Build your own quick and easy DIY wall rack from wooden slats
- Difficultyeasy
- Cost58-117 €
- Duration1-3 h
Do you have a few wooden slats spare or an old slat frame to get rid of? Great! We'll show you how to use them to build a DIY wall rack – or, rather, an organiser that will be perfect for your kitchen wall or bathroom door. Get organised in no time and store your knick-knacks with style.
Measure out the wooden slats for your DIY wall rack
The wooden slats for your wall rack should all be the same length. Use a tape measure to measure 60 cm along the slats and draw a straight line using a set square and a pencil. You can make your DIY rack wider if you’d prefer however, to hang it on a door, 60 to 70 cm is just right size.
If you want to upcycle an old slat frame, you can either leave it as it is or you can adapt it to your desired width. Our tip? Leave the same amount of space on the left and right ends of the slats, as this will make your DIY organiser look nicer.
Saw the wooden slats for your DIY wall rack
It's now time to saw the wooden slats for your DIY wall rack, following the markings you made earlier. To do this, you can either use a NanoBlade saw or a jigsaw. Before you start, secure the slats with screw clamps so they don't slip. We recommend that you wear protective goggles to protect your eyes from sawdust. If you use a jigsaw, you'll also need to wear work gloves.
Sand down the slats for a smooth finish
So that your DIY wall rack is nice and smooth and the paint adheres better, you should now sand down the wooden slats. Secure them with screw clamps to stop them from slipping during sanding. Then attach the sanding paper to the multi-sander and move the sander across the flat surfaces and edges of the slats in the direction of the grain, without applying too much pressure. Continue this until the slats are smooth.
A tip: always protect yourself against sander dust with work gloves, safety goggles and a face mask. Once you're done sanding, you should thoroughly clean this dust off of the slats for your DIY rack – using a cordless hand-held vacuum cleaner , for instance.
Set up the paint spray system
You'll need to set up your paint spray system before you can start painting. Depending on your system and the surface you'll be painting, you can choose from a range of nozzles, set the right airflow rate and choose the spray direction. Thin the paint according to the manufacturer's instructions and stir it well. If you have already used the paint before, it's important to use a paint filter before filling your paint spray system. This will enable you to filter out dry paint particles with ease during pouring. Alternatively, pour the well-mixed paint into a paint tray.
Before spraying your paint, you will need to thin it by up to 10%. We recommend that you thin the paint by 5% first and then test it. If your paint is water-based, use water to thin it. If it's acrylic-based, purchase a suitable chemical thinner from your local DIY store. If you're unsure, ask the DIY store to help you find the right materials.
Paint the wooden slats for your DIY wall rack
Now paint your wooden slats with a paint spray system or use a paint roller. We recommend doing this outside or in a large, well-ventilated room. Make sure to cover the floor with a protective sheet or other floor covering.
- First test the paint spray system on a piece of leftover wood or old cardboard.
- When spraying, make sure that you hold the spray gun straight or only at a very slight angle.
- Spray from a distance of around 20 to 25 cm.
- Try to spray objects with even strips of paint – either from left to right or from top to bottom.
- Don't attempt to spray your object in one place – instead, move along the length of your creation with a steady hand.
Alternatively, paint your wooden slats using a paint roller. To do this, dip the roller into the paint tray until it is completely covered in paint. When using the paint roller to paint your DIY organiser, you should again try to paint even strips for the best results.
Measure out and mark up the rear side of your wall rack
Once the wooden slats are dry, connect them together from behind using the corded ribbons to create your finished wall rack. To make sure that the rack doesn't look lopsided once it's mounted to the wall, measure out all distances evenly. To do this, lay out the slats one under the other with the rear side facing up. Leave around 6 cm between each slat. Now measure a 7 cm space on either side of each slat and mark this distance with your steel square.
Staple the corded ribbons to the slats
If you're upcycling an old slat frame, you can skip this step. Otherwise, staple a ribbon from top to bottom onto each of the sawn slats. We recommend using three staples for each slat. Make sure to follow the markings you made earlier.
Hang your DIY wall rack on a door and decorate it
If you'd like to hang your new DIY wall rack on a room or cupboard door, you're almost done. Hang the door hooks on the door you'd like to use for your rack. Then hook the top slat of your DIY rack onto the hooks and cover the rack with the hooks, hangers, etc. that you collected at the start.
Optional: mount your wall rack securely to the wall
You can mount your wall rack to the wall using the wall hooks. Decide where you'd like to hang the rack and use a detection device to check that there aren't any electric cables or metal objects behind the wall. Once you've found a good spot, have a read of our post on how to drill safely here.
Mark your drill holes on the wall, high enough for you to hang the top slat of your DIY wall rack on the wall hooks when you're done. Then drill the holes using a drill and matching drill bit. You can find out which drill is best for your wall type in our drill guide here.
Vacuum the drill dust from your drill holes using a suitable hand-held vacuum cleaner, insert the wall anchors into the holes, and screw in the wall hooks securely. All that's left to do is hang your wall rack and decorate it – your DIY wall rack made from wooden slats or an old slat frame is now finished!