An easy and budget-friendly way to make your own chic clothing rack.
When you are limited on closet space an easy way to find a solution is by creating your own clothing storage. While building our home, our temporary living arrangements lacked closet space. That problem was solved by building a DIY industrial pipe clothing rack.
While building our home, we temporarily lived with my aunt in her house. The house was quite roomy. We had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room and a shared kitchen.
We put most of our furniture into storage and we used what was already available in the home. Everything worked out pretty well except we were short on closet space. When your ideal closet space isn't possible or you are unable to upgrade a current closet, something else has to be done.
It turns out that three kids CAN share a closet, but the fighting and contention that accompanies is very undesirable. A DIY industrial pipe clothing rack was the solution to fix the temporary lack of closet space.
Simple Clothing Pipe Rack
I found this beautiful pipe rack with caster wheels at West Elm. It was perfect for our needs, however, at $350 this large mobile clothing rack was slightly out of the budget. But the design is inspirational.
Modern and contemporary trends like to bring in more industrial vibes into your home decor. For example, using metal and concrete in building or decorating. The industrial pipes paired with the wide planks of wood is so appealing and fits in well with this trend.
DIY Pipe Rack Idea
When you have leftover galvanized pipe in the storage shed that is waiting to be used for something, a DIY project is just the thing. Making my own clothing rack with metal pipes and a wood base was an easy project that turned out great!
Before
This is what the bedroom looked like when we moved in. A small room can seem really tight with limited closet storage.
After
And here is the finished project! A simple DIY idea can lead to a beautiful transformation of space.
How to Build a Simple Clothing Rack Out of Industrial Pipes
You can acquire these supplies at your local building supply store like Home Depot or Lowe's.
Supplies
- 1 - 46" ¾" Galvanized pipe threaded on both sides
- 2 - 53" ¾" Galvanized pipe threaded on both sides
- 4 - 12" ¾" Galvanized pipe threaded on both sides
- 4 - 3" ¾" Galvanized pipe threaded on both sides
- 6 - ¾" 90 degree elbows
- 2 - ¾" Tee joint
- 4 - Floor flange
- Oil rubbed bronze spray paint
- 2 - 53" long x 11"wide x 1" thick pine board (have it cut at the hardware store)
- Dark Walnut Stain
Thread the Pipes
The best part about this clothing rack is once you have all the supplies, putting it together is pretty easy. The first thing that needs to be done is to get all the ends threaded so you can screw everything together.
What is threading? Basically, threading a pipe is creating the spiral lines or "threads" on the end of a pipe so it will help to screw the end in for a secure seal.
Threading can be a tricky process. Although I did a few of mine by myself, unless you are a threading master I recommend getting them threaded to save time. It was faster to take them to a local hardware store that had a threader.
Bottom Platform
The next step is to build the bottom of the platform. You will build two of these bases. One for each side of the clothes rack. To do this I used:
- 2 - Tees
- 4 - 90-degree elbows
- 4 - Floor flanges
- 4 - 12" pipes
- 4 - 3" pipes
I recommend using a 90-degree elbow on each side instead of a tee. However, either one will work. I only used the tees because I already had them and didn't want to buy new ones.
Side of Clothes Rack
Next, you will hand screw the 53" pipes into each base piece.
Top of Clothes Rack
After you have the 53" pipes screwed on, you will attach a 90-degree elbow to each side. Then screw the 46" pipe into both of the 90 degree elbows. Your heavy duty frame is all put together after this step.
Paint the Pipe Section
When the frame is all put together, you will spray paint your frame. Follow directions on your can of spray paint and do it in a well ventilated area.
I spray painted it all with Rustoleum's metallic oil rubbed bronze. You can also use black paint if you prefer the look of black pipe instead. I found it was easier to spray after the frame was put together instead of spraying individual pieces.
Wood Platform
While your paint dries, take your 53" long wood and follow instructions on your stain container to stain it with the dark walnut stain. When it is dry, rest your wood platforms on each side of the rack. They will lie down wedged in between your long center pipe and the tee corner piece on each side.
Once everything is dry your DIY industrial pipe clothing rack is FINISHED!
Functional and Stylish DIY Industrial Pipe Clothing Rack
Now this DIY industrial pipe clothes rack makes a beautiful feature in the bedroom. It is very functional too and cleans up the floor space. My daughter can use her clothes hanger for everyday clothes, winter coats, a shoe rack and so much more.
This large rack would also be very cute and functional in a laundry room or mudroom. It is a great way to add stylish and affordable clothing storage in your home.
And we can't forget about this rug. It is so soft and plush. I love the black, white and grey variations. Since it is going in my daughter's room I need it to help hide stains. It has been amazing so far! My readers can get a 55% discount! just use the code startathome55
Shop the other accessories here:
Looking for more storage tips to incorporate in your own home? See how I transformed my mud room as well as how to get window seat storage with this DIY project.
Happy Decorating!
Brooke
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