DIY Baby Gate from a Pallet

Materials needed:

• Pallet
• Reciprocating Saw
• Circular Saw
• Sander
• Stain
• 2 hinges (you can choose either 3 or 4 holed hinges, I chose 4 because more nails means more support. Also, I had 2 1/2" wood screws that did not come with the hinges but I used them ONLY when attaching to the wall, I used the ones that came with it to attach the hinges to the pallet. The gate is pretty heavy and the screws that came with the hinges were quite small. 
• handle of choice (I purchased this one from Lowe's for about $10. This is great because there is a lock on the inside handle. So if you have older children they can reach over to unlock, but the smaller ones can't. Works great for us!! 

1. Step One: Remove the front of the pallet using a reciprocating saw. Use a general purpose 9" blade (wood with nails blade) to cut right through the nails. If it doesn't cut pretty fast then you are cutting wood. You don't want to do this. You can wedge the blade between the wood to only cut through the nails. Now I left one piece of wood on the back as that is what holds all the slats together. 
   
2. Step Two: Decided the height and width you would like your gate to be. Since the width of my door frame was a little smaller than the pallet I was able to use the pallet just the way it was. I installed the gate a few inches off of the ground so our cat was able to go under neath it. I made the gate tall enough that no one can step over it. I alternated the height of each board, you can do this or make it the same height straight across.
   
    This is what it looked like after I removed the back and cut it to the height I wanted.
   
   
   Step Three: Sand, sand, sand........I used a 4x4" palm sander for the front and back, and used a single sheet of sand paper to sand in-between the slats. If you are using this as a baby gate like I did, then you want it to be so smooth so the children do not get any splinters.
   
   
   Step Four: Wipe down the gate with a dry towel to get all the dust off of it. If you choose to stain the gate, do so now. If you like the natural look, I recomend putting one coat of a varnish on it.
   
   
   Step Five: Put the handle and the hinges on the gate. I chose to put the hinges on the inside, but you could put on the outside as well. I purchased both the handle and hinges from Lowe's. Greatest thing about this handle is it locks from the inside. 
   
   
   Step Six: I did get help for hanging the gate. They held it at the height where I wanted it and I marked it off. Set aside and pre drill holes for the 2 1/2" wood screws. This is a picture after the gate has been hung. Enjoy your new baby gate!! I love ours and wouldn't trade it for any other kind!!!