Repurposing Barnwood to Make a Coat Rack

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Pile of Reclaimed Barnwood

When I spotted this crate brimming with short pieces of barnboards, I knew I could come up with a project for them. After also finding some hooks at the same salvage warehouse, I decided to make a coatrack for our downstairs “mudroom.”

Tools Needed:

  • Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer
  • Reclaimed wood boards (about 14″ x 3″)
  • Palm sander
  • Coat hooks
  • Brass screws
  • Phillips head screwdriver
  • Glue
  • Clamps

1. Cut barnboards to the desired size.

Pile of Reclaimed Barnboard

I started by cutting nine boards each about three inches wide and fourteen inches long (you can make yours whatever size you like), then began playing around with the layout on my workbench.

2. Layout boards and glue them together.

Glue Barnboards Together & Sand Edges

I settled on a staggered layout, then glued the boards together, clamped them overnight before taking my palm sander and rounding the straight edges and corners to give them a worn look.

3. Protect barnwood with Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer

Spray a Coat of Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer for Protection

As much as I like barnboards, I am the first to recognize that the dried wood needs some additional protection — and a little gloss to bring them to life and to highlight the grain of the wood. And the easiest way to do both was with a can of Minwax Clear Aerosol Lacquer in a satin sheen.

4. Position hooks on barnwood and attach.

Position Hooks on Barnboard and Attach with Screws

The lacquer dried quickly, so within minutes I was able to position my hooks on the barnboards and attach them with brass screws.

5. Hang your coatrack.

Coat Rack Made from Reclaimed Wood

And in what seemed like no time at all, my coatrack was complete and ready to hang inside the door to our mudroom. If you like it, give it a try!

Until next time,

Thanks for stopping by!

Bruce