DIY Wall-Mounted Coat Rack

Phase One (of many phases, yowzers) of the mudroom transformation is complete!

I'm particularly excited about this project because this was my very first solo DIY. In the past, I've had the hubster help me when it came to the power tools, but this time I was determined to do this from start to finish myself. And while it's not perfect, it's a nice addition of functionality to the room that I can say I created myself! 

High fives, everyone--girls can use power tools too!

Previously, there was absolutely no sort of storage whatsoever in the mudroom. No hooks, no coat rack, no baskets, nothing. Things just kind of got piled up on the bench (which is really just an old coffee table that I have plans to upholster...stay tuned!) and looked cluttered and messy. That's why I made it my own personal mission to have the first project tackled in this room provide a means to keep things off the bench and looking tidy.

The supplies:

-1x6 whitewood board. I bought a whole board and cut it to size at home, but you could have it cut at Home Depot or Lowe's.

-Wall hooks of your choice. I used four of these in antique brass.

-Stain. I strayed from my usual Dark Walnut stain and went with Minwax English Chesnut. I give it two thumbs up.

-Wood screws

Not pictured:
-Saw (I used our circular saw)

-Foam brushes

-Drill

-Level

-Tape Measure

I started off by measuring my wall, and then measuring my wood pieces and making the required cuts. This was the first time I used the circular saw solo, but still had Denny supervise in case oh I don't know, I broke the saw or was going to cut off my hand, etc. etc. etc.

I gave the board a quick sanding, focusing really on smoothing out my cut edges, and then applied a coat of stain with a foam brush.

After about 15 minutes, I wiped off the leftover stain with an old t-shirt and was left with this finish:

It was also at this point that I kind of wished I had used wood conditioner. 

 I didn't want anything suuuuper dark because I knew these were going to be at eye level and didn't want to weigh down the room too much, but still add warmth against the cool tone of the paint. So, I decided that one coat would do it, and once it dried I applied two coats of Polycrylic.

Here comes the not so fun part--to me, anyway. I love painting things, I love staining things. I love thinking up new projects. I HATE measuring things. I understand that measuring things is a pretty essential piece to DIY, but I always freak myself out and second-guess and neurotically measure over and over and over again and then I mess myself up. I did my best to measure the spacing for each hook based on the measurement of each board AND keep them level, but unfortunately I let one hook get the best of me. Honestly, it's not super noticeable and once things are hung on it, you can't even tell.

But for real, friends, MEASURE THINGS. Channel your inner Ana White and do it right!

The level proved itself unnecessary to me since I apparently drill things to the beat of my own drummer.
But really, levels can be your friend. I encourage everyone to use them.

Once I had screwed all four hooks to the board, it was time to mount them to the wall. We decided to screw them directly into the wall, using the studs to provide the most support.

This is where I did bring in Denny for backup. He held the boards to the wall and made sure they were level, while I drilled them into the studs.

And here they are, hung up all pretty in the corner of our mudroom.

I implore you to forgive the lighting. This room is TINY,  impossible to photograph in one shot,
and has but one, sad, pathetic boob light.

And naturally, I couldn't wait to get things off my bench and onto those hooks!

The screws I used are SUPER silver, so I am in the process of tracking down a furniture stain touch-up pen to color in the screws so they blend in a little more. I got desperate and tried to use one of Peyton's magic markers--with no luck.

And there, my friends, is Phase One (Operation Get-Things-Off-the-Bench-Already) all wrapped up.

We still need to:

-Upholster the bench
-Add a shelf above the bench for a basket to hold hats, gloves, scarves, and other random smaller items
-Replace the sad little boob light
-Buy and DIY some art
-Figure out a ground-level storage solution for shoes

I am looking forward to getting this room done once and for all, and giving our home the functional (and pretty) mudroom it deserves.

How do you handle storage in your mudroom/entry? I'd love some suggestions!

Wanna see where I party? Click here for an awesome list of link parties I participate in..

Also linking up to:
Coastal Charm
Savvy Southern Style
Imparting Grace
Jennifer Rizzo