Closet Hook Rack

This was a very quick and simple project to build a closet hook rack. My daughter wrote on her birthday gift wish list that she wanted something to help organize her sweatshirt collection in her closet. I decided that a row of hooks would be just the thing. I have used the store-bought variety several times in the past. They are fine but I felt that one of those would be lacking in a few ways.

They are limited in the number of hooks you get for the size of the rack. I knew that this project needed a greater hook density than what you could find at Home Depot. This particular rack would also need to be pretty sturdy. I can see it getting some serious abuse. And, of course, handmade is always better than off the shelf. Another benefit of making it myself was that I could ensure that the mounting locations would line up with the stud locations in the closet.

I took a few measurements and determined that the rack would be 24 inches wide. Then I headed to Home Depot and found some nice-looking, beefy, double robe hooks and purchased seven of them. Arranged in a staggered pattern with 4 on the top row and 3 on the bottom, I determined that the overall size of the rack would be 24″ x 8″.

I used a leftover piece of 3/4″ oak veneer plywood from a previous project. After cutting the board to size, I laid out and drilled all of the required holes. Then I rounded over all of the edges at the router table and sanded the board with 120 and 220 grit sandpaper. Lastly, I stained the board with Minwax Expresso Penetrating Wood Stain and applied a few coats of super blond shellac.

Once everything was dry, I mounted all but one of the hooks. The last hook had to be mounted after the rack was secured to the wall because two of the holes for attaching to the wall were behind the hook. My daughter was very excited to get the rack and she is already making good use of it.

Below is a quick video with a series of hyperlapses showing the steps to build the rack.