One of the most fun projects I did for the Dwell with Dignity home was this DIY Lego Coat Rack for the boys’ bedroom, and now of course my boys want me to build one for them too! I’m going to walk you through exactly how I made it.
Tools and Supplies I used:
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- RYOBI Sliding Compound Miter Saw (Any saw will do, but this one made the job super easy.)
- RYOBI Cordless Brad Nailer
- RYOBI Cordless Drill
- 2×4 cut to 36″ long
- Wooden dowel – 1 1/4″ in diameter
- Acrylic paints (red, yellow, green and blue)
- Nail hole filler
- Coat hooks in brushed nickel finish
- Wood glue
- D-rings
- Foam brushes
- Artist’s paint brush
- Minwax Polycrylic (Big, huge thanks to Minwax for donating product to Dwell with Dignity for this project!)
- Sandpaper/Sander
- Painter’s Tape
First, cut down your 2×4 to the size you desire. The one I made is 36 inches long, and I used my miter saw. Use a sander to sand it smooth. Cut your dowel rod into 1/2″ thick slices — I also used my miter saw for this. Sand the edges as they will most likely be a bit rough or splintery after you’ve cut them.
I decided to create the following pattern: long Lego (with 6 dowel pieces), coat hook, short Lego (with 4 dowel pieces), coat hook, long Lego, hook, short Lego, hook, long Lego.
I didn’t do much measuring at this point, I just laid out my dowel pieces in the position I wanted them (leaving the “hook” spots blank at first) and eyeballed it to make sure everything was even.
Next, I dotted a little bit of wood glue on the backs of my dowel pieces and nailed them in place with my brad nailer.
I made sure my brad nails sank into the wood enough that I could patch over them so they would not be visible. Using a putty knife and paintable nail hole filler, I camouflaged the brad nails.
After the nail hole filler had dried, I began the process of painting my “Legos.”
This was the most difficult part of the whole project! I wanted nice, crisp lines, so I used painter’s tape to divide my Legos. I did one color at a time, allowed it to dry, then reapplied my tape to paint the “Lego” next to the one I had already painted.
I used a combo of a foam brush and a small artist’s paint brush to get in all of the nooks and crannies. It probably could have used two coats of paint, but one coat was ok. I sealed the whole thing with Minwax Polycrylic.
I positioned my hooks where I wanted them and marked the holes with a pencil, then drilled small pilot holes.
I screwed the hooks on, and then attached D-Rings to the back to hang it on the wall.
With two little boys who love Legos, I’m sure I’ll be making another one of these for our house very soon. 🙂 For now I’m just thrilled to have contributed this to a bedroom belonging to two very deserving boys in need for our Dwell with Dignity project.
And here’s a nifty little pinnable graphic for you!
This would be perfect for little coats and backpacks to hang on. (Anything to encourage my kiddos to hang up their gear after school!)
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
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Jenna says
I don’t have a boy, but I would love to make this! It is so cool, Erin and looks just like legos – only larger!
Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says
Thanks Jenna! You could always substitute some cute girly colors. 🙂
Cristin @ Eve of Reduction says
This is so cute! How fun would it be to swap a dowel for a secret key holder – need to find a container close in size!
Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says
Thanks, Cristin! Great idea!
Liz says
Wow! What a wonderful idea regarding your lego coat rack. I had a room addition done and took advantage and asked the handyman if he could pull this small project off, sure enough he finished in about 10 minutes thanks to your awesome instructions.
Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says
That’s awesome! So glad it worked out!
Cms says
Are these for sale?
Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says
No, I’m sorry, they’re not! But I hope the tutorial will be helpful to those who would like to build one themselves. If I ever end up selling any then I will certainly post an update on the blog. Thanks for your interest!
DavidBNC says
I absolutely love this idea! Unfortunately I don’t have the equipment to make it right now, but I’m definitely going to sometime in the future. Thanks for the detailed guide, I bookmarked it. 🙂
Erin Spain says
Thanks, David!
Grant says
Just wondering how you kept the water-based acrylic paints from running together as you applied the Minwax Polyacrylic?
Erin Spain says
Once the paint was dry it wasn’t an issue.