Paint Rack

Greetings everyone,

In this post I'd like to show you guys how to turn some empty wall space into a custom paint rack station. This design can very well be used to create storage or a play area for children.

Finding no plans of my own, I decided to create the top according to my own measurements. I chose not to create the drop/fold-down table part since I already had a workbench to craft our designs.

I wanted to create my Paint Rack with the dimensions of 36" x 36".

The top three shelves would be spaced 5.5" inches apart, while the 4th shelf would be 7.25" and the fifth (bottom) would be 9". The reason I picked these sizes is because I wanted to accommodate the different sizes in paint bottles, brushes and other materials that would be stored within.








Materials List
Pine board (Shelves and inner sides) 1x2x8 - 3 boards
- cut to 36"
- makes 6 pieces of 3/4 x 1.5 x 36

Pine board (Sides) 1 x 4 x 8 - 1 board
- cut to 38"
- makes 2 pieces 3/4 x 3.5 x 38

Pine board (Top and bottom) 1 x 4 x 8 - 1 board
- cut to 37.5"
- makes 2 pieces 3/4 x 3.5 x  37.5

Dowels 1/4" x 48 - 4 dowels
- cut to 37.5"
- makes 4 dowels


Wood Glue

Course Kreg screws 1.25"

Brad Nails 1.25"(or finishing nails)

Tools
Kreg Jig
Chop Saw/Miter Saw
Drill
Clamps
Spade bit
Nail gun (or hammer)
Yard Stick/Tape Measurer

And it Begins:
Cut the boards to length

Measure the distance between the shelves. Mock the layout to make sure you are happy with the dimensions.

Mark the locations where the shelves will be placed. 

I placed both inner side boards side by side and marked them at the same time. This allowed me to ensure I had the same distances (where the shelves would be) for both sides- making the shelves square.

Once the shelves are marked, Mock them to ensure the sizes correspond to your liking. 

Now, make pocket holes on the shelf boards using the Kreg Jig. Since the board is only 3/4" thick, I made (1) hole in each end.

Setting on both the Jig settings is set at 3/4". Instructions and other tips are available online at the Kreg Jig website.

A look at the shelves and their corresponding pocket holes. These holes are placed on the bottom part of the shelves.

I experimented with (2) holes on the first board but the risk of cracking the wood was not worth the reward. Since these boards will not be holding considerable weight, (1) hole/screw is plenty strong. Later on we will reinforce these joints with brad nails.

I placed one inner side board and clamped it to my workbench, then glued & screwed the shelves one side at a time.

*As I've learned through experience, it's good practice to use wood glue when joining boards together*  

This is a look of the inner frame. Don't mind the messy wall in the background ;-)

Now we will attach the inner frame side pieces unto the bottom piece (3/4 x 3.5 x 37.5).

The bottom piece will be the foundation and also become the bottom shelf. 

Ensure (as pictured above) you align the inner frame sides flushed. 

Before screwing the inner sides to the outer sides (3/4 x 3.5 x 38), measure and mark the dowel locations. I selected mine as 2" above the shelf, and .5" forward.

The dowel will hold the paint from falling out.

Mark both outer sides at the same time (mirror images) so that you can have the same length on both boards.

Dowel marks

Select a spade bit equal to the size of the dowels selected. I used 1/4" dowels, so I used the 1/4" spade bit.

Now, dig a small hole where you made your dowel markings. I went about 1/4" deep.

Even if you go deeper (as long as you don't go through the board) or shallow the dowels are somewhat flexible and you can maneuver them into place.

Dowel holes finished. 

Join the inner and outer sides by laying down some wood glue, then using the clamps to hold the boards together.

Finish up my nailing the boards together. 

Do the same for the top board, glue the edge, then screw the inner side board to top.

Follow it up by nailing the outer-side and the top ends together.

Now that your frame in complete, insert the dowels into their respective holes.

This is my completed pine Paint Rack. While you can keep it as is, I plan on sanding, staining and sealing it in the near future.  

There are many ways to mount the rack to the wall. The method I chose was as follows:
First I located the studs with a stud finder. Then I nailed four  3/4 x 2 x 1scrap blocks (small rectangles) to the studs.

Two were placed on beneath the top of the frame, and two others were placed beneath the bottom shelf.

You can actually see these blocks on the final picture below. 

Attached is the completed Paint Rack courtesy of Angel and Raquel
"Woody Wood Works"

Thanks for taking the time to read through our tutorial. We look forward to providing many more to come.

Please feel free to comment, share, like as you deem.


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- Raquel




The original design for this rack was taken from a drop-down table I originally wanted to re-create.