Build a wall-mounted hook rack for your entryway organization
Build | Fixing Furniture | Home Decor | Organization | Wall DIYs

How to Make a Simple DIY Hook Rack

There’s one room in my house that just drives me nuts.

No organization, nothing pretty about it, and it’s not functional for our family.

This room – our mudroom – needs a complete overhaul. I mean knocking down a few walls, fresh flooring, wall paint, and a complete rearrangement.

It seems like such a big project, so we’ve been consistently putting it off until summer…summer of 2016, then summer of 2017…. and here we are in 2018. So this year is the year. Mark my words!

I decided to get started on the mudroom makeover with little tasks to make the room more functional. Plus, knocking out some of the little things always makes a large task seem smaller.

First things first, there’s nowhere for coats or bags – except a hat stand in the corner, which just makes the room look messier.

So, I decided to make a simple wall-mounted hook rack for coats, scarves, and bags.

How to Build a Wall-Mounted Hook Rack

How to Build a Wall-Mounted Hook Rack

One of the things that drives me crazy about our mudroom is that it’s so disorganized. Since my project list for this year revolves around keeping an organized home, this is the perfect place to start.

How to DIY a Hook Rack

So, I killed two birds with one stone by grabbing a piece of scrap wood from the garage and using that to make this simple DIY hook rack. One less piece of wood laying around the garage, and hopefully less coats and bags around the mudroom.

Materials for the DIY Hook Rack

  • Piece of wood – I grabbed scrap wood from the garage that measured roughly 5″ x 24″.
  • Paint or stain – I stained this piece with homemade stain!
  • Four hooks – I picked them up at Home Depot – but these hooks are similar.
  • Sander – I used my random orbital sander to restore the scrap wood to its former beautiful self. I used my saw horse clamp in conjunction with this.
  • D-Rings – You can pick these up for a couple of bucks from the hardware store
  • Screwdriver, Ruler, Pencil, and Sharpie

How to make an easy DIY hook rack in minutes!Instructions for Making the DIY Hook Rack

Now for the instructions on how to build a wall-mounted hook rack – and I’m sure you’ll find it quite simple. First, I grabbed a piece of scrap wood that looked like it would nicely fit four hooks. It was roughly a 5″ x 24″ piece.

Sanding the Scrap Wood

I put it into my saw horse clamp, so I could easily sand it down. It was a little beat up from laying around the garage.

Next, I used the random orbital sander to smooth the wood. This is one of my favorite tools because it does a very even and consistent sanding job. I used 80 grit sanding paper for this task.

Sanding down scrap wood to make a DIY hook rack

Not only did I sand both sides of the DIY hook rack to-be, but I also rounded the corners with the orbital sander.  Rounded edges add a nice touch of professionalism to any piece.

They are also easier on the fingers because they remove any splinters or coarse edges. If you have a router, you can take it a step further and bevel the edges to really impress your friends.

Making a wall-mounted DIY hook rack

Staining the Hook Rack

Next, I stained the hook rack. I used a homemade wood stain made from pantry items – which I am loving! I stained it right on my kitchen table with no gloves.

What a treat to use a completely chemical-free wood stain! 🙂 Check out how I made this homemade wood stain.

How to Make a DIY Hook Rack with Homemade Wood Stain

Marking the Hook Rack

After the stain dried, I lined up my hooks evenly and marked where they would go with a pencil. I measured about 3 1/2 inches in from each side and place hooks there. Then, I evenly spread the remaining two hooks in the middle.

I used a ruler to line the bottom of the hooks up. Then, I put a dot with a sharpie in the center of each screw hole.

I got perfectly even hooks – without using a calculator 🙂

Make an easy wooden coat rack for your entryway

Applying a Finish

Next, I sealed the hook rack with Annie Sloan clear wax. One day I will make my own from beeswax 🙂 Once that dried, the DIY hook rack was ready to have the hooks attached.

Attaching the Hooks

To attach the hooks, I simply used a screwdriver. The wood was soft, so there was no need to pre-drill. I used an electric screwdriver to get most of the screw in. Then, I just tightened them with a regular screwdriver.

This was partially because of the awkward angle caused by the hooks. However when working with soft wood, it’s always a good idea to use tighten up your screws manually with a screwdriver. With a power tool, you can too easily overdrive a screw in soft wood resulting in no grip at all.

Making a wooden hook rack from scrap wood

In attaching the hooks, I realized that the screws that came with the hooks were too long. They would have gone right through the wood. We had smaller screws in the garage, but they didn’t match the hooks. (See mis-matched pic below)

So, I had two options.

How to Make a Homemade Hook Rack

Screw Option 1

Use the screws that came with the hooks and then use the dremel or oscillating multi-tool, to clip off the ends.

Screw Option 2

Use smaller screws of a different color and then paint the screw head to match the hook.

I went with the latter option and painted the screw head with acrylic paint. I mixed black with a little blue and then dabbed it on with a very thin brush.

Perfect for beginner woodworkers - DIY Hook Rack

Mounting the DIY Hook Rack to the Wall

In mounting the DIY hook rack to the wall, we had two options.

Mounting Option 1

The first was to use D-rings at the back (these come with most mirror/frame hanging kits). This option didn’t alter the front of the hook rack at all.

Mounting Option 2

The second option was to drill a hole on both ends of the hook rack for wall screws, and plug the heads with caps.

I opted to use the D-rings because I wanted an unblemished surface without any caps.  If you end up using caps, consider getting wooden ones and stain them to match the rest of the hook rack.

How to Mount a Hook Rack to the Wall

Time & Cost

This project took me about an hour, if you don’t include dry time. The scrap wood was free, as well as the staining materials. I did have to purchase some D rings from the store for $4 and the hooks for about $10.

DIY Entryway Projects - Build a Scrap Wood Hook Rack

It’s already adding so much organization to our mudroom, and it is just the beginning of the mudroom makeover project. 2018 will definitely be the year. 🙂

Making a DIY coat rack from scrap wood
How to Make a Wall-Mounted Hook Rack from Scrap Wood

45 Comments

  1. Hi, I love the idea of making your own hook rack as a joint project. We could certainly do with this in our utility room. Thanks for sharing #SharingtheblogLove

    1. Thanks Chloe! Glad you liked it:)

  2. I am totally challenged in the do-it-yourself area (personal life hashtag: #idknowtodiy). BUT: I also have a 100-year-old farmhouse with a serious lack of closets. So I need this rack. And with your helpful guidance, I just might be able to make it! 😉 Thanks for the tutorial…stopping by from #ThisIsHowWeRoll!

    1. Hahaa awww I totally think you could make it. It’s super easy:) let me know how you do!

  3. Great for first timers to make. Found you on logger’s it Stop Link Party

    1. Yes, totally agree! Have a great week:)

    1. Thanks so much Cherryl:)

  4. What a great value DIY. We need a new coat hook at the moment, and I’ve been eyeing them up and they seem really expensive, so this sounds brilliant! We’ve had so many things that come with the wrong size screws, it’s so frustrating! I’m glad you found a workaround. Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

    1. Thanks so much Katy! Yes this was really cheap to make compared to the store-bought ones:) hope it helps you!

  5. This is great. How I wish I had a husband who could do DIY jobs, he can’t even hang a picture. Thank you for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove

    1. Hahaa I’m sure he could do this one!:)

    1. Yes it’s super simple! I did it myself:)

  6. Your rack will provide that extra space for hanging coats and jackets. I have one my son made in my washroom for when I am hanging clothes to put away. Its nice to have the talent to DIY!

    1. That sounds like a great use for the hook rack. Have a great week:)

  7. This is something I need for my kids’ rooms as well! looks like I can try it at home..

    1. Yes – hope it helps:)

  8. These are my favorite type of projects- the kind I can start and finish in one day. And when it’s done, I’m already feeling more organized.

    My only problem is that I’ve built two hook racks, and yet no matter how many hooks I hang, my kids end up filling them. Since I only have four kids and about 32 hooks, I’m thinking it’s a parenting problem and not about a storage problem.

    Your project looks great!

    1. That’s so funny that you have so many hooks and that they are all full:) sounds like you need lockers:) Have a great week!

  9. I think i’ll be showing this to hubby as he broke ours at the weekend! Pretty much the same as the one we had aswell!
    Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back next week!

    1. Aww hope you get a new one up soon:)

  10. Love the hooks you picked for your DIY. I made one last year but, could use one for outside for summer towels. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party.

    1. Thanks Theresa! An outside one is a great idea:)

  11. This is such an effective idea and your easy to follow tutorial makes it seems like an achievable DIY too 🙂 #BloggerClubUK

    1. Aww thanks so much for your compliments:)

  12. Fi Anderson says:

    Love how this turned out! #bloggersclubuk

  13. Pretty, and very useful. Thank you for sharing the tutorial at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!

    1. You’re welcome Teresa!

  14. You know, one of my pet peeves about many of the racks and shelves that come with most commercially made products is that the mounting hardware is nearly impossible to get right. I love the look of your hook rack (and totally think that painting the screw heads was the right way to go), but my favorite part is the D-rings. Silly? Maybe. But it made me happy to see that part, nonetheless. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!

    1. Thanks Leslie! Yes painting the screw heads was an easy fix! Thanks so much for your compliments:)

  15. Jann Olson says:

    I love peg racks! Hubby just made me one using odds and ends of vintage knobs that I have collected. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

  16. l love projects like this that are doable and have a practical as well as aesthetic result – thanks for sharing with Party in Your PJs!

  17. Oooohhh what a fab idea. It’s always more satisfying to make it yourself, isn’t it. The way you have broken things down make this sound like a really simple project to work on. Though I doubt mine would look like that. Thanks for sharing with the #DreamTeam

    1. Yes totally! Aww thanks so much for your compliments! I’m sure yours would look even better:)

  18. Great project! Thanks for sharing in the To Grandma’s House We Go DIY, Crafts, Recipes and more link party!

  19. This turned out really nice! Thanks for sharing your tutorial with us at the Homestead Blog Hop, we look forward to your projects!

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