Pot and Pan Rack

Materials and Tools:

1" x 12" pine lumber
scrap wood for cleats
circular saw
speed square
hammer
finish nails (or brad gun)
wood glue
toggle bolts
decorative molding
drill
compound miter saw
spackling compound
satin latex paint (Indigo SW6531)
paintbrushes
220-grit sandpaper
palm sander
water-based satin finish polyurethane
hooks
awl
pencil

Steps:

1. The box is four pieces of 1" x 12" pine. Cut two side pieces to 52 inches and two ends to 24 inches using a circular saw and a speed square as a guide. Secure the pieces together with wood glue and nails using a butt joint.

Figure A

2. Nail six small 2" x 2" cleats (one in each corner and two along the long sides) to mount the rack to the ceiling (figure A). Pre-drill a hole through each for the toggle bolts.

3. Use a miter saw set at a 45-degree angle to cut decorative molding for the bottom and top edges. Secure the pieces with wood glue and nails. Fill all the holes with spackling compound. Once dry, sand the entire piece and remove the dust.

4. Paint the entire piece blue and let dry. Distress the finish by sanding the edges and the flat surfaces with a palm sander, revealing the bare pine underneath. Seal the finish with two coats of a water-based satin finish polyurethane, allowing it to dry between layers.

5. Drill pilot holes for the hooks and secure each.

6. Hold the rack in position and mark the ceiling by pushing an awl through the holes in the cleats. Bring the rack down and drill holes in the ceiling using a spade bit with a small cup to help catch the dust (be sure the hole is large enough to accept the toggle bolts).

Figure B

7. Insert the toggles into the cleats; hold the rack in place, and then push the toggles into the ceiling. Tighten the toggles evenly around the rack (figure B).