how to make shoe rack

 

I wanted to create a nice rack for my shoes as I have an empty wall and it would be a great way to make use of the space.

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First things first, you'll need to find some wood. It's easiest if you go to your nearest hardware store or lumberyard and ask them for some 1x2s or 1x3s. 

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How many pieces of wood you will need will depend on how big your racks are intended to be, but generally 2-4 pieces should do the trick.

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If you're wondering, "how many pieces of wood will a 1x2 piece of wood be?", well, it's actually two pieces. Because one piece is actually two facing pieces. They are each half in length the other side, and therefore a single piece is double length.

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When you buy your wood, choose some that is not too old or dry and is at least 1" thick. This will ensure your rack will be sturdy but still have the ability to fit shoes inside.

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You'll also need a drill and some screws or nails depending on what material you're using (wood or metal). I used nails because they were easier to drive into the wall than screws in my case.

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Once you have all your supplies head to a suitable location. If you're using wood, this will be a place that is well-ventilated and such that you won't accidentally hit a wall, floor, etc.

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I recommend marking the same distance along each piece of wood. This will ensure your pieces are all the same length and therefore nice and uniform. 

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You'll want the pieces to be about 1 ½ feet long (1 foot in front of your wall) and wide enough in order to fit at least one pair of shoes per square inch of rack space that it contains.

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The thing about using nails is that you'll have to have holes in the wall before you can hang your shoe rack. So make sure you measure ahead of time!

Next, I positioned my pieces so that the nails would be aligned with the wall and hammered in. I did it this way so that I could move them around before nailing them down permanently. 

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This is because I was worried they might not be in straight enough once they were all nailed down, and it ended up working out quite nicely. One or two were a little off but since I wasn't out to make them perfect, it worked out fine.

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I used my nails to make the holes that would later hold the screws or nails. I also used a level to make sure each piece was even.

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(This is a good time to point out that your wall should be as clean and as dry as possible so there's as little risk of it splitting or breaking. Use a cloth dampened with water to wipe away any dust between drilling and nailing.)

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Once you've got your rack assembled you'll probably notice some of the pieces don't sit flush against the wall or have quite enough space for shoes of different sizes (there are two sets in my case, but I've seen many cases where only one length is needed).

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