pallet swimming pool
Brittany Hambleton
Brittany Hambleton
May 26, 2020 ·  4 min read

How To Build The Coolest Looking ‘Pallet Swimming Pool’ Ever, Using Only 40 Pallets!

Easypalletideas.com may have your next quarantine project sorted: the pallet swimming pool.

Whether it be a river, a pond, a lake, an ocean, or a pool, there is no better feeling than diving into cool, refreshing water on a hot summer day. Not all of us are lucky enough to live ocean or lake-side, however, nor do all of us have access to a public pool.

What’s more, not everyone feels comfortable at a public swimming pool. They can often be crowded, teeming with loud children who are kicking and splashing- a far cry from the relaxing pool experience you may be envisioning.

Others may have concerns about the hygiene of community swimming pools, wondering what other fluids they’ll be swimming around in other than water- like other people’s spit sweat, or worse.

At any rate, having your own private swimming pool is a much quieter and cleaner option, and since it’s in your own back yard you can use it anytime you like. And while having your own swimming pool may sound like a costly endeavor, it doesn’t have to be. With a little bit of know-how, some basic tools and a short list of materials, you can have your own pool ready just in time for the summer season.

Related: Minimalist Pallets Over Expensive Frames: 14 Creative Ideas To Design Your Pallet Platform

The Pallet Swimming Pool

The main materials that are required for this project are forty wooden pallets, a water pump, and a large tarp. A full list of materials is as follows:

  1. 40 Pallet Boards 
  2. Gaffa/Duct Tape Pool Liner 9m x 7m
  3. Plywood
  4. Steel Cable
  5. Metal Plates to Stabilize the Corners
  6. Clarke Spe800 Rated Pump
  7. Plastic Pipes for Water Transfer
  8. Coach Bolts with Nuts
  9. 75mm Steel Screws
  10. 2 Inches Nails
  11. Sanding Tools
  12. Cutting Tools
  13. Metal Brackets [1]

First, you have to create the boundary of the pool using the pallets, and then cover the interior with plywood sheets. Then, you have to surround it with support beams on the exterior, in order to ensure that the walls can withstand the pressure from the water once the pool is filled.

Metal plates and heavy-duty steel screws help to stabilize the corners, which tend to handle the bulk of the water pressure. Since the pool is above-ground, you will also want to install stairs using more pallets to reach the diving point of the pool.

Easypaletteideas.com suggests that once your pool is ready, to only fill it halfway, in case there are any leaks or problematic areas. If there are no leaks, you’re ready to fill your pool all the way up and cool off after all of your hard work.

For full instructions, visit easypaletteideas.com.

A Low-Cost Pool Option

While this does require a fair amount of work to set up, the biggest benefit to this type of pool is the cost-savings, since it can be made for very little expense. The biggest stumbling block for many, is where to get forty wooden pallets.

Luckily, easypalleteideas.com also provides helpful information for where to find these palettes for free. It may take a bit of time to collect them, but once you’ve got them all there’s not much else required.

Pet supply stores, food stores, hardware, and furniture equipment stores all use palettes to receive and transport goods. Once they’ve used these palettes, however, they often have no other use for them and they end up getting thrown away. A quick phone call to enquire about coming to pick them up is sometimes all you need to get your hands on several of these handy materials.

Other places to check are local businesses, housebuilders, and construction supervisors, who often have many of these lying around with no use for them- even your neighbors may have one or two if they’ve recently had anything delivered to their house [2].

Read: 12 Impressive Pallet Fence Ideas Anyone Can Build

Other Unique Swimming Pool Options

If collecting dozens of wooden palettes sounds like too much of a hassle for you, there are other unique do-it-yourself pool ideas out there that will help you to stay cool all summer long. Shipping containers, which are becoming increasingly popular in the world of sustainable housing, can be repurposed into a very stylish pool for your backyard.

Alternatively, you could look into getting a stock tank pool as a more affordable replacement to an in-ground or above-ground pool.

So if open water gives you chills, and public pools make your skin crawl, perhaps you can get a little crafty this summer and come up with your own solution to keep yourself cool this summer.

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