Winter with kids = winter clothes all over the house. Since we don't have a garage or a mud room in our small apartment I decided to make a coat rack and a boot box to put by the front door. The coat rack hangs on the wall with some heavy-duty d-rings I screwed into the back. The boot box is a smaller version of my wood storage chest I posted earlier. I added a rubber mat in the box to absorb water and snow. Because I put detailed photos for the wood storage chest in my other post I won't put as many here.
Because the wood furring strips are so cheap you'll have to dig through them at the store to try and find the straightest ones.
COAT RACK AND BOOT BOX BUILDING PLAN
Dimensions:
Coat rack: 36" long by 10.5" tall by 1.5" deep
Boot box: 24" long by 10.5" tall by 10.5" deep
Materials and Tools Shopping List:
For Both Coat Rack & Boot Box:
4 - 1"x4"x8' furring strips
2 - 1"x2"x8' furring strip
1 1/4" brad nails (for nail gun) or finish nails (use hammer)
Wood Glue
Wood Stain and/or paint
Coat Rack:
5 hooks for hanging coats
2-hole heavy duty d-rings
Boot Box:
1/4" or 5mm utility plywood (at least 22" x 9.5")
6 feet twisted sisal rope (3/8" diameter)
15/32" drill bit
1/4" straight or rabbeting router bit*
1 1/2 feet of rug mating (with rubber backing for waterproofing box). I bought mine at Home Depot in the carpeting section for about $4 total.
Tools:
Measuring Tape
Pencil
Safety Glasses
Hammer
Drill
Table or Miter Saw
Router*
Nail gun or Hammer
Sander
Paint brush
*if you don't have a router, you can just nail the plywood to the bottom of your chest
Cut List: {see below diagram}
3 - 1x4 @ 36"
9 - 1x4 @ 24"
6 - 1x4 @ 9"
9 - 1x2 @ 10.5"
2 - 1x2 @ 8.5"
1 - 22"x9.5" utility plywood
2 - 20"-long sisal rope
2 - 15"-long sisal rope
General Instructions:
I advise you to read through entire plan before beginning. Take precautions to build safely. Always use straight boards. Work on a flat-level surface. Use glue with finish nails for a strong hold. Wipe excess glue off bare wood for stained projects. Ask for help if you need it and have FUN!
FOR BOOT BOX:
Step 1 - make a groove with your router and bit on the bottom edge of 2 of your 24" (1x4) and 2 of your 9" (1x4) boards. You'll want the groove at least 1/4" above the bottom edge and 1/4" deep. This groove is for your panel board to slide into. Before you start building, test to make sure your panel board fits inside your routed boards.
Step 2 - For each of your sides, lay out 3 of your 9" (1x4) pieces - place a routed board at the bottom, with routed edge at the bottom facing down then 2 boards on top of that. Square up the pieces and glue a 10.5" (1x2) and put on top of these boards on each side and use your nailer to put 3 brads in each board as you go down (or use your hammer and finish nails).
Step 3 - Align, glue and nail your 24" (1x4) board with the routed groove to the same end as the routed groove on your sides. I put 3 brads in each board. Align, glue and nail the other 2 - 24" (1x4) boards.
Step 4 - Turn your project over and slide your panel board into the grooves.
Step 5 - Align, glue and nail your last routed 24" (1x4) board to the end with your panel. Align, glue and nail your remaining 2 - 24" (1x4) boards.
Step 6 - For the lid, lay out your 3 - 24" (1x4) pieces and aline together. Center, glue and nail your 8.5" (1x2) pieces to these boards so they are 2" from the ends.
Step 7 - Decide what side you want to be your front for both the chest and lid.
For your rope hinges, measure on the back of your chest 5" from each side and make a circle about 1" down from the top. On the lid, measure 5" from each side and make a circle about 1" from the bottom.
For your rope handles, put your tape measure across each side panel over the middle board. Your sides should be 10.5" across - mark a circle at 4" and 7".
Use your drill and 15/32 drill bit to drill each hole. You may want to drill a smaller pilot hole to make drilling your large holes easier.
Step 8 - Use your 15" rope pieces for your hinges. Tie the knots onto your chest first on the inside, then prop your lid up and tie the knots for your lid. Make sure both rope hinges are the same length. I like mine so they were tight once the lid is closed. Cut off any extra rope.
Use your 20" rope pieces for your handles. Thread each end in from the outside and tie your knots inside. Decide how big you want your handles before tying your last knot. Make sure both handles are the same size. Cut off any extra rope.
Step 9 - Cut your mat to fit your box. I squared up my mat so it was 25"x13" then I notched out all 4 corners 2"x2" so the mat would run up the sides of my box a few inches on each side.
FOR COAT RACK:
Step 1 - Lay out your 3 - 36" (1x4) pieces and aline together. Put your tape measure across the top board and mark at 3.5", 10.75", 18", 25.25" and 32.5". Do the same for the bottom board. Center, glue and nail your 8.5" (1x2) pieces to three boards across the marks you just made.
Step 2 - Turn the boards over and place your hooks where you want them. Make sure they're evenly spaced and straight. Mark where your screw holes need to be and pre-drill holes.
Step 3 - Screw on your d-rings onto the vertical wood strips on the back. I first measured how far apart the studs were on my wall and discovered that my d-rings would need to be at an angle to get the space I needed.
FOR BOTH:
Step 1 - Sand your coat rack and boot box really well. I like my corners really rounded especially since I have small children. Once they're sanded, make sure your wood is free of dust.
Step 2 {optional} - Stain your wood. I used a home-made stain where you put a couple steel wool pads in a mason jar with some white vinegar covering it, seal and let it sit for 24 hours. TIP: the vinegar doesn't change color as much as you'd expect and once you wipe the solution on your wood it doesn't look like it's going to do anything but just wait until it dries and you will see the color. The longer the solution sits in the jar the darker your color will be {from the rust}. I test my color on a scrap piece of wood. You do not wipe this 'stain' off.. the water just evaporates and leaves the color behind.
I do my boot box in sections. I did the bottom first, flipped it back over, did the inside, then the outside, then the inside of the lid, then I put the lid on and did the top of the lid (make sure it is dry enough - and even separate the lid from the chest with some cardboard pieces). I also dabbed stain on my rope pieces to blend everything together.
Step 3 - Put your hook hardware on your coat rack.
**I didn't like the color of my rack and box once I was done - it was too different from the other wood colors in the room so I decided to paint white over both and make it look really rustic.
Step 4 (optional) - Paint your wood for that antique look. I didn't put a whole lot of paint on my brush and just brushed on a little at a time until I got the look I wanted.
Step 5 {optional} - Sand your corners to let the stain show through for an even more worn look. I also used a razor blade to chip away at the paint on the black hooks to let the black show through a little.
Step 6 - Put your rubber mat inside your box and screw some long screw into studs on the wall for hanging coat rack.
Labels: decoration, DIY, furniture, tutorial, woodworking
