I finally got to work on a project this week that I’ve had on my brain forever! Although my kitchen is really on the larger size, someone decided to only put counter space on one side. It’s also broken up by a sink and stove, which only leaves me a little corner of counter space. I needed a way to free up some space and this DIY Utensil Rack fits the bill! Using wall space for storage is the best way to free up valuable surface area. I’m going to show you how my dad and I used recycled objects to make a perfect resting place for all my kitchen utensils!
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Recycled Objects
I’ve been collecting most of the things I used for quite some time. If I find something interesting that I think I can use, I’ll keep it. I don’t always know what I’m going to use it for, but I know it’s a keeper!
These candle cover kits at Home Depot on clearance a really long time ago. I never intended to cover candles with them! The metal grating and chicken wire is what caught my attention. Oh, and the price!
The metal cornice looking things were on the end of a fluorescent light fixture that used to be in my kitchen. The shutter was $1 or $2 at Habitat.
I needed something to attach all this to, so I headed to my dad’s. He had some pine boards he pulled off of some pallets. These were perfect!
I laid everything out to get the spacing right. The board I laid it out on was the perfect size, but Dad was sure to let me know that wood was not available! He’s working on a new table and that’s the top!
I added in the cubby we use to hold outside keys. It definitely needed a cleaning and painting!
Assembling the Boards
Once we figured out the layout and size, it was time to get the boards ready. The boards needed to be planed to help even them out a little and knock off some of the not so pretty parts. I got to use the plane too and it was awesome!
I put this picture on Instagram and it got a good deal of likes. When I told Dad, he said “Yeah, I’m a good-looking man!” Then I had to tell him the comments were about the planer not him – sorry Dad! : )
Now that the boards were prepped, we could assemble them. Each end got cut down about 4″ to get them to the right length. Dad had some scrap plywood that he cut into two strips for the back.
I applied Loctite heavy-duty construction adhesive to both strips first.
Painting
The cubby I’m using has been hanging by the door for years holding keys for outdoor things. I decided to paint it and the shutter because I wasn’t loving the current colors.
To my surprise, the center of the cubby was removable, like a picture frame. That’s when I decided to flip it and leave the picture on the inside. I’ll be painting the other side with chalkboard paint.
I used my new go-to, chalk paint, and gave it a once over. This needed some more character and I went through quite a process to get it!
I added paint here, and wax there, throw in a little sanding, and finally, it was perfectly distressed!
The shutter got a coat of grey, then I dry brushed on some aqua and I was satisfied! I even liked the brass hardware once it was done.
While I was painting, Dad was working attachments for the various items.
Attachments
I was having a hard time figuring out how to attach some of the items, so they would function the way I hoped they would. Dad helped me figure all that out!
The grates needed to sit off of the board so I could use “S” hooks to hang things. Dad put bolts through the back that were long enough to stick out of the front about an 1″. Then he used nuts and washers to lift the grates off the board and attach them in the front.
Hopefully you can see them in the picture! I forgot to take a close up! After he did that, I coated the whole front with some wax to give it a protective finish without changing the natural color too much.
The metal fixture ends were attached with a small corner brace at each end. You can sort of see the bolts it’s attached with if you look close. Again, no close-ups! Sorry!
Next was the shutter. Dad put more corner braces under the bottom of the shutter, like it was sitting on a shelf. He attached it with screws and put another screw directly through the shutter into the board at the top.
You can see the attachments a little better in this photo.
The cubby had hooks at the top, so we just put screws in the boards and hung it up. This is the finished product – minus the front of the cubby!
We’ve still got to figure out how to hang this up – it’s fairly heavy! I wanted to see what it would hold, so I took my “bag-o-utensils” to Dad’s this afternoon for a test run. I’m going to need to add some more hooks and such to hold everything, but I can tell I’m going to love this being in my kitchen!
I love doing projects with my dad! It’s fun to work with someone else and figure things out. Plus, he has all the cool tools!
Hope y’all are having a marvelous Monday! Don’t forget tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, so hug all your loved ones! <3
Pint it for later!
