Coats seem to expand every year and this year our coat rack ran out of space. Our previous coat rack had only 6 hooks and it was time for something bigger and finding a pre-made coat rack of the right size wasn’t going to be possible. So, I built this 6′ long rack with 12 hooks so we could use all of the space (and finally find some our buried coats).
Materials:
1 x 8 Board
12 Coat Hooks
Stain
Danish Oil
Fasteners
Sander & Sandpaper
Tack Cloth
This project begins with a simple wood 1×8 board. In this case, I used pine but you can use any hardwood. Pine is relatively inexpensive and has nice grain but it’s also soft and can get dinged easily. A coat rack won’t see much wear and tear so I’m not worried about it getting damaged.
Start by sanding the board with 100, 150, then 220 grit sandpaper and use a tack cloth in between and after to remove any dust. Once sanded, apply 3 coats of stain. For this one I used Minwax Dark Walnut. After the stain has dried, apply a few coats of Danish Oil to protect the finish. Paint can be used instead of stain.
Clamp the board and measure where you’d like to have each hook. I used painter’s tape to mark the lines for the top and bottom of each hanger then used a speed square to get the hooks to the right angle. Then, drill pilot holes and insert the screws to secure the hooks.
Note that you can begin by laying out the coat hangers before sanding begins. This is a good idea but I wanted to get started before the hangers arrived so I ended up laying them out later.
To hang the board you can install hangers on the back. In this case I used construction fasteners and buried the heads using a countersink bit. I hid the head using wood putty. The putty blends in nicely (in this case I was able to color them in with a black Sharpie marker) but it can also be dug out when it’s time to remove the hanger.
Need a Custom Coat Rack?
If you’d like to have a custom coat rack built and installed for your space and you live in northwest Philadelphia or nearby neighborhoods, The Northwest Philly Handyman is happy to help. Just let us know what you need with our online estimate tool and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.