DIY Wall Hanging Coat Rack

As the weather gets colder here in Wisconsin I am reminded of the multiple jackets and sweatshirts that we keep piling on to stay warm. This also means that these same jackets have just been piling up in our entryway. So I decided to build a nice coat rack that can also serve as a wall shelf. This is what I came up with! 

DIY Wall Mounted Coat Rack

Check out the instructions below to make your own!


I decided to keep it super simple. I used a 4 ft long 1x6 and a 4 ft long 1x4. This essentially creates a nice 4 ft shelf that has plenty of room to add the pegs. 

4ft 1x6 and 4ft 1x4

I measured out the distance for where I wanted the pegs on the back side of the 6 inch wide board. The top row of pegs was 2.5 inches from the top and the bottom row was 4.5 inches from the top. The first peg was 2 inches from the edge and then spaced every 7 1/3 inches. The bottom row started 5.5 inches  from the edge and spaced every 7 1/3 inches for the rest of the board. This will allow the pegs to be offset and maximize the amount of pegs you can get on the board. I managed to fit 13 pegs on this coat rack. 

The Measurements of the Peg Holes

Once you have it all measured you can go ahead and drill a pilot hole through the wood starting from the back and going to the front. I used a 1/8 inch drill bit. This will make it easier to screw the pegs in without splitting the wood. This is what the front will look like.

Pilot Holes for the Screws

Now drill a hole into the end of each peg. I cut each peg 3 inches long. I used a branch from a piece of diamond willow. This is what it looks like when the bark is peeled of and sanded down. You could use pretty much any tree branch or just a cheap wooden dowel from the hardware store.

Diamond Willow Pegs

Before I screwed the pegs in I went ahead and drilled the holes to mount the top board to the side board. I used a Kreg Jig but you could drill also just drill holes at an angle.

Kreg Jig to Drill the Top Holes 

Now that all the holes are drilled, go ahead and attach the pegs. I used 2 inch wood screws and drilled from the back while holding the peg over the pre-drilled hole. Once the screw was through the wood it went right into the peg and secured it nicely to the flat side of the board.

Pegs Attached to the Board

Now that all the pegs are on there you can go ahead and attach the top of the shelf. I used 1 1/4 inch Kreg screws. Here is a picture of the fully assembled Wall Hanging Coat Rack.

Finished Coat Rack

Now it is time to add the finishing touches. I made a DIY beeswax wood sealant. This is super cheap and easy to make and it will give the wood a nice finished honey coloring. It is non-toxic, smells wonderful, and really protects the wood. It goes on like a gooey paste, and then you just wipe off any of the excess.

Applying the Beeswax Sealant

My wife and I just applied it with our hands. It took about 15 minutes to apply it to the whole coat rack.

Further Application of Beeswax Sealant

This is what it looked like when it was all done! You can see the before and after picture. It takes a few hours to dry and it gets a little darker once it is completely dried.

Before and After with Beeswax Sealant

Once it is all dry you can go ahead and hang it on the wall!

Coat Rack Mounted on the Wall 

To mount it I found two wall studs and drilled a 2.5 inch screw into each one, making sure they were level. Then I measured the distance between the two and drilled two holes into the back of the top part of the shelf at that same distance. Then all I had to do was line up the two holes with the two screws and the coat rack is now mounted flush against the wall!