Sunday, May 31, 2015

Necklace display DIY

Confession: I've lived in my current place for almost 14 months, and all but my favorite necklaces were still tangled up in a bag from the move. Oops. The before situation:

 


I saw this similar project last year and kept wanting to do it but getting caught up in the details and the tyranny of choice of the hardware store... until I finally remembered some cheap wooden spice racks from IKEA that I got to give my bathroom some storage and realized one of those would be perfect.

The result:



I did this whole thing in an hour or so, although I'm hoping to go back and paint it and of course that will take a bit more time.

Supplies:

IKEA BEKVÄM spice rack (here)
Tape measure or ruler + pen
Hammer + small nail
Small screw hooks (I got these - they took almost a month to come, but SO CHEAP)
Pliers
Wall mounting screws, optionally drywall anchors and/or a stud finder

  1. Assemble your spice rack according to the directions. It's pretty quick and straightforward!
  2. Measure out where you want your hooks to be and mark with a pen. I did every 1/2 inch, staggering upper and lower rows (so I measured on the 1" marks for the lower row and on the 1/2" marks for the upper row).
  3. There are probably better ways to do screws (power drill??) but I've always found it easiest to tap a small nail in just a bit and pull it out, then screw into the hole. If you want to go this route, work your way down the rows with your hammer and nail. No need to go in deeper than 1/8-1/4" per hole.
  4. This is the most tedious part. Starting at one end, put a hook in each hole and screw it in by hand until most or all of the screw's thread is hidden and the hook is facing up. I found it easier to use pliers for the last rotation or so of each one.
     
  5. Hang it up! I used a stud finder and screws (along with my hammer and nail method) and it seems secure. That said, I am no expert at hanging things*, so please do your research and do what you feel safest with! Once your screws are in, the spice race goes over them and kind of snaps down into place.

* As evidenced by my full vanity setup (shelf, mirror, necklaces) being mounted almost entirely into drywall without anchors (occasionally I've used a stud!). I've only ever had terrible luck with drywall anchors - they just leave a giant gaping hole in the wall and fall through and it's a huge mess. But nothing has fallen off of my wall yet so there are worse solutions, I suppose?