Turn Your Old Pallets And Pavers Into A Wow-Worthy DIY Outdoor Bar

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

An elegant, functional outdoor bar can be one of the best ways to step up your barbecue game and make your backyard ready for summer fun. Unfortunately, the cost of a new outdoor bar can be surprisingly high — starting at around $1,000 for a prefabricated dry bar to $30,000 for a custom-built wet bar. Building any of your own outdoor furniture from the best wood can get expensive quickly. Luckily, you can make yourself a cute and functional bar using old pallets and paver stones.

You may have already found out how pallets can be great if you've been using them for cheap fencing material, but they're perfect for building bars as well. And unlike with a prefabricated bar, building your own means you can design it to perfectly fit the needs of you and your family. Whether that means sawing the pallets down for a shorter bar that's perfect for kids to serve lemonade from, making an extra long bar for when all your friends and extended family are over, or even building a covered bar with a pallet roof, your ideal bar is just a few pallets and a bit of work away. 

How many pallets you'll need depends on the style of bar you want to make. The number of pavers necessary also depends on the size of bar you want (and the size of your pavers). Regardless of the style of bar you're making, sand your pallets first to avoid splinters. It's up to you if you prefer to paint or stain your pallets before or after assembling the bar. You could even leave the pallets unpainted for a cool rustic look. 

A simple pallet bar can be made just by screwing two pallets together. This creates a bar that is the length of just one pallet, but twice as thick. A bar with a longer front can be created using three pallets. Secure two of the pallets together on their short sides to create a bar front that is twice the length of a pallet. You can then cut the third pallet in half and use it to create sides of the bar. This should create a stable structure. 

While you could simply use a piece of wood for the bar top, using pavers gives your bar a unique and stylish element. If you've recently used pavers to create a stair landing, you may even have some extras around. A product like Gorilla heavy-duty construction adhesive is perfect for gluing the pavers down. If your pallet bar seems a bit unstable, you may also want to glue pavers to the bottom for a base.