Posted by
Sarah Jones
Monday, October 1, 2012 3:24 PM EDT
If you are looking for a unique piece of room décor that is as functional as it is stylish, look no further than that giant wall of drawer and cabinet knobs at your local home improvement store. The following tutorial will show you how to make a decorative knob hanger that will add a unique, not to mention useful, touch to any wall of your home.
Materials
- A piece of wood (or any material you could drill a hole through): I used a piece of medium-density fibreboard, a.k.a. MDF. Make sure the thickness of your material allows for the screw, that will come with your knob, to go through the wood and to stick out far enough to attach the knob to the front. (TIP! Make sure to check with your local hardware store for a scrap bin; you can often find pieces of wood at different sizes being sold at a major discount.)
- Paint or stain: I’ve painted my base plain white, but feel free to have fun with different colours, patterns. stains or textures.
- Drawer Knobs: I chose 5 different knobs that all share a gold/copper accent. Pick the ones that catch your eye! Choosing identical ones is fine, too.
- Drill.
- Screw Driver: For tightening your knobs.
- Ruler and a pencil.
- Saw Tooth Hanging Kit: For installing your hanger on the wall.
DIY
STEP 1: Prepare the base
Decide on the dimensions you’d like for your hanger (this will depend on how many knobs you’d like to use; my final-cut dimensions were 21" long X 3.5" wide and 0.5" thick), and cut your base material accordingly. The staff at my local home improvement store were more than happy to cut the piece I found, on the spot. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Paint or stain your base, and allow it to dry. Before you start drilling holes, take a few moments to lay your knobs on the wood, to decide the order in which you’d like them placed and to calculate the space between each one. With my base being 21" long, I spaced my knobs to be 4" apart, leaving 3" on each end.
STEP 2: Arrange and install the hanger knobs
Use a pencil to mark where each knob will go. Use your drill to make holes big enough so that the screw component of the drawer knob can go through the base. Once the holes have been drilled, you can start adding the knobs. The screws will go through the back of the base, attaching each knob can be attached to the front.
Repeat this step until all of the knobs are securely attached.
STEP 3: Finishing touches
Finally, it’s time to install your new wall hanger. I used two saw tooth bits; these are often used to hang photo frames and are available in kits that include mini nails.
That’s it! This hanger is perfect for towels, scarves, clothes, purses, etc. but it can also be used to organize your jewellery: Keep necklaces in order by hanging them from the knobs, and chose different drawer pulls, such as one in a bar shape that you could hang earrings from.
The possible applications are almost limitless. Please share your ideas and suggestions in the Comments!
