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Door with hat, scarf and towel hanging off hooks.

Overview

A wall-mounted coat rack is a great way to utilise the back of a door. You can make it whatever size, shape and design you like and create some extra storage space for your coats, hats, towels or even umbrellas.

Steps

1Measure and mark dowel

Measure and mark 80mm from the end of your dowel and continue along five times in 80mm increments. 

Person measuring and marking timber with tape measure and pencil

2Cut dowel into five pieces

When using the drop saw, put on your safety glasses and ear muffs. To make your first piece, cut through the first mark on the dowel at a 22.5 degree angle. For the second piece, make a square cut. Then for the third, cut at 22.5 degrees again. Repeat this process until you have five pieces of dowel. Each one should have a 22.5 degree end and a square end. These will be the hooks to hang your coats on.

Person using drop saw to cut piece of timber

3Measure and mark the backing board

Depending on the size of the space you want to mount the rack, measure up and mark  the hardwood for the backing board. We measured and marked our piece of timber at 500mm, and used the set square to draw a straight line.

Person measuring and marking timber with tape measure and pencil

4Cut the backing board

Use the drop saw to cut along the marks of your hardwood to make the backing board.

Person using drop saw to cut piece of timber

5Measure and mark for the holes for the hooks

Now measure out and mark along the face of your backing board, so that the five pieces of dowel are evenly spaced and in the middle of the timber. These are where the coat hooks will go.

Person measuring and marking timber with tape measure and pencil

6Make a drilling template for the dowel holes

Use one of the offcuts from your backing board to make a drilling template for the dowel holes. Do this by measuring half the width at 90mm and 45mm in from the end. Stand the hardwood on its edge, put it into the drop saw with the angle at 22.5 degrees, cut halfway into the hardwood at the 45mm mark. Reset the saw to zero degrees. Turn the timber over onto the flat face, measure 90mm out from the end and cut square at the 90mm mark. This will create a 90mm x 90mm x 19mm template to drill the holes for your dowel into the hardwood at the correct angle.

Timber offcut to be used as drilling template

7Drill the holes for the dowel

Place the drilling template on the backing board of your coat rack. Make sure it's flush and that the cut in the template is on top of where you want to drill the hole for the dowel. Using the 3mm drill bit, drill through the template and into the backing board.

Person drilling hole into timber

8Countersink the holes

Turn the backing board over. Use the countersink drill bit to countersink the holes in the back. This will hide the screws that attach the dowel and make sure the coat rack sits flat against the door or wall.

Person drilling into timber with countersink drill bit

9Pre-drill holes in the dowel

Clamp the five pieces of dowel to your work surface.  Drill straight into the angled ends in the middle.

Person drilling holes into small timber pieces

10Attach the dowel to the backing board

Clamp the backing board onto the workbench. Apply some wood glue into the holes drilled in the dowel. Insert the dowel into the drilled holes. Use the 32mm screws to attach the dowels to the backing board. Use a damp cloth to wipe off any glue and wait for it to dry.

Person drilling nailing to join pieces of timber together

11Sand and paint the coat rack

When the glue has dried, use the sander to smooth any rough edges on the coat rack. Wipe off any dust. Then paint it the colour of your choice and wait for it to dry. You may need to apply several coats of paint. We've used Vivid White semi-gloss aqua enamel. 

Person using sander to sand timber

12Attach the coat rack to the door

Use the stud finder to locate the studs in the door. Mark where they are. Use the cordless drill to attach it to the door, we used 65mm screws. With the job done, you can now hang your hats, scarves, coats and even towels on your homemade coat rack.
Person drilling coat rack to door

13Job done!

Now that your coat rack is mounted it's time to dress the rack with coats, hats and scarves and tidy up around your home.   
Coat rack on door with hat and coats
Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer.