Pallet wood for indoor furniture
Indoors, the wood's history matters more because you live with it. Use HT-marked, unpainted pallets with no stains or odours, never MB-marked ones. Clean and dry the boards, sand with dust extraction and a mask, and seal them. If you can't tell what a pallet carried, leave it out.
Choosing boards
- HT stamp, no MB. HT is heat treatment, not chemical treatment (ISPM 15).
- No paint, no stain, no smell.
- Solid wood only; skip composite blocks.
Preparing them
- Scrub with detergent and water and let the boards dry fully.
- Remove every nail and staple.
- Sand outdoors or with dust extraction and a fitted mask.
- Seal with a finish suited to the use, especially for anything that touches food.
Leftovers
Offcuts of clean pallet wood can go to a wood recycler. Don't burn offcuts that have been finished or glued; EPA lists coated and glued wood among things never to burn (EPA Burn Wise).
Painted furniture pallets
A coloured or painted pallet is almost always a pooled pallet that belongs to its owner, so it isn't yours to cut up for furniture in the first place. Return it; see found a pooled pallet.
Sources
- ISPM 15: Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (2018 edition) IPPC / FAO. Accessed October 27, 2026. Annex 1: heat treatment (HT) to a minimum of 56 °C for 30 continuous minutes through the whole profile of the wood.
- Burn Wise: Best Wood-Burning Practices U.S. EPA. Accessed October 27, 2026.