Pallets are the ubiquitous and often overlooked backbone of the retail and logistics sectors. Many old pallets are disassembled and used to make remanu-factured pallets. Some are ground up for mulch, fuel or other purposes. Brandon Bolton looks at old pallets and sees a second chance, and an opportunity to produce something beautiful.
“I had always seen a lot of pallets sitting around in dumpsters and on the side of the road. It made me think that I wanted to repurpose them into something that I like,” said Bolton of his interest in pallets. After a stint in the Army as an explosive ordinance disposal technician, Bolton dabbled in sales for various companies, but never felt completely satisfied with his career.
“I absolutely hated it,” he laughed. With pallets, though, Bolton can dictate his own hours, and his creativity is limited only by the tools in his shop. His pallet creations focus on interior pieces and furniture such as coffee tables and end tables. One of his most popular pieces is a dry bar topped with a double epoxy compound finish. The top coat provides temperature protection up to 400 degrees and also resists moisture, which is an added bonus for mixing cocktails. “I get a lot of satisfaction from people when they finally see the items that I’ve built for them.”
Most of the pieces he crafts take a minimum of seven or eight hours to complete. Even then, Bolton finds it difficult to step away from a project and consider it finished. “Every piece takes a different amount of time because I’m always tweaking things a little bit here and there,” Bolton explained. Although most of the pieces typically fall into a general category of tables, benches or chairs, each product is distinctly unique, which Bolton considers one of his trademarks. “All of my pieces are one of a kind because each of them I design a little bit differently,” he added.
Bolton’s customers are often amazed at the refinement and definition of the final product. His Facebook site, www.Rvapalletart.com, overflows with accolades and gratitude for his craftsmanship. “I’m my hardest critic,” Bolton said, “I don’t think anything I do looks 100%, but then my customer sees it, and they’re just floored by the final product.”
Still, Bolton finds it difficult to walk away from a project, and often enlists a second opinion from his wife, Sarah. “She will tell me when most of the stuff is done,” he chuckled. “I get her out there and ask her how it looks and after that point I’m pretty much done with it.”
Once his wife is content with a finished job, Bolton makes quick use of his favorite creation: pallet swings. “I don’t get much time to relax, and when I sit in them, I kind of forget about everything,” he said. “All of the stress melts away, and I just relax.”
RVA Pallet Art has been making steady gains over the last two years since its inception. Bolton noted that production has roughly doubled, but he is striving to increase his Internet exposure.
“We’re trying to get more of an online web presence via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and stuff like that,” commented Brandon. “I’m not that technologically inclined, so the biggest thing for me is to get things out there on the Internet. My work will sell itself if people have seen it.”
RVA Pallet Art can be found online at www.facebook.com/RVApalletART, as well as the Web-based art exchange Etsy.
