Mountain Wall Mounted Coat Rack: A Very Scrap Wood Project

Need somewhere to hang your coats?

Need to use up some scrap wood?

Love mountain ranges?

Then I have a project for you!

Introducing, a wall coat rack made with scrap wood that looks like a mountain range!

Ta-da!

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If you’re ready to use up some random leftover pieces of wood in the woodshop or if you’re looking for a super cute way to hang your coats on the wall, this should fit the bill!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Scrapwood (mine was a piece of Cherry)
• Jigsaw
• Electric Sander or Sandpaper
• Pencil
• Speed Square
• Masking Tape
• White Craft Paint 
• Screws
• Wall Anchors
• Coat Rack Hooks

Step One: Pick Your Scrap Wood

What kind of wood you use and the size depends, obviously, on what you want. I used a piece of cherry that was leftover from another project. It was in Ned’s scrap pile and he didn’t have any specific plans for it.

The measurements for it were 20.5 inches wide by 9 inches high. Of course, you can make it as big or small as you would like.

Step Two: Outline the Mountains

The next step is to outline your mountains. We used a speed square to mark the angles. I wanted an uneven look so the mountains are not all the same height or width. If you use the speed square, make sure that you beginning and ending marks match the corner of the wood.

You can also create a pattern on paper or cardstock if you’d like to make more than one.

Step Three: Bring out the Jigsaw

After you’re done drawing the outline of your mountains, it’s time to get out the jigsaw. We used clamps to keep the wood in place while we used the jigsaw to cut out the angles.

You’ll need to turn your mountain several times to complete all the cuts. Ned is usually the one who runs the power tools, but I had some fun learning how to use the jigsaw. It’s really not that hard even for someone like me who tends to be a little more hesitant around sharp things.

Be safe while using any sharp or fast machinery and use proper safety precautions.

If you want to learn more about jigsaws, I really like this article by Thrift Diving. It gives a lot of helpful information about jigsaws including why you need one, how to use it, what blades to choose and a lot more. If you want one specifically on safety, this article by SafetyCompany offers some helpful advice.

Step Four: Sand Your Mountain Coat Rack

Once you’ve cut out your angles, the next step is to sand it smooth.

We used an electric sander for the fronts and backs, and a belt sander for the bottom and two side angles. Then we used a sanding sponge to finish the sanding.

If you don’t have an electric sander, a regular sheet of sandpaper will do. Start with a courser piece of sandpaper and finish with a fine sheet.

Step Five: Using Masking Tape to Outline Snowcaps

It’s my opinion that the snowcaps on top of the mountain coat rack are really what makes this piece pop. The fun part is you really don’t need anything fancy to make it. I used good old masking tape to create the jagged look of a snowcapped mountain.

When you finished applying your tape (front and back of the wood), go ahead and paint the top portion. I used Martha Stewart’s multi-surface acrylic paint with a satin finish, but you can use any kind of white craft paint. I needed to add a few coats before it was completely covered.

Step Six: Apply Polycrilic to Your Mountain Range

When your paint has dried, remove the tape to reveal your snow peaks. (This was probably my favorite part.)

Following that, I used Polycrilic to coat the entire mountain range. I chose Polycrilic because regular polyurethane sometimes leaves a yellowish tint, and I wanted to avoid that. The finish I used was very clear and didn’t change the color of the white snow peaks. It did slightly darken the wood, but I didn’t mind this change.

I applied two coats of Polycrilic, and I lightly sanded in between coats.

Step Seven: Add Your Hooks and Hang it Up

At this point, you’re almost done. The only thing left is to add your hooks and a way to hang it on the wall. There are several options for hanging it up, and what you choose is based on your needs and what you want to do with it.

We decided to use wall anchors to hang our mountain range coat rack. Because we chose to do it this way, the hooks were actually screwed in after attaching it to the wall. To hide the screws for the wall anchor, we placed them behind the hooks. That way you don’t see the screws through the wood. You can also add d-rings to the back or try an adhesive. Keep in mind that you want to choose something that will hold the weight of your mounted wall rack plus whatever you hang from it. Wall anchors are a good choice if you’re going to put a lot of weight on the rack.

If you make your coat rack wide enough, you can also align it to fit your studs like we did with our DIY felt board. Our mountain wall rack was not wide enough for us to do that, however.

*Just a side note: We still haven’t installed our coat rack because I want it in my craft room and we need a special concrete wall anchor that we haven’t purchased yet. Once I do hang it, I’ll show you as part of a series I’d like to write about redoing my oh-so-messy craft room. 

Step Eight: Enjoy Viewing the Mountains Right From Your Home

And that’s it! Now you can look back and admire your lovely handiwork. Before you had bare walls, now you have a wooden mountain range that has a very practical use.

Crack yourself a 7up. You did something great.

PS. Now I’m wondering if you can still buy 7up. And now I’m wondering if anyone remembers the video game that was inspired by 7up. It was called Cool Spot. You’re welcome.