Home Improvements: Pallet Pot Rack

I frequently tell people that I live on “Pallet Row.” Take a walk around my neighborhood, and you’ll come across dozens of discarded pallets, which is great because a little TLC can transform these into some great furniture. We already have a coffee table and matching ottoman that we constructed from found wooden skids. Somehow, in the past few months I’ve amassed so many pots and pans, that Sam and I decided to draw up plans to make a pot rack from pallets. On Sunday, we finished the construction and hung it up– it’s a great space saver AND a beautiful way to display all of my skillets!

Pallet Pot Rack

SUPPLIES

• 1 pallet
• 4′ x 4′ chicken wire
• 6 wire coat hangers
• Heavy chain
• Staples
• 2 1/4 x 4″ toggle hook bolts with nuts* (we bought the hook bolts separately and replaced the standard bolt with those)
• 2 1/4 x 4 inch toggle bolts with nuts
• 4 washers (to fit the bolts)
• S-hooks

TOOLS

• Circular Saw
• Hammer
• Nail Puller
• Nails
• Drill
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Staple gun
• Wire cutters
• Measuring Tape

Step 1

Cut your pallet in half, or to the desired size. (Sam used the circular saw to do this.)

Step 2

Remove the middle bar of the pallet (using a nail puller, or the back of your hammer) taking care not to split the wood, because you will be reattaching it.

Step 3

Measure and cut a piece of chicken wire so that it fits across your pallet.

Step 4

Use a staple gun (or, alternatively, a hammer and staples) to staple the chicken wire in place. Staple across each of the wooden bars. Hammer the staples in.

Step 5

Replace the middle bar that was removed, back over the chicken wire, using a hammer and nails, or, a drill and screws.

Step 6

Use wire cutter to cut the top of each wire hanger off, and bend the remaining wire so that it’s relatively straight. Form a hook at one end of each piece. Weave the wire through the chicken wire so that it crosses with the wooden bars. Cut the excess wire off; hook the end, and use the staple gun the staple securely into place. Repeat with each of the remaining wires, spacing evenly. There should be three wires across each side.

Step 7

Using a hammer and nail, or, for even more security, a nut and bolt, secure a length of chain onto each side of the pallet. That is, you’ll attach chain on the inside front part of the left plank, and then do the same on the right plank. The chain will ultimately hang at about a 45 degree angle from hook bolts on the wall, so you’ll need to measure to see how much you’ll need.

Step 8

Alright! You have a pot rack! Now you need to hang it. Measure where on the wall you want it to hang, and draw a faint line. Measure an equal distance from each side of the rack to put your toggle bolts in. Drill holes in the wall where each of the toggle bolts should go. Then, one person should hold up the pot rack (that was me) while the other person puts those bolts in, and tightens with a screwdriver. At this point your pot rack should be able to hang with no additional support from you and should even be able to bear significant weight. But, you are going to create additional supports.

Step 9

Mark on the wall where the chain should go so that it hangs at a 45 degree angle. Drill holes where it should go. Then, screw in your toggle hook bolts, securing each with a washer. Hook the chain on. Almost there! You just need to put some pots on this thing.

Step 10

Place S-hooks on the heavy coat-hanger wire. Hang pots and pans from the hooks. Additional hooks can be placed directly through the chicken wire, but they should only hold lighter-weight items. The top of the pot rack can also be used as a shelf for additional storage. (We put a dutch oven and some stock pots up there.)

Voilà! Pallet Pot Rack!