High Functioning Coat Hooks

by BrianJewett

510K41540

Intro: High Functioning Coat Hooks

Back in Los Angeles, any old coat rack or a few hooks by the door would do. Most of us would just toss a jacket in the back of the car in the winter months. But here in Vermont we need a little more. Many of the vernacular farm houses I visit have at least a half dozen hooks per person lined up in their mud rooms. My wife and I each will have several different coats, jackets and vests in play all winter long. Add to that assorted scarves, hats and gloves, several of each for both of us, and your average coat rack doesn’t stand a chance. The bench by our door spent the whole winter covered in coats hats and gloves with the overflow often spreading to the back of the sofa in the living room.

Materials, for each hanger you'll need:
     One cleaned or refinished paint can.
     2 screws long enough to reach into wall studs.

Tools:
     Long handled screwdriver or screw gun with sufficient extensions to reach bottom of can.
     Punch or small drill
     Stud finder (optional)

Step one:   With the handle in a horizontal position, layout and make 2 small mounting holes at the top and bottom of the can within an inch or less of the edge.

Step two:   locate and mark stud position on wall for upper screw position.

Step three:   Screw through the upper hole of the can into the wall stud but not quite snug to the wall.

Step four:  Straighten the can and screw through the lower hole of the can into the wall stud snug to the wall.

Step five:  Snug up first screw.

Step six:  Hang, stuff, drape and regain control of your entry space!

39 Comments

iforhouses 12 years ago

This is a wonderfull DIY ideea. The hanger is too cool and original not to be tried.
i think inside of those buckets i will add some colored LED's....

redecorator1 12 years ago

What a brilliant idea!
My firm is Use What You Have Interiors, so you know I love this clever reuse of what was already there.
Thanks... I will share.

Lauri Ward
www.redecorate.com

BrianJewett 12 years ago

Thanks, I'm honored to have this featured on such an interesting web site. I'll be back to explore it more!

Les Créateliers 12 years ago

Hello Brian!
This instructable is absolutely wonderful! So I decided to feature it on my website! You can see the page here:

http://lescreateliers.com/Les_Createliers/Idees_Ideas/Entries/2011/7/27_Crochets_pour_manteauxCoat_hooks.html

If, for any reason, you do not wish to appear on my website, just let me know and I'll remove my post right away!

Cheers,

Marie-Eve

BrianJewett 12 years ago

I'm happy to have you repost the idea. And thank you too for making it bilingual! My most frustrating business trip was to Montreal. I had one day to myself and couldn't get hardly anyone away from the company I was visiting to speak to me in english even though I know most people speak at least some. I even went to a tourist information center and not a single person there would try to help me in english. Needless to say, I never returned.

Les Créateliers 12 years ago

I'm very sorry you had a bad experience here, we're not all like that fortunately! :)
Thanks for letting me repost!

myspirit 12 years ago

Brilliant! I love the dual-functionality, the cubby to stash a knit hat/gloves, and the place to gently hang the jacket.

BRILLIANT! I can't wait to do this in my hallway

BrianJewett 12 years ago

Nice idea! Any idea how to pull it off?

xlih 12 years ago

What is a 'vernacular' farm house?

BrianJewett 12 years ago

Wikipedia has a good definition:
Vernacular Architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it exists.

xlih 12 years ago

Cool! Thanks, this is good to know.

Javin007 12 years ago

LMAO! Did you see that this got featured on Consumerist?
http://consumerist.com/2011/05/why-paint-cans-beat-coat-hooks-at-their-own-job.html

rleemans 12 years ago

This idea would work great in the shop too. I could hang my air lines from it, and put the air tools, connectors, blow nozzles and air chucks inside.
Thanks!

daveteach 12 years ago

I can picture this. Xlent. Thanks

James Pronk 12 years ago

I am going to use 5 gallon paint pails for all the hats and mitts we have. It will be much better then not turning the heat on so you don't need to take anything off and hang it up

BrianJewett 12 years ago

5 gallon pails are even big enough to add a shelf in the middle! I considered them first but my hall isn't wide enough. Feel free to add pics of all your improvements to my post here. The more the merrier!

ecowaters 12 years ago

Brilliant. This is the answer for the places where I wanted to install shelves and hooks but doubted my ability to install shelves that would take weight. These will also be good for my summer sun hats. Now to figure out where to install them in my apartment. I might go to the thrift shop to look for attractive drillable canisters.

hohum 12 years ago

ecowaters,

this is one great idea, as an offshoot to this idea, and I am not taking away from how good this idea is,

get a piece of 5/8 plywood, find the studs drill in some massive screw hooks, mount your cans, install some 'eye' plates and then hang the plywood/can to the screw hooks, that way, you could take your plywood can coat hook with you,

you can do thias.
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