How to Make a Lemonade Stand {From Wood Pallets!}

Learn how to make a lemonade stand from wood pallets that looks great and is sturdy and durable.

Today I am beyond thrilled to share with this project that I’ve worked long and hard on- an amazing wooden lemonade stand!

wooden lemonade stand with a pink and white awning

This DIY lemonade stand is durable and large, but my favorite part is the ingenious way that it’s built.

It’s so easy to put together and take apart!

This cute lemonade stand can be stored in pieces so that it doesn’t take up much room, which is a big win.

chalkboard lemonade sign on wood lemonade stand with pink and white awning

I have SO many plans for this stand already!

It’s not just a wood lemonade stand.

My stand doubles as a safari base camp outfitting post at my son’s jungle safari party, a concessions stand, an Italian soda bar, a ticket booth, a puppet show, and the list goes on and on!

How to Make a Lemonade Stand

Here are the directions for making a lemonade stand from wood pallets.

Keep in mind that wood pallets are not all the same size, so I tried to be as specific as possible with the directions without giving EXACT measurements.

Your pallets won’t be exactly the same dimensions as mine.

How to Adapt These Lemonade Stand Plans

Feel free to adapt these plans using wood that you have on hand, cheaper or more expensive wood, etc.

Do what works best for you!

You can also leave out some of the supplies if you would like to make this for cheaper.

The wood veneer I added to the front and sides is completely optional, although it does make it look more “finished.”

You could just leave the pallet exposed if you’d like.

An awning also isn’t absolutely necessary, but it sure adds to the cute factor, and provided much needed shade in the heat of the summer.

Just make sure that you follow the directions to build main structure- you wouldn’t want to leave out any important pieces support pieces that hold the stand together.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I make a small percentage of any purchase made at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

how to make a lemonade stand from wood pallets with chalkboard sign and awning

Supplies List

3 Wood pallets
Wood veneer, bead board, or plywood (3 pieces cut to the size of your pallets)- optional
Drill (this is the drill I use)
Screws
Piece of wood (optional– size of your choice, for frame on front),
Chalkboard paint (optional– for frame on front, and the sign on the top)
4 long boards (for sides of pallet)
L-brackets (at least 8)
Wood board (for top support board- same length as the pallet)
Wood board (for top sign- same length as the pallet)
2 Wood boards (for awning support in front and back- same length as the pallet)
2 pieces of old, distressed, thick wood (for counter)
4 small pieces of wood (to connect the two counter boards together)
2 spade bits (one to fit the head of your counter bolts, and one to fit the body of the bolt)
10 bolts (4 for the counter top, 4 for the awning, and 2 for the back), 10 washers, and 10 nuts
White duck cloth (or other thick fabric- for the awning- optional)
Painter’s tape (optional)
White, pink, and tan paint
Paintbrushes
Grommet kit (extra large grommets)
2 Wood boards (braces inside the stand)
Wood board (top back counter support)

How to Make the Front and Sides of the Lemonade Stand

Prep the Pallets

You’ll need 3 pallets for the structure of the lemonade stand.

There are different grades of pallets, so try to find the sturdier pallets with thicker wood that’s not split.

Remove any nails at the top corners of the pallets where you will be drilling holes (this will make more sense as you read on).

white wood lemonade stand front laying on green grass in yard

Add the Wood Veneer

Leave your wood pallets bare, or add some wood veneer, bead board, or plywood to the front of your pallets, like I did.

These range in price and thickness, but I used a $9 piece of wood veneer to cover both the front and one side of my stand.

Cut the wood veneer to fit each of the 3 pallets.

Screw the veneer into place on each pallet.

lemonade stand with wood veneer and without wood veneer on front

Create the Chalkboard Sign on Top

If you would like a framed chalkboard area on the front like mine (optional), then cut your wood piece into 4 pieces to form the frame, using 45 degree angles.

Screw on the frame to the front of your stand.

Attach the two long boards to each of the front sides of your front pallet using your drill and screws.

This serves two purposes- to cover and hide the pallet underneath, and to help build the framework for the sign and the awning.

Screw in a top support board to the top of the two side boards using L-brackets.

This will attach the three boards together.

Now it’s time to add the sign to the top of the stand.

Choose the size of your sign, making sure that it’s long enough to reach both side boards.

Paint the sign in your preferred color (I chose chalkboard paint).

Attach the sign (when dry) to the side boards using L-brackets and screws.

Attach your awning support board 1/2″ between the top sign.

This gap will allow you to slide the awning between the boards so that you can attach it.

Wooden Lemonade Stand Countertop

For our counter, we used two old weathered boards that welded and already had on hand .

This is a great way to use up old wood that you might have, and will lower your cost.

Creating the Wood Countertop

Cut one of the boards so it will fit in between the two side boards of the front of your stand.

We used a larger board for the outside of our counter that was about 6″ longer than the other counter board on each side.

This gave us more counter space and looked more custom.

Turn the wood upside down on the ground and place centered together, as it will appear on the stand.

Screw your four small pieces of wood onto the bottom of the counter top to connect the two counter boards.

two pieces of weathered wood attached at the bottom with holes in sides

Attach the Lemonade Stand Countertop

Now we need to attach the counter top to all three pallets.

Put the pallets in a U-shape, with the veneer facing outward.

You will be drilling four holes in your counter top using a spade bit, so that you can countersink the holes to fit the bolt heads.

You will want to use very large bolts.

The two front holes are going to go through your counter top and then through the front pallet.

The two back holes are going to go through the side pallets (one hole in each pallet).

Make sure that there aren’t any nails where you will be drilling these holes!

If there are, remove them.

Countersink the Bolt Heads

To countersink the bolt heads, you will need to drill two sets of holes.

Start with the larger drill bit, one that will fit the bolt head.

Drill your hole, and stop when the bolt head can fit inside the hole and is flush with the counter top.

Drill a longer, smaller hole with the smaller spade bit, so that it fits the body of your bolt.

This hole will go all the way through the counter top and the pallets, and is what will hold the whole structure together.

Drill all four described holes this way.

Place the bolts inside their holes, and attach and tighten the counter to the pallets using the washers and nuts.

These bolts will not be seen, so it’s safer that your bolts are longer rather than shorter.

If the bolts are too short, then you can’t attach the whole structure together.

Make the Back of the Stand

Attach two side pieces to the back sides of your stand, one board on each side.

Add the back awning support board to the two back side boards using two bolts to connect them.

Bolts are used so that this can easily be taken apart to store.

Make the Awning

An awning is optional, but it keeps the lemonade sellers out of direct sunlight.

It also adds more quaintness to your stand!

My awning was made from duck canvas, which is a utility fabric that doesn’t fray as much when cut.

Measure how much material you will need to use for your awning- I used a little over 2 yards of fabric.

Cut your awning to size, measure how large you would like your stripes, and apply painter’s tape to your duck cloth to help get nice, crisp even paint lines.

Paint, let dry, and remove tape.

Attach the Awning

Drill two holes in your front and back awning support boards where you would like your grommets to go.

This will be what holds your awning in place.

The awning will be easy to remove because of the bolts.

Hold up your awning, and draw a small dot where the holes are that you drilled.

pink and white striped awning lying on green grass

Add grommets to those holes by following the directions on the back of your grommet kit.

Add awning to the stand by screwing bolt into grommet holes, and using washers and nuts to secure into place.

Add Support Braces

Cut two pieces of wood to fit on the inside ground of your lemonade stand, so that the bottom sides of your pallet are secure.

inside of wooden lemonade stand with lemonade and sweets on top of wood counter

Set one piece of wood in the front inside of your stand, and the other on the back inside to support it.

Top Back Counter Support

Use a spade bit and drill all the way through a piece of wood the size of your choice.

Make sure there aren’t any nails in the back corners of your side pallets.

Drill halfway down the back top of the side pallets.

Glue two wood dowels, one on each side, into the holes with wood glue.

Once glue is dry, place the back counter support board over the dowels so that it fits into place.

And now the wood lemonade stand is all done!

Making a DIY lemonade stand is a lot of work, but look at the amazing results!

This stand is easy to put together and take apart, is very strong and durable, and can be used multiple times for multiple events!

You can even make multiple awnings to match the different parties and events you’ll be using it for.

What I Served at My Cute Lemonade Stand

To make my lemonade stand extra special, I served delicious Lorina sparkling lemonade from World Market that was soooo yummy!

three glass bottles of sparkling lemonade net to yellow striped straws

wooden lemonade stand with lemonade, clear glasses, straws, and candy on the counter

And why stop at lemonade?

little girl with brown hair sipping lemonade from yellow and white striped straw

My stand also included some sweet treats, because really, who can resist candy?!

Especially when it is served in beautiful clear glass apothecary jars.

cute lemonade stand with lemonade and candy in glass apothecary jars on top

three glass apothecary jars filled with colorful candies

Our candy selection also included the classic lemon drops (my husband’s favorites), as well as the cutest little lemon lollipops and salt water taffy.

sparkling lemonade in three bottles with French Madeleine cookies on white porcelain cake plate

Classic French madeleines were served on a lovely white porcelain cake stand.

woman with long brown hair drinking lemonade from straw in front of DIY lemonade stand

At the end of a long busy day, it felt great to sit and relax and sip a refreshing glass of lemonade!!

I’d love to hear what you think of my wooden lemonade stand.

Did you like learning how to make a lemonade stand?

It took a lot of work and planning, but I LOVE the results!

If you want to build one and have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them!

This article was updated in February 2026 and was originally posted in July 2013.

Comments

Anonymous says

July 26, 2013 at 1:09 am

This is amazing!

- Laura @ Make Life Lovely says
  
  August 14, 2013 at 4:59 pm
  
  Thank you! I’m in love with my new stand!
  
Joy says

July 30, 2013 at 5:46 pm

Wow, this is awesome! I wish I could attempt something like this… maybe I will try! Thanks!

- Laura @ Make Life Lovely says
  
  August 14, 2013 at 5:00 pm
  
  You definitely should try, Joy! It is really easy to put together and take apart! And how could you say no to a kid selling lemonade in this pretty stand? 😉