DIY Rustic Towel Rack

Learn how to make a gorgeous, heavy-duty, rustic towel rack with this step-by-step tutorial. It would make a beautiful coat rack or decorative piece, too!

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Today’s project is brought to you by get-‘er-done… Otherwise know as Rachel’s VERY delayed motivation to finally finish that half bath she started months ago!

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

I jest… sort of. For some reason I was stuck on the finishing touches of this half bath. I shared more about it a couple of weeks ago with the reveal of my DIY triptych

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

But suffice it to say that procrastination had set in. I think this DIY towel rack was worth the wait, though.

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

How to make a large, rustic towel rack (or coat rack!):

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Materials needed:

I have seen similar ones for sale, sure, but they were all at least $60 for one this large. Making this myself cost $30 for eight of these hooks, and I had two left over for our mini mudroom. I already had the wood and the stain, but even those would not have been expensive. Plus, by making it myself, I got it the exact size I wanted and was able to stain it exactly the color I wanted.

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

It was so easy to build. Here’s how to make your own rustic towel or coat rack:

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

  1. (not pictured) cut board to desired size
  2. sand rough edges (tip: for a more rustic look, sand the edges to look worn)
  3. measure to evenly space your hooks (for an added adventure, be sure your one year old is there to keep moving the hooks you are trying to place)
  4. use pencil to mark your screw holes (tip: the hooks are NOT exactly the same, so put the hooks in whatever order you intend to use and mark the holes accordingly… then keep track of what order you put them in!)
  5. drill pilot holes

Now comes the fun part: giving it that gorgeous distressed finish.

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

  1. hire a 3 and 5 year old (preferably ones wearing knight costumes, of course) and give them hammers… tell them to go to town
  2. use a sharp instrument (I used a wood chisel) to gauge out sections – both in the center and on the edges
  3. lightly sand the rough places by hand… you don’t want to smooth it out, just remove the splinters
  4. stain to your liking, attach hooks, and finish with a light coat of wax or poly

Can you see how the gauges from the hammer (use both ends!) and the chips from the chisel took the stain differently? I love how it adds so much dimension.

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

And these hooks are just perfect: rustic iron, heavy duty, old school.

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

I think this would be just perfect near the front or back door to hold coats and bags, in the kitchen for aprons and towels, or even in the family rooms just for decorative purposes.

This DIY towel rack is gorgeous! The rustic finish and strong, sturdy hooks make this a perfect coat or towel rack for any space. Great step-by-step tutorial, too! maisondepax.com

Where could you use one of these?

pin it image

DIY Rustic Towel Rack- Maison de Pax

Sources:
wall color | trim color | wall art | wreath | grain sack baghamper (in store several years ago)

 MORE DIY PROJECTS:

Giant Vintage Paris Map

Clear step-by-step instructions to create your own Restoration Hardware inspired vintage Paris map at maisondepax.com

Industrial Spool Clock

so cool! how to make a clock from an industrial spool via maisondepax.com #industrial #diy

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46 Comments

  1. L o v e l y. Just lovely. Thank you for sharing and the inspiration! I have some driftwood that I’m dying to turn into a towel rack for our bathroom. We’ll see….

    1. Thank you, Jackee! I used two large D-rings from the hardware store and lined them up with the studs in the wall so I could hang them on simple screws. I hope this helps!

  2. Where did you find the screws to match the hooks? I am ordering the hooks and it says does not come with screws. Yours match perfectly! Excited to take an old board from our old house & make a master bath towel rack for our new house.

    ~Karen

      1. I’m so glad you like it, Karen! I spaced my hooks 6″ apart. As for the screws, I lucked out. I have a jar full of old mismatched screws left over from various hardware and projects, and those fit perfectly. I’m sure you could find some black screws at any hardware store that would work, too. You’ll definitely want to avoid shiny silver ones. Hope this helps! 🙂

  3. Hello! I know you posted this awhile ago, but I’m just happening on it now. My husband and I just bought our first home and I’m channeling my inner Joanna Gaines on it somethin’ fierce. I would like to do something like this for bathroom towels; however, like I said, I’m so new at this! Would a cast iron wall hook OR a stained board end up leaving marks on a damp towel? If so, do you know what kind of metal finish would be safe – just stainless? I also like the wire hooks I’ve been seeing, but wondering if the same issue might be at hand. Thanks for your advice!

    1. Hi Amy, that’s a great question! I have had mine now for at least 6 months, and we haven’t had any issues. While it is only our half bath, we do hang our white towels that we use for our pool and hot tub on the hooks pretty regularly. I can’t promise that every day use with damp towels might not be a bigger problem, but we haven’t seen any issues with ours. I think that ultimately you’re probably right: stainless is about the only thing you can really trust. That said, almost none of the towel racks you see are stainless, and most seem to protect towels without any problem. I’m not sure what color towels you plan to use either, but that might help you decide… White might be more of a risk, but a dark gray or navy wouldn’t be an issue at all, I’m sure. I hope this helps! And congrats on your first home!

    1. I’m sorry, Stacey, I don’t remember! I’m pretty sure it was just what they called “white board” – which is usually poplar.

  4. So excited to replicate this project next weekend!! Exactly what I’ve been looking for!

    Couple of questions:
    -What kind of wax did you use to finish? I’ve never used wax before so it’ll be a new concept for me!

    -You said blend of special walnut and dark walnut…did you blend the stains before staining or have a process for the stain? I love the color and already had these two colors on hand!

    Thanks! Can’t wait to see how

    1. How wonderful! I used Fusion’s hemp oil and beeswax mixture – I love using it on raw wood as I think it really hydrates the wood as well as giving it a nice, warm finish. However, I’ve had great luck with different brands of plain ‘ol paste wax, too, if you’re looking for a more affordable option. Regarding the stain, I think I blended them together in a cup (a little of the dark goes a long way!), but I also may have just dipped my brush back and forth a bit… I’ve been known to do both and I confess I can’t remember which I did on this particular project. I hope you love it!!

  5. Hi Rachel,

    How far apart did you space your hooks? I have 5 hooks and a 4′ board. Was wondering if it would look better more spaced out on a 4′ board or if I should cut it at 3′ and space the 5 hooks out on it that way.

    1. Hi Taylor,
      So sorry for the slow reply! I totally missed this comment. My hooks are only about 6″ apart, but it would look equally lovely more spread out, I think. As long as you achieve a pretty finish on that wood, you can spread them out as far as you want! 🙂

  6. Rachel, My husband and I are making this currently. We used D-ring wall hangers as well. When we hang our towel on it, the top part pulls away from the wall. Where did you place you rings on the back to brace it to the wall?

    1. I placed mine towards the top of the board. I didn’t want them to show, obviously, but I didn’t want the piece to hang too far from the wall either. The closer they are to the top, the less of the tipping you will get. If it continues to give you trouble, you could also use some heavy duty saw tooth hangers. I hope this helps!

    1. I used a scrap from something I had purchased at either Lowe’s or Home Depot… I hope this helps!

  7. I cannot find the link you are referring to for the hooks. Have my board ready but having a problem finding the right hooks.
    Thanks

  8. You said you hung with D ring hangers but I’m worried about it coming unhooked when I take a jacket off this as I’m using it in my entrance way. Don’t want the whole thing to come off. Was thinking of using a mantle rail to hang it or is there another alternative that would keep it secure?

    1. I haven’t had any problems with ours coming off the wall, and we hang towels on it regularly… but I’m sure there are other ways to secure it that would work. I’ve also used french cleats for large pieces of art that might work nicely for this.

  9. LOVE this’s and can’t wait to make two of these – one for adults and one for two little boys!

    My husband was thinking about screwing these directly into the stud – so you think this would work?

  10. Thank you for this great tutorial! I am definitely going to give this a try. It is screaming ‘Foyer”!.

  11. Love this. I purchased cast iron hooks approx 3 years ago and haven’t done anything with them yet. This is a perfect/rustic project!! Slightly off topic, do you recall the color you used on the beadboard?

    1. I attached metal D rings to the back of the board and hung them on screws I put into the wall. I actually put the screws into the studs first, then attached the D rings to the board so that they would line up with the screws. I hope this helps!

  12. Hi, I want to thank you for this tutorial! Sliding barn doors need wood headers when the studs don’t line up with the holes in the track. I didn’t want to spend a few hundred dollars on custom headers, then I remembered your tutorial and it gave me the confidence to make my own! Thank you!!

    1. I’m afraid I don’t remember! But it looks like an inexpensive piece of 1×6 from the hardware store, so I’m guessing it is poplar or whatever lumber they had in stock. I hope this helps!

  13. Hi! I came across this post some time ago and pinned it for the time when we moved into our newly renovated home. We finally did and it was time to make the towel racks! I painted the one for the master bathroom white (because all the shelves were white) and I stained the one for the guest bathroom. I used the exact same cast iron hooks! They were gorgeous!! Both of them! However, when we hung our brand new white towels on them, the towels got rust marks that will not come out!! I was so disappointed. I finally got smart and painted two coats of matte polyurethane on all of them. Worked like a charm. I was wondering if you had a similar problem, and if so, what you did to solve it. Thank you for the great idea! I love my towel racks so much!

    1. Hi Karen! We haven’t had this issue, I’m sorry! We use those hooks for pool towels and have had no rusting.

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