A Doorknob Hat Rack

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Baseball caps are cool these days, and many have colorful logos that would be fun to display. That prompted me to find a new use for some old doorknobs, making a unique hat rack — or one you could also use for your cooking aprons! Take a quick look, and see how easy it is to make ….

You can find old doorknobs in thrift stores, antique malls, yard sales or architectural salvage shops. They don’t have to work, be complete, or even match, which is why they’re so inexpensive.

The board for your hat rack can either be something you already have on hand, or you can pick up an inexpensive, unfinished plaque at your favorite craft store.

A small project like this is perfect for Minwax® Express Color, a convenient tube containing both stain and finish for a one-step application. Quick Tip:  Use the back of your board to sample the different colors you are considering.

I chose Emerald for the face of my board, then decided to get creative, adding a Crimson Express Color border, using the edge of a foam brush to control my stain before wiping off the excess.

While my board was drying, I selected and prepared five antique doorknobs, tapering the end of a 3/8-inch dowel to then tap into the back of each knob. For extra holding power, you can first swab the inside of the doorknob with glue.

When each knob is completed, it will look like this, ready to be attached to the board.

I then simply spaced my five doorknobs evenly and drilled a 3/8-inch hole for each one. Before attaching the knobs to the board, I used a cotton swab to coat the inside of each hole with glue.

In less time than it would take to find a lost hat, you can create a unique hat rack using old doorknobs. And if you don’t have any on hand, don’t forget you’ll often find a box of them in antique shops, restoration warehouses, and garage sales for a small fraction of what they cost new!

Until next time,

Thanks for stopping by!

Bruce

“Give me five minutes and I’ll start a twenty-minute project.”

Be sure to check out Minwax’s® Facebook page for even more tips, techniques – and contests!!!

 

4 comments on “A Doorknob Hat Rack

    1. Bruce Johnson Post author

      I wouldn’t recommend it, Bill. Polyshades stay on the surface of the wood, so when you do multiple cuts with your knife it will start to chip off. The best finish for a cutting board is natural mineral oil. Good luck!

  1. hilary

    My husband has a lot of hats that are more like fedoras than baseball hats. Do you think there is a way to build this so that they can sit on the doorknob and not lose their shape?

    thanks

    1. Bruce Johnson Post author

      Unusual question, Hilary. The first thing that comes to mind would be to have the board mounted on a 45 degree angle so that the weight of the hats is not totally dependent on the doorknob to hold it. It would seem that if the board was slanted the knobs would still hold the hat but the hats would continue to hold their shape. Hope this helps and good luck!

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