DIY: Make a Wooden Wall Organizer to Curb Entryway Clutter
Create a hanging catchall for hats, coats, keys and phones
Materials and Tools
- Metal antler hooks (these or similar)
- Black and white spray paint
- Plastic bag or cloth, to protect your work surface (not pictured)
- Piece of ¼-inch-thick wood, 13 by 11 inches
- Piece of ¼-inch-thick wood, 13 by 2½ inches
- 2 pieces of ¼-inch-thick wood, 3¾ by 2½ inches
- Piece of ¼-inch-thick wood, 13 by 4 inches
- Rag or scrap fabric
- Rubber gloves (not pictured)
- Light-colored wood stain
- Blue painter’s tape
- Wood glue
- Screws (with anchors, if not inserting into a stud)
- Electric drill
Instructions
1. Outside where there is sufficient ventilation, spray-paint your antler hooks black.
1. Outside where there is sufficient ventilation, spray-paint your antler hooks black.
2. Lay a piece of plastic on your work surface (I used a cut grocery bag). Lay out your wood pieces and open a window for ventilation. Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, use an old rag to stain each piece. Let the stain dry according to the directions on the can.
3. To add the decorative pattern, locate the middle of the top edge of the 13-by-4-inch piece and make a small mark. Stretch a piece of tape from that mark down to the opposite corner. Tape off the area between the tape and the top of the wood completely. Repeat the process on the other half of the wood so that you’ve created a triangle, as shown here.
Tape the ends of the 13-by-2½-inch piece, as shown here.
Lastly, stretch a piece of tape lengthwise across the center of the 13-by-11-inch piece. Protect half of the board with a plastic bag, as shown here.
Tape the ends of the 13-by-2½-inch piece, as shown here.
Lastly, stretch a piece of tape lengthwise across the center of the 13-by-11-inch piece. Protect half of the board with a plastic bag, as shown here.
4. Spray-paint these three pieces white. You may need two or three coats, as wood is an absorbent material.
5. Once the spray paint has dried, carefully remove the tape.
Lay out the pieces on your work surface as shown here. Place a thin line of glue along the edge of the 13-by-2½-inch piece and place it at a right angle on the 13-by-11-inch piece exactly where the white area meets the stained wood to create the bottom of the box. Glue it in place.
Note: The antler hooks are not attached at this point. They are just shown here for context.
Lay out the pieces on your work surface as shown here. Place a thin line of glue along the edge of the 13-by-2½-inch piece and place it at a right angle on the 13-by-11-inch piece exactly where the white area meets the stained wood to create the bottom of the box. Glue it in place.
Note: The antler hooks are not attached at this point. They are just shown here for context.
6. Glue the small pieces to each end of the 13-by-2½-inch piece, including the larger bottom piece. Glue the 13-by-4-inch piece of wood on top of the side pieces, as shown here, to create the front of the box. Use pieces of painter’s tape on either side of the vertical pieces to keep them stable if necessary.
7. Attach your organizer to the wall. If you have a stud centered behind the organizer, simply screw the organizer into the stud. If not, drill a hole and insert a wall anchor into the hole. Insert a screw partway through your organizer so that you can see it on the back, then place it inside the anchor and, using the drill, attach it firmly to the wall.
Next, drill the screws that came with the antler hooks through the antlers and the wood and into the wall. This serves the dual purpose of attaching the hooks to the organizer and securing everything to the wall.
Next, drill the screws that came with the antler hooks through the antlers and the wood and into the wall. This serves the dual purpose of attaching the hooks to the organizer and securing everything to the wall.
The finished product is a unique solution to the common problem of clutter and disorganization by the doorway, allowing you to always find all your essentials on your way out the door.
This piece can also be customized with different patterns or designs, making it a great alternative to a store-bought version. You could try different hooks or other colors. You could also adjust the measurements to fit a space of any size.
Birch and pine are good choices for this project. You can buy two pieces of 24-by-12-inch wood at a crafts store and then cut the pieces to size with a saw. Alternatively, you could have pieces cut to the right size for you at a hardware store.