DIY Freestanding Mobile Pipe Coat Rack

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Roeshel

Holiday season! That means some entertaining in our home, get-togethers with families, dinner parties (having a holiday open house today, in fact). Time to get holiday guest ready! Did you ever notice that your own family fills up the coat closet (sometimes to the point of “avalanche!” when opening the door? Or is that just us?!)…and when guests arrive in colder months, coats are stored in the guest bedroom in a pile on a bed? Our solution:

A DIY moveable, mobile coat rack. I am so over the utility types that teeter, lean or fall over when filled up. Know what I mean? This industrial looking DIY coat rack is sturdy, not to mention adds a touch of rustic industrial style.

Materials I used:

(1) 48 inch stair tread (I used red oak but for a more budget friendly option, there was also pine)
Rust-Oleum Ultimate Wood Stain (color is kona and ebony)
foam brush for applying stain, gloves & rags, paint brush for applying polyurethane
Rust-Oleum Polyurethane sealer (finish is satin)
(4) heavy duty casters
(2) 3/4″ flanges
(2) 24″ galvanized steel pipes
(2) 30″ galvanized pipes
(2) 3/4″ tee connectors
(2) 3/4″ nipple connectors
(2) 3/4″ 90 degree elbows
(2) 3/4″ 90 degree street elbows
(2) 3/4″ caps
(1) 36″ galvanized pipe
#12 1 inch hexagon washers (screws)

What I did:

Soak the sticker parts of the galvanized pipes in hot soapy water. (It doesn’t take long.) Remove stickers. Dry pipes and set aside.

Finish the wood. Using the foam brush, I applied the wood stain (brush on in the same direction as the wood grain). Let sit for a few minutes then wipe away the excess with old rags. Unlike pine, the red oak wasn’t absorbing my favorite kona colored stain in as rich of a color so I also applied two coats of ebony in the same way to achieve a darker color. Stain then dries in about an hour.

After the stain was dry, I sealed the wood using a coat of polyurethane. Simply brush on (looks a bit milky when wet but dries clear). I let that dry overnight.

I attached the four casters to the under (unfinished) side using the hexagon screws. Be careful with the screws on the cut side of the wood. Going too close to the edge may cause the wood to crack.

Flip right side up. Set aside the nipple connectors, two street elbows and the caps.

Next I assembled my pipe pieces. Starting with the flanges. Screw 30″ pipes into flanges.

Then add tees to the other end of each 30″ pipe.

Then add the other 30″ pipe sections (one to each tee – you’ll have two poles at this point).

Add a 90 degree elbow to the top of one pole.

Connect the 36″ galvanized pipe (center) piece. Add a 90 degree elbow to the end of the center pipe piece then add the other pole.

Place the pole-contraption onto the wood stair riser (I found the center by using a yard stick). Attach flanges to the wood using the hex screws.

Add nipple connectors to the center tees, then elbows then caps. This creates a space for hanging purses, hats or scarves.

Now when we’re expecting guests, we can simply roll the coat rack near the door for hanging coats. Or use it as extra hanging space in a room without a closet (or one with a packed closet). Handy to have in the laundry room too!

Store it in the basement, a closet, the laundry room, an office or guest room and then move near the door for parties and gatherings. Or if you have room, display near the front door entryway or mudroom area.

I received a Lowe’s gift card to put towards this challenge. Opinion and above idea is 100% my own. More DIY ideas at Lowe’s Creative Ideas or follow Lowe’s on Instagram, Pinterest and sign up for the Creative Ideas magazine and app.

Painted Staggered Striped Accent Wall

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Roeshel

I’ve shared bits and pieces and sneak peeks of the accent wall in the laundry room and I have to say, photographing that small space is a big challenge but here’s the gist of what we did and how it’s looking. A small wall in a laundry room is a great way to play with a bold design.

The base color on my walls is white. Clean, plain, simple.

But adding black staggered stripes is a fun way to add a punch of wow!

Supplies:

Paint – I use latex in an eggshell finish. One color as the base, a bolder color for the accent.
FrogTape® Delicate Surface (I also used FrogTape® Multi-Surface to start)

What I did:

Planning/measurements: I started by measuring the wall width and height. For me it’s 45.5 inches wide by 107 inches or so tall. My baseboard is 6 inches tall, leaving me with 101 inches of height. I decided on 5 inch high stripes. With a 45.5 inch width, I decided on roughly three 15 inch columns.

I’m going to start with how I did the design since painting the base color is basic…just paint the wall! For the stripes, using a yard stick, I made pencil marks every 5 inches above the baseboard and along the wall.

I then connected the dots using a light pencil line and my level to create evenly spaced horizontal lines up the wall from baseboard to ceiling.

Because dividing 45.5 into 3 equal sections gets an odd long number, I made a mark in the center of each horizontal line on the wall (for me that was 27.75). From the center, I made a pencil mark at 7.5 inches left and right. My center column on the wall will measure exactly 15 inches. The left and right columns will be slightly larger than the center 15 inch column (but unnoticeable).

I then used my level to connect the dots to mark my vertical lines and to create three columns on the wall.

Time for FrogTape®! Starting with the center column, I taped off the “outside” of every other rectangle.

Burnish the edges of the FrogTape with a thumbnail.

Using a dense foam roller, I painted each rectangle. I did three coats since I painted black on white.

While the last coat of paint was still wet, I removed the FrogTape by pulling away from the paint. Let dry 24 hours.

Time to paint the left and right columns! Using FrogTape Delicate Surface (since the black paint is still fairly fresh), I taped off each rectangle (staggered from the center column).

Again, burnish the edges of the FrogTape with a thumbnail then paint. I did three coats throughout the day.

While the last coat of paint is still wet, remove the FrogTape by pulling away from the paint. Let dry 24 hours.

As is the way with DIY, I was not liking my initial design. It was more of a check board/racing flag look. Not what I was going for at all! Yikes! OH NO NO NO!

The fix: So, on the right and left columns I applied a strip of FrogTape Delicate to the white rectangle boxes/stripes…one on the top edge, one on the bottom edge.

Then painted the white middle section of each rectangle black. Again, 3 coats!

While the last coat was still wet, I removed the FrogTape….and the result was MUCH BETTER! It has a sort of 3D look to it. I was going to do that last paint step on the middle column’s black rectangle with white paint in the center but ended up liking it as is.

It really pops agains the otherwise neutral white laundry room with silver appliances, black walnut porcelain tile floor, bright green decorative accents and adds some fun dimension.

Well worth the math. Well worth the few hours of work a day for a couple of days. Now I get to enjoy the result for years! *I had to lighten the pictures (causing graininess) because there is NO natural light in this room.

It’s the perfect back drop for my ironing board with DIY cover too! Don’t you think?

More FrogTape Wall Ideas:

The annual Earn Your Stripes™ painting contest is taking place right now!!! Grand prize is $5,000.00!! I’d LOVE for a DIYShowOff reader to win! Imagine what you can do with $5000! Since I can’t enter, I hope you will! I’ll be participating in the judging! Enter here —> https://promotions.frogtape.com/earn-your-stripes/

Deadline to enter is now through July 1st – so, plenty of time to get creative hats on and execute a project. You’ll need before, during and after photos. Here are the official rules: https://promotions.frogtape.com/earn-your-stripes/rules. Here are the FAQ’s for the contest: https://promotions.frogtape.com/earn-your-stripes/faqs

Best part, all entries (see official rules) will receive a free roll of Shape Tape! Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received compensation to complete this project for using FrogTape® products. All opinions, projects and ideas are based on my own experience.

Laundry Room Herringbone Pattern Tile Floor Details

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Roeshel

We’ve been working in the laundry room (see more in the home tour). We chose black walnut porcelain tile that looks like wood and oh my, it’s gorgeous!

When we got it home from Lowe’s, my sweet husband suggested doing a herringbone pattern (because the herringbone patterned brick walkway and patio wasn’t enough torture, I guess) and I think he realized after his offer, that he may have stuck his foot in his mouth. But he did a beautiful job despite the tricky cuts, despite the fact that most of it is covered by a washer and dryer, a throw rug and someday soon, cabinetry and shelving.

This isn’t a full detailed tutorial per se because I’m not the one who did the work but I did take some pictures of the process for your DIY tiling enjoyment. Be sure to do plenty of research on tiling tips before beginning. Ready?

Level subfloor. Check. Hubby glued and screwed down Hardibacker.

He started the tile pattern by creating a border around the space and cutting/laying out/fitting those tiles first.

Then laid out the placement of the herringbone with solid un-cut tiles in the design.

Next up is cutting the tiles needed to create a herringbone pattern in the space between the tile border.

We find (he finds) that using FrogTape on the tile cut lines for tricky cuts with angles or small pieces helps prevent breakage.

We used 1/32″ spacers. We didn’t want huge gaps between the tiles since they resemble wood.

Next up, he set the tiles with mortar (OmniGrip) applied with a trowel.

Then removed the spacers and started the grouting process. We let it ‘cure’ for a week before applying the grout.

Grouting: We chose a black grout because it gave a similar look to the edges of our distressed antique java bamboo floors in the adjoining room. He used a sanded black epoxy grout (Quartz Lock Urethane Grout – jet black), smushing it into the spaces between the tile with a float then wiping away the excess with a sponge.

Let dry a good 24 hours before walking on it and because we were awaiting appliances, it was a couple weeks before every-day traffic.

Isn’t it beautiful? I was half tempted to put the washer and dryer somewhere else so I don’t have to cover it up! More laundry room makeover details coming up. Stay tuned!

DIY Show Off ™ – DIY Decorating and Home Improvement Blog

DIYShowOff – Budget Friendly Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement and Decorating blog

Category Archives: Laundry

DIY Freestanding Mobile Pipe Coat Rack

Painted Staggered Striped Accent Wall

Laundry Room Herringbone Pattern Tile Floor Details