Here's what I used:
45" of 1x6 pine*
6 garment hooks
white spray paint
4 large screws (long screws? I'm sure they have a technical term, but I don't know it.)
*The wood came in a 12 foot long plank. Depending on where you go, you could probably get it trimmed down to the size you need. But I figured this way, I've got about 8 feet of wood left (I think... my math skills are iffy-- which only served to make this project more fun!) in case I decide I need another coat rack. Or a shelf. Or something.
My total cost for this coat rack: $24 and some change.
First things first, I had my dad (who has a workshop full of carpentry supplies) cut my wood down to the 45 inches I needed. Then he routed the edges so they're rounded and match the chair rail in the entry way. Then he sanded it for me. If you don't have access to a workshop full of carpentry supplies, just take some sand paper and make sure the wood is smooth.
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| The lighting in my garage isn't awesome. Apologies for the iffy quality of my pictures! |
Your next step is to paint. Or stain, if that's what you'd prefer. But the chair rail I was matching my coat rack to is white, so paint I did.
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| Here's what I used-- Krylon Indoor/Outdoor Semi-Gloss White. |
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| First coat... |
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| ...second coat... |
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| ...third coat... |
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| ...finally! All white! |
Mark where you want your hooks to go, and also where you want your mounting screws to go. This is where things started to go wrong for me. Somehow, despite knowing that I had six hooks, I measured for seven perfectly spaced hooks. The best advice I can offer is to notice that sort of mistake before attaching your hooks to your board.
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| See? H for hook! I also had some dots marked S for screw, but apparently I didn't think they merited a photo. |
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| Here's what I used. (Three packs of these.) |
Now it's time to attach your hooks to your board! This is roughly the point at which I started screaming profanities and begging inanimate objects to just please, for the love of GOD, cooperate with me! What I learned: next time the cashier asks you what kind of wood you want, don't just say "the cheapest." Because what you get is a piece of wood that is hard and unyielding and not willing to just let you screw things to it, thankyouverymuch.
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| Lots of colorful and highly unladylike language later, combined with earnest begging and pleading and appealing to the better side inanimate objects, and all six hooks are in place, however unwillingly attached to the wood. |
Once you've finally convinced your hooks and your screws and your wood to be friends, it's time to hang the coat rack. Find your studs, and make sure that's where you put your screws, because once you start hanging things on your coat rack, it will be heavy enough to fall right out of the wall if you're just relying on drywall.
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| Remember what I said about hopefully noticing you've measured for seven hooks before you start attaching them? I haven't decided whether to add a seventh hook, or maybe just use the blank space for some sort of design or decal. Or leave it as a testament to my inability to remember what happens when I say "How hard could it be?" |
