Rustic Reclaimed Coat Rack

I was recently given a piece of old rough milled lumber a friend found under a house. It gave me an idea to make it into a coat rack with some old antique door knobs I had seen saving. I liked the bark on the edge and the rough state of the wood. I wanted to preserve that look without any sanding or finishing.

Step 1: Cutting to Size

I started by marking the length I wanted on the wood. I wanted it to be 40 inches. The board got a bit narrower on one side, so I cut most of that side off to make it look even from side to side.

Step 2: Wood and Door Knob Preparations

The wood was a little dirty and had some rough spots on the edges and surface. I used a coarse wire brush on it to even things out and get the debris out of the cracks. I then used some compressed air to blow it off.

The door knobs were a bit of a challenge. Two of them were still attached to the original posts and the mounting screws were stripped out. With a flat-head screwdriver, a strong magnet, and a bit of patience, I was able to remove them.

Step 3: Layout of Knobs & Mounting Hardware

I wanted to use some of the leftover door knob hardware as 2 mounting points for the coat rack. I made sure to space those points out 16 inches apart so they could be installed directly into my wall studs which are the same distance. After locating those points I mounted the hardware with some screws into the wood. I then drilled a hole through the center of each with a 1/4 inch drill bit to accommodate the 3 inch screws that would eventually mount it into the wall.

I then marked out locations for the knobs to be 4 inches to the left and right of each mounting point. I found that the inside diameter of each knob was about 5/8 inches. I purchased 4 lag bolts that would support the knobs that were also 5/8 inches. I drilled holes through the locations I had marked for the knobs with a bit of the same thickness.

Step 4: Attaching the Knob Mounts

I turned over my piece of wood and used a forstner to drill into the backside of the knob mount holes about 1/4 inch to allow the head of the lag bolts to sit flush with the wood. I hammered my bolts through holes and added some epoxy to the bolt heads to keep them really locked down.

Step 5: Securing the Knobs

My knobs fit onto the bolts pretty snuggly, but need some extra security.

First, I poked a hole in some pieces of wax paper to protect the wood and slid them over the bolts.

Then I used some epoxy inside the knobs and on the threads of the bolts before attaching them.

I let it sit overnight to allow the epoxy to cure completely and then removed the wax paper by just tearing it off.

Step 6: Hanging the Rack

I predrilled the holes into my wall studs to accommodate my 3 inch mounting screws. Finally. I used my drill to mount it onto the wall.