DRESS UP CLOTHES RACK
When I say this was a labor of love, I certainly mean it. I learned to use a saw, a sander, cooper pipe cutter, and how to cut a circular hole. This is by no means perfect and it was a lot of work (and problem solving), but it came out adorable! Most importantly, my daughter loves it. And Mrs. B. loves that the dress up clothes are not laying around and can be organized.
Below, I list the materials I used, with links, and very basic steps. If I had to do this over again, I would definitely do things differently so I have included comments below indicating which steps and materials gave me trouble. But it was a great learning experience for a novice DIY-er like myself. I will also say that although I ran into quite a few snafus for this project and almost gave up on it, I love the overall idea of having something to contain the dress up clothes, which also allows children to learn to put the dress up clothes away in a designated space. I have included a few highly rated products on Amazon that I think would be cute and functional as well (for non- DIY-ers like me).
Also, I would highly recommend Trish Scully dress up clothes! We have several (as seen in the pictures) and they are high quality, beautiful, and reasonably priced (especially for the quality and compared to other dress up clothes). And they usually have great sales! Check them out!
Here are the materials I used (with product links):
Copper pipe (1/2 in. x 10 ft.), which I cut into three pieces -$14.37 for 10 ft. at Home Depot (linked here)
Copper pipe cutter- $18.87 at Home Depot (linked here)
Copper pipe elbows (90 degrees), need two- $0.71 each at Home Depot (linked here)
Rustoleum metallic spray paint, satin nickel- $6.98 at Home Depot (linked here)
Edge-glued panel wood (18 in. x 4 ft.), which I cut into two pieces 12 in. x 2 ft.- $14.78 at Home Depot (linked here)
Flat wood boring bit- $5.97 at Home Depot (linked here)
Oak board panel (I used three 2-ft. boards)- $1.48/linear foot at Home Depot (linked here) **I would not use this wood again.
Unfinished wood furniture feet (pack of 4)- $23.95 on Amazon (linked here) **LOVE this product. Comes with hardware and drill bit to drill hole.
Rustoleum gloss spray paint- white- $4.27 at Home Depot (linked here)
Here is the process I used:
Cut the 10 ft. copper pipe for the top bar and the sides. The length of my base was 2 ft. and the top bar was 20 in. I cut the remaining pipe for the sides at 36 in. (I knew if that was too tall I could always cut off more. After trimming, the side bars were about 34 in.). Make ake sure the total measurements do not exceed 10 ft. or you will have to buy another pipe.
Spray paint the copper pipes and elbows (I used Rustoleum metallic satin nickel). **The spray paint proved quite difficult to avoid drips and smudges on the copper pipe. I love the satin nickel color, but if I did it again, I would make sure to spray everything standing upright and secured, and do several, much lighter coats.
Cut the edge-glued panel wood for the base and the sides of the base. Again, my base was 2 ft. by 1 ft.
Cut two holes (I used a flat wood boring bit) in the top edge-glued panel board to insert the side bars. I put the holes 1 in. from ends of the board to ensure a wider, sturdier base.
Drill four holes in the bottom board of the base for the furniture feet. (I decided to add the feet to lift the base off of the floor and to add more weight to avoid the risk of the rack tipping over).
Cut the side panels to the dimensions of the top of the base. Nail them to the top board, then insert the bottom board into place and nail the bottom of the side panels to the bottom board to create a box. **I would definitely rethink this step. It was too tricky to line up every edge and avoid the wood splitting.
Fill the gaps on the edges with wood filler. When the wood filler sets (according to the instructions), sand all of the edges and surfaces until smooth.
Screw the furniture feet to the bottom of the base.
Paint the base, including the feet. I did about three coats.
Insert the top bar and side bars into the copper elbows. Use a level and a carpenter square to make sure everything is even and lines up correctly. Use a rubber mallet to secure the bars in each side of the elbows or use an adhesive, such as epoxy, to secure the elbows to each bar.
Carefully slide the two side bars into the holes on top of the base. Make sure the top bar is level and make sure the side bars are secure in the holes (you may have to use adhesive, wood filler, or even caulk maybe). **My top bar is not completely level because it was a friction fit with my side bars into the holes (which also meant I did not have to fill the hole or add any adhesive) and if I continued to move either bar I was at risk of splitting the wood. If I did it again, I would rework this part of the process.
Here are the non-DIY products I found:
IRIS Clothing Garment Rack- $55.99 on Amazon (linked here)
KidKraft Wooden Fashion Station- $80.49 on Amazon (linked here)
Frenchi Home Furnishings Kid's Clothes Hanger- $39.99 on Amazon (linked here)
Note: Please always remember to anchor furnishings to the wall to avoid injury from furniture tipping over.
Also note: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com.
