How To Make Your Own Wooden Pallet Swimming Pool
22 Jun 2017
As the summer heats up, many of us will start to dream of a garden swimming pool, or at least a plunge pool to cool down in at the end of the day. However, for most, that’s all it will be – a dream. Space, construction time and costs are all factors, as is the great British weather. Is it really practical to invest hundreds or thousands of pounds into a pool in the UK? But for the more innovatively minded, or those with a ready supply of second hand wooden pallets, the answer has been staring them in the face all along.
Building a Luxury Pallet Swimming Pool
It doesn’t take much creativity to imagine how a temporary swimming pool can be constructed using used wooden pallets. Simply stand them up, secure them for stability, throw over a waterproof lining, add water and off you go. However, with trends in recycling and upcycling producing higher-quality reclaimed products, it wouldn’t be long before someone came up with a luxury version.
Step by Step
Firstly, you need to decide on the size and where your luxury pool will go. Then, using a shovel, remove the turf and level and flatten the area out. Next, lay a good thick tarpaulin over the ground and peg it into place. Your luxury swimming pool will be round rather than square. To get this shape, you will need ten second hand wooden pallets, standing upright to form a decagon.
Support them with bricks for now until the shape is right, and then make connectors out of short planks and nail into the top. Next, you will need rope or truck ties with a winch to circle the pallets, top and bottom, just like the metal rims on a beer barrel. More tarpaulin is needed to line the pool thoroughly to make it comfortable to stand in and also to protect the waterproof liner. Add a second layer of liner and staple everything down.
Now all you need to do is make it look like the luxury pool it really is. Cut ten planks the length of a pallet and angle the edges to make a nice decagon rim. This will be where you and your guests lean your arms, so make sure it is smooth and splinter-free. Wood panelling or rattan cane from a roll can be used to hide the pallets and give the outside of the pool a permanent look. Lastly, cover the tarpaulin on the ground back up with soil and grass turf, and simply fill the pool with water and enjoy. For warmer water, you can invest in a solar cover to heat the water, and a water filter might be a good idea too.
And Relax!
There are plenty of places to find second hand wooden pallets for sale, and tons of things you can do with them once you’ve got them. And maybe you’ll come up with some new ideas for pallets once you’re relaxing in your own luxury used pallet swimming pool.