How to make DIY Coat Hooks From Old Fence Boards
I Love DIY Coat hooks and I love Old Boards. Are you like me and have a love affair with old wood? Do your neighbors think you are slightly off your rocker because you are begging them for their old fence boards? Do you drive around your city after a windstorm and look for people throwing out old fence boards? Then you have come to the right place to upcycle your old wood!
Maybe you have a pile of old boards that looks something like this pile? I have too many old fence boards and old wood boards in my garage to count. I have a pile of my “special” fence boards. These are old boards that came from an old picket fence built in the 20’s. I scored a giant van full of them years ago at a Farm Estate Sale. It was amazing, $40 for as much old wood, old boards and old furniture as I could squeeze into my car.
I have used these old boards for many things over the years, I always save all the pieces of old wood. I use them to top off upcycled furniture, and the end parts are great for making Vintage Coat Hooks!
Full tutorial on my YouTube Channel! I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t yet had a chance. I am sharing in-depth tutorials there of my favorite upcycles and much more DIY Upcycles in my home!
You can use whatever hooks you prefer. I happened to have a whole bunch leftover from some old projects. I get mine from Amazon, there are two different kinds. I love these because they look like Vintage Reproductions. I use both the small hooks and bigger Double Hooks.
Old Board to Vintage Hook Tutorial Video Here
The Prep of Old Boards
Begin by cleaning off the boards, depending on how rough the boards are, give it a good sand. Old wood can be super splintery. I didn’t sand mine too much as there was some great chippy paint on them. You can go ahead and put your favorite sealer on them at this point too. I used DIY Paint 100% Natural Clear Wax. It’s my favorite top coat, it sets up quickly and it is really easy to use.
Once the wax dries, buff your piece. At this point, add a D ring hook to the back for hanging, you want to put that on before you add your hooks!
Now it’s time to add your hooks! I drill a small pilot hole with my drill. I usually eyeball where on the old fence post or board to put it, but if you are the measuring type, you will have better success that it will turn out perfect!
The Hardware
These are some of my favorite Vintage hooks I used, Here and Here.
Hope I inspired you to make some of your own DIY Coat Hooks from Old Fence Boards or Old Wood. If you have made things with old fence boards, please let me know! I would love to hear. If you have questions re any of the products I used or process, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me with questions.
Not sure how it happened that I got reconnected to your website. I followed your site many moons ago and then it was inactive for a long time. And then presto changeo, I received a notification of a post a week or two ago. So of course I checked it out right away because I always love a mystery and what appeared to be a sudden resurrection. It never occurred to me (duh) that you were on Youtube, where I spend hours viewing decorating and “make things” videos because I decorate even though I don’t “make things.” I have seen some DIYers use the “DIY Paint” finishes in recent videos on Youtube so I figure that’s the latest and best of a new thing, similar to when people got turned on to Annie Sloan chalk paint years ago – which I still have not tried (chalk paint, that is, not the brand). Love the coat hooks on the repurposed wood boards. I don’t have a space for them in my house, otherwise I would try my clumsy hands at making them. This house I bought in 2014 already has hooks screwed into applied boards (painted) in the back door hall, and I’m not about to try and rip out existing to replace with anything I’d attempt to make. LOL – the thought EGAD! That being said, I love the look of old repurposed wood since I am a fanatic on HGTV programs. Being a babyboomer raised by parents who lived during the Great Depression, I learned how to keep, reuse, “hoard,” because you never know when you might need to dig out that old potato masher you inherited from Great-Grandma. I am not a handy woman when it comes to using electric (or hand) tools and such so I admire women who do it and are skilled and explain things to me in ways I can understand. I can barely hammer a nail into a wall or a fence post, but I do it anyway, even if it takes 6 hours to get it right. I did subscribe to your Youtube channel when I saw you had one, will check in there. Love what you do, you have been an inspiration for this very unhandy woman for many years.
This is lovely. I am trying to do something similar, using an old piece of scrap wood (used to be the back of a long drawer) and some cast iron hooks. I’ve run into a problem though: the screws stick way out! How did you fix this? Thank you!
That’s a great question you asked. What I do when the wood is thinner than the screw that needs to hold the hook is I back the piece with another piece of wood. Just thick enough for the screw to go in, but not so thick it would look weird against the wall. I hope this helps!
Wow. This is inspiring. Last month, I replaced my wooden fence with framed hog fencing. So, I got lots of old fence boards in my front yard. And I wondered how I could reuse them or create something creative and functional. Then, I discovered your post. I tried it, and I love the results. I do only not use them to hang my coats but also my other stuff to keep my room look organized. I repainted them with wood paint to complement my room.
This is so fun! Thank you for sharing!