a Pallet Wall a Dust Trap?

A little, yes. A quick pass with a vacuum brush every week or two keeps the gaps clean.

How Much Does a Pallet Coat Rack With Bench Cost?

About $135 to $165 with free pallets, at US store prices in October 2026. The crates and the cushion are most of it.

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