Build a pot rack out of an old iron gate.
One of the most difficult aspects of kitchen organization is finding room for bulky pots and pans. Pots and pans are often relegated to barely reachable cabinets or stacked in far cupboards. If you are tired of burrowing through jumbles of pots and pans looking for just the right one, build a hanging pot rack to display them overhead within easy reach. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Use a wire brush on the old iron gate to remove rust and any remaining flakes of paint. Finish with steel wool -- working gradually from coarse to fine grades -- until all rust is gone.
2. Wipe the gate down with an old rag dampened with a few drops of mineral spirits or turpentine (knead the rag to distribute the solvent first), or use a commercial tack cloth to remove the remains of dust and dirt.
3. Spray paint the entire gate with a metal primer according to thew manufacturer's directions and let dry before proceeding to next step.
4. Spray paint the gate with a metal paint according to the manufacturer's directions and let dry. Follow with an additional coat if needed.
5. Tap the ceiling to determine the location of ceiling joists in the spot you want the gate to hang. Do this by listening for a dull sound where you tap over a solid spot, or make it easier by using a stud finder to locate the joists.
6. Measure two points on a single joist, spaced the same distance apart as your gate is long. Mark identical points on an adjacent joist. Standard construction is for joists to be 16 inches apart on centers, but occasionally they may be as far as 24 inches apart.
7. Screw one stainless steel eye bolt into the ceiling joists at each marked position. You should now have four eye bolts spaced 16 or 24 inches apart in one direction and spaced the length of your gate in the other. The four bolts should form a rectangle.
8. Measure from the ceiling to a spot that is about 12 inches higher than your reach--with your feet flat on the floor and your arm comfortably extended. You may need a helper for this. This is the level at which the gate will hang. You can adjust it later.
9. Put on the safety goggles, and cut the heavy stainless steel chain with bolt cutters at the length you measured from the ceiling.
10. Hang one length of chain from each eye bolt. Put an S-hook on the end of each chain, and hang the gate from the hooks.
11. Use as many additional hooks as you need to hang your pots and pans from the gate. Adjust the gate as needed to avoid banging your head on hanging pots.
Tags: inches apart, ceiling joists, four bolts, from ceiling, gate with
