How to DIY a Badass Kitchen Rack for $25

Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Cole Saladino/Thrillist

One of the toughest rooms to renovate on a budget is the kitchen. Especially a small-ass kitchen. But here's a clever DIY storage solution that still looks Pinterest board-worthy without costing you an arm and a leg to make. Unless a freak drilling accident happens. Safety first!

Think of me as a budget Bob Vila as I guide you through eight steps to give your kitchen an awesome industrial rack on the cheap.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Materials (per rack)

• Drill
• Tape measure
• Level
• 1 steel plumbing tube (length up to you, just measure your space first!)
• 2 steel elbows
• 2 steel nipples
• 2 steel flanges
• 8 screws (and anchors if you’re going into drywall)
• Screwdriver (optional, but can sometimes get better leverage than a drill)
• S-hooks (not pictured)

Total Cost: ~$25 per rack

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step one: Assemble 

The very first thing you’ll want to do is wash and assemble the racks. This requires minimal effort and shockingly little attention to detail. You just line up the pipe threading with the corresponding elbow and flange, screw them together, and boom. Just like that, the rack is made.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step two: Measure

Next, you’ll want to decide where this handsomely functional rack will go. This means you’ll need to do some basic measuring. Start from the ground up to lock in a height, and then (pending on the placement), from the sides to center them. Then, using a level, make sure your piping is sitting nice and straight. No one wants their dangling goods sliding all over the place. No one.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step three: Make your mark

Mark the bottom of the flange with a pencil and then, using a level, mark the opposite side. This will ensure there's no nod in your rod and your beam stays even. If you have help, however, you can probably get away with eyeballing this. After you've got an even line, make a mark inside one of the flange's holes. This is where you'll drill.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step four: Drill

Grab your drill like you're Tim "The Toolman" Taylor, make sure you're using the correct bit, and firmly, but slowly make a hole in the drywall -- Al Borland style -- where your anchor will go.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step five: Add your anchor

Grab that anchor and pop it in. If you're unsure why you'd need anchors, I'll tell you. They'll ensure your kitchen rack will stay sturdy and be able to support a large amount of weight that would otherwise rip down the steel and leave gaping holes in your drywall. And that would suck.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step six: Tighten the screws

Once the anchor is placed, go ahead and drill your other three holes, add your anchors and screws, and secure the flange -- which sounds a lot cooler than it actually is.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step seven: Drill the other side

After ensuring the rack is level and the first flange is secure, use the holes in the opposite flange to guide the drill. This'll give you four perfectly placed pre-drilled holes.

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

Step eight: Secure the rack

Secure the second flange, grab some S-hooks, and hang your wares. Be sure to take a ton of photos to put on Pinterest because your kitchen's about to be Internet famous like that cat that's pissed off all the time. 

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

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Alex Robinson is a writer and editor at Thrillist Media Group. If it can be made from steel tube, by God, he'll try to make it. Tweet him ideas: @ItsAlexRobinson.