Deco in an industrial palette, battery in the recovery trend, by the side. But do these wooden pallets, often picked up in the street or on construction sites, represent a danger? Here are the precautions to take.
Wooden pallets lend themselves to many diversions. When they are not used to create an original garden furniture, they mute at the head of the singular bed, in a bench for the terrace or can serve as a coffee table or a back -up box for an artist loft room. Intended for the basis for the transport of goods and processed, the wooden pallets do not have the primary vocation of entering our interiors and being in permanent contact with us. So here The precautions to take to enjoy a recovered decor ‘ without risk.
Prefer single -use pallets
There are different types of pallets. THE Single use pallets are recognizable because they are lighter and finer than the other pallets. These are left raw and the wood is not treated. There is therefore no contraindication and the pallets and its boards can be used without risk.
How to decipher the marking of pallets?
The heavier palettes (approximately 30 kg) used on construction sites are standardized, marked and often have a size of 120 x 80 cm. These are the most interesting to use because of their size and resistance, but you have to be vigilant and decipher the marking present on the boards.
- On the first line, we find the country of the supplier (ex: FR for France), the region (ex: PC for Poitou-Charentes, HR for Rhône-Alpes) and the registration number of the company allocated by the Regional Plant Protection Service).
- The second line specifies the type of treatment that wood has undergone. HT means that the palette has been thermally treated And thus heated to more than 50 ° C for 30 minutes to prevent the development of insects. This treatment is safe for humans, since no product has been used. This type of treatment is today in force and therefore the pallets that you will find abandoned, on construction sites or which you can recover from parking lots of large brands or from merchants will present this across the most part. Be careful, if you see the acronym MB, which means methyl bromide, a toxic gas for menused in the past for the treatment of pallets, do not take possession of these pallets.
How to check the condition of the palette?
Although the palette is marked with the HT acronym and it does not present a danger, Be careful about the general condition of the wood. If it is damaged or has bursts, sanding and a layer of varnish may be necessary to be able to use it without risks. Also, since the pallets are used daily in construction sites or for the transport of goods, inspect that wood is not marked with tar, engine oil or any other substance. If in doubt, abstain!
Where to buy commercial palettes?
No need to look for pallets in the street, in parking lots or with neighborhood merchants. DIY brands, such as Leroy Merlin, offer untreated wooden palletsusing the dimensions and the pace of the site pallets, at reasonable prices. Enough to give in to the recovery decoration without risk and without tinkering too much.
