J bought me some really lovely aprons for Christmas last year that I love! But they are always stashed in a drawer and I never remember to use them! I had pinned a few “dream kitchens” wherein the aprons were hung in some fashion. So they not only were handy when you needed them, but they added character to the kitchen décor too! So I decided to make my own hanger! 🙂

I had planned on posting a step-by-step on this, but I started months ago, and now I can’t find the photos from the beginning. So I will just have to improvise!

I already had a few 2×4 scraps left over from another project, so I just had J split one and I started from there.

This is the other half of the piece I used, so it’s exactly what it looked like before.

I evened up the cut edge by chiseling it out with a screwdriver and a hammer. (to be clear, a chisel should be used, but I use what I have and what works!) Then I used my electric hand sander to smooth out any rough spots and places that had splinters. I knew I wanted this to look reclaimed, so I rounded out all the square edges and didn’t concern myself with making it perfect. Next I distressed it with a hammer and a staple gun! Fun! And nice for relieving aggression! I mean, if you have aggression….which I never do! 😉

So after I sand and beat it, cleaning it off is the next step. It can be vacuumed, brushed off with a small broom, or use a tack cloth. I just used a broom.

I wanted to give it a weathered finished, and I found this trick to artificially “age” wood. It’s just super fine steel wool (0000 grade) and white vinegar in a glass jar. Rip the steel wool into small pieces and pour the vinegar over top. Let it sit overnight and the vinegar will dissolve the steel wool. Then when you paint it on, it reacts with the wood to instantly gray it. Well, my concoction actually had to sit for more than just over night. I shook it up once a day or so, and it was ready after a day or two.

My oxidizing solution today.

I painted on 2 or 3 coats until I got the color I wanted. Then it sat in my garage to dry for 4 months! ha ha! This is where I picked it up and finished it. I sprayed it with a light gloss finish, and found the hooks I wanted to use at Home Depot. These weren’t really the hooks I had in mind, but they were the closest I could find locally without having to order some….so they work!

I measured out my hook placement and marked the screw holes with a sharpie. 

Then I drilled my pilot holes. The hooks I purchased came with their own screws, and the package said what size drill bit to use. Generally though, your drill bit is just slightly smaller than the screw you plan to use. 

Next I just installed the hooks! From here, you could add hanging hardware to the back, which I would recommend if you plan on using this for coats (you can purchase a kit from any hardware or hobby store). However, I was just using this for super light aprons so I don’t need it to support a lot of weight. I just used the 3M Command Velcro Picture Hanging Strips to stick it to the wall. 

Voila! I love how it turned out! 

It reminds me of an old school house; weathered with some old fashioned hooks! Perfect! 🙂