Super Strong Clothes Hanging Bar for Your Closet, on a Budget

This is a fairly quick and easy solution to upgrade your closet with a super strong clothes hanging bar.

We decided to do this when the existing wire shelf and hanger bar system came crashing off of the wall right before we were going to bed. Having to work the next two days, we had no time to fix the problem, so we just piled up the clothes and started to plan how we would fix this so it would never happen again.

This entire project cost us around $30, and took about 30 minutes to install.

Step 1: Take Your Measurements, and Buy the Materials

I had the idea for heavy pipe for a while, but never really had a reason to try it.
We measured the closet at 131" tight, so the next step was to head out to a Home Improvement store and see what types of pipe they had available.

We decided to use 1/2" galvanized pipe. It was heavy and strong, and it was a lot lighter than the next size up.

Here is what we had to buy:

1 ten foot length of pipe
1 five foot length of pipe
3 1/2" flanges
2 couplings
1 3/4" to 1/2" reducing tee
1 box of 1/8" X 2" toggle bolts
1 box of 3/16" X 2" toggle bolts
1 box of 4 knotting anchors, #14 X 3"

Assorted nipples from 3" to 12", so we could fine tune without making extra trips
(except to return what we didn't use!)
We ended up using a 10" nipple for the long bar, and a 3" nipple for the upright bar.

We already had the concrete bits, drills, etc. to make the holes in the walls and the floor.

Step 2: Drill the Holes, Install the Left Flange

We decided to reinstall the old wire shelf just to use as storage above the new clothes bar. This saved us from having to patch all the holes that would have been left behind if we removed the shelf.

It also helped us to easily line up and center where the new bar would be fastened, which was directly below the area that the old bar sat in.
We installed it with 11 1/8" toggle bolts along the back, and 3 of the 3/16" toggle bolts for the lower supports

The left side of our closet was just plain drywall with hollow wall behind it, so I used 2 of the 3/16" toggle bolts staggered diagonally with 2 of the 1/8" toggle bolts.

Since the holes are so close together in the flanges, I wanted to minimize the possibility of the toggle bolts overlapping each other.

We marked the holes and I used a large punch and a hammer to get the holes in the drywall.

Once the left side was mounted loosely, I punched the drywall on the right side, then used a 3/8" masonry bit to drill into the concrete block directly behind the wall.

When the holes were drilled, I inserted the knotting anchors through the drywall and into the concrete block.

Step 3: Put the Horizontal Bar Together and Get It Secured in Place

Once the right wall was drilled, it was time to get the horizontal bar ready to install.

I took the 3/4" to 1/2" reducing tee and drilled a hole in the top of it, at a slight angle.

Then slid the tee onto the long pipe, and threaded the coupling onto the right end of the horizontal bar.

Then we screwed the left side of the pipe into the flange mounted on the left wall, being careful not to disturb the toggle bolts, since the left flange is still not tightened up all the way.
This allows movement necessary for the following steps.

I then threaded the remaining flange onto the pipe, holding the pipe at an angle from the wall.
This is where it is important to have the left flange loose, otherwise, you would tear your drywall out!

My partner placed a rag over the pipe on the left side, and secured a set of vise grips over the rag to prevent the pipe from turning.

I did the same on my end, and tightened the pipe into the coupling and flange until it was a tight fit, making sure the holes in the flange lined up with the holes in the wall.

Then I slid the flange down into place over the holes (scraping a little paint along the way).

Once this was finished, I screwed down the right side, and then tightened up the toggle bolts on the left side.

Step 4: Install the Vertical Support Bar

What we have now is a mounted horizontal bar with a coupling about 10" from the right wall, and a reducing tee that slides freely on the bar.

We located the center of the bar and moved the tee to that area.

Then I placed the vertical support bar, which consisted of a 5ft. bar with a flange on the bottom, and a coupling connected to a 5" nipple at the top.

Slightly flexing the horizontal bar up, the support bar screws into the tee from the bottom.

I leveled the vertical bar in 2 directions, and marked the floor where I was going to drill 2 holes into the concrete.

Then I drilled through the hole in the tee into the horizontal bar.

I drilled the holes into the floor using a 1/4" masonry bit, and then I tapped 2 plastic plugs into the holes.

Then I screwed the vertical support bar's flange to the floor.

The next step is to put a screw through the hole in the tee, and into the pipe.
This secures the tee to the pipe to keep it from sliding around.