DIY Farmhouse Plate Rack

Hello friends! 

  Today I wanted to share with you all a fun DIY I came across while watching YouTube. I've really been in a creative mood as of late and have had fun searching out new projects to try and share with you all. While watching YouTube the other day, I came across a video for a DIY farmhouse style plate rack. I knew this was a project I wanted to try and replicate, but just slightly different. In the video, only one plate rack holder was used, but I decided to use five so I could create a 5ft plate rack! I knew I wanted to place this above the dining room hutch, which is why I needed it to be about 5ft in length. Some of the materials used for this project I did already have from previous projects, so in total this cost me about $25 dollars to make. 

Let's get started! Below are some of the supplies you will need to create your very own  plate rack. You'll also need a wood board for the base, but it's up to you on how long or short you want your plate rack to be. Like stated above, I knew I wanted mine to go above the hutch, so I needed a longer board. The width of the board is also up to you. I wanted mine to have a bit of a ledge on the sides, so i went with a wider board.

1) You can purchase the plate racks at the Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, only $1! SCORE!!

2) When purchasing the spray paint, I like to go to a couple of locations. Hobby Lobby, Michaels and Home Depot. Remember this, Hobby Lobby and Michaels ALWAYS have a 40% off coupon for one item, which I like to use for the spray paints. 

3) The foam brush, E6000 and wood stain I purchased from Home Depot.

You'll want to spray paint your plate rack(s) with the base color of your choice. I decided to go with the Oil Rubbed Bronze, because it gave me more of that industrial/rustic look I was going for. Allow the paint to dry before moving on to the next step. It was pretty windy outside when I worked on this, so it only took about ten minutes max for the paint to completely dry. The next step is optional. If you want a sheen to your racks you can leave them be. However, I chose to go with a matte finish to accomplish a more vintage vibe. I sprayed the matte finish all over the already spray painted racks and allowed that to dry for another ten minutes. Once these steps are completed, Set your plate racks aside so you can move on to the next step.

Next, you'll want to stain your board with the finish of your choice. I went with Minwax's Dark Walnut finish. Make sure to wear gloves for this step, as well make sure to be in a well ventilated area! This is important as the fumes from the stain is no joke! I find the outdoors works best when it comes to staining. I applied one coat of stain all over the board allowing it to seep in for a few minutes. I then took a few paper towels and wiped the board down completely, removing any excess stain. Doing this is how you will get that beautiful finish on the board and it also helps with a quicker dry time. The drying time is what's going to take the longest. If you're staining your board outside, it can take anywhere from 2-4 hours to completely dry (depending on the elements) but if you're staining inside, it can take much longer. Again, I highly recommend staining your board outside.

Once you feel that you're board is dry enough, you'll want to take the plate rack(s) and position them on the board where you want them. Next, you'll glue them down to the board, as can be seen in the photo below. 

  

I used the E6000 at first and ended up having to use clamps to help hold down the plate racks as the glue dried, however this became too time consuming which is why I went ahead and used the hot glue in addition to the E6000. This really helped move the project along. These racks are secure and aren't going anywhere!

For a final rustic touch, I used some bronze paint I already had and dabbed the paint along the sides and corners of the plate racks. This gave it that vintage industrial-farmhouse look I was going for!

TA-DA! 

Here's how the finished product looks. I'm so thrilled with how this DIY turned out. It's exactly what that empty space on top needed! I love now being able to display my decorative dishes and chargers I once had stored away. This project with only a few steps, was so simple, fun and inexpensive to make. I hope you guys enjoyed and were inspired by this blog post. I can't wait to share the next DIY with everyone! 

FINAL NOTE:

Because the fumes from the stain is so potent, I would recommend allowing your project to air outside for a few hours after completion. If you bring it in right away, you have the potential risk of having your entire space smell like the wood stain and it isn't exactly pleasant.