DIY Pull Down Drying Rack

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Pull Down Drying Rack http://imperfectlypolished.com/2012/06/13/diy-pull-down-dry

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June 13, 2012 by Jessie · 30 Comments

It’s laundry room tutorial time! I’m starting off with one of my favorite projects in the room: the

drying rack. We wanted a simple look that would fit the color scheme and feel of the rest of the

room.

Supplies needed:

sisal rope

2″ strips of wood {we used MDF} to the size you want

plastic dowels {wood would work too}

trimnail gun

level

drill

screws

miter saw

hinges

Mike started this project while I ran to the store for more supplies so I don’t have a picture of the

first step, but we first measured the wall and decided on our size {27 ″ x 27″}. Mike cut 4 pieces of

the MDF {leftover from our built-in bookcases} to size, angled the corners on the miter saw at 45

degrees:

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so the angles would meet up…

and nailed it together.

After he had the outside box built, we laid out the plastic dowels to make sure they would fit.

They needed to be a little bit smaller than the box we just built so they would fit into the inside

box. It’ll all make sense soon:)

Then we made the inside box {where the dowels will attach to} only a little smaller than the

outside box {about 25 1/2″ x 25 1/2

″}. Once we had all the wood cut and built into boxes, Mike

had to make the holes for the dowels to fit into. He measured across the side bars and spaced

out where the bars will sit. He traced the dowels to make sure they would fit.


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All traced, the bars looked like this.

Then Mike took his drill and notched out holes where he drew circles for the dowels to sit in.

Both bars need to line up across from each other to fit the dowels straight into.

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We sat the bars into their notches and nailed the inner box together just as we did the outer box.

Then I painted everything with leftover Elephant Skin paint from the cabinets. Then we took

them both inside. Mike marked the studs on the wall, held up the outer box to make sure it was

level and then screwed it into the studs in the walls.

Once the outer box was attached, we added the hinges. Mike pre-drilled the hinge holes on the

bottom of the outer box and also on the bottom of the inner box where the hinges would attach.

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And attached the hinge to both pieces.

At this point, the inside box will pull down and will stay up on its own. However, when it comes

down, the hinges would allow it to go all the way down against the wall, which would do us no

good to dry clothes. So we had bought some sisal rope to keep it out straight when it was in use.

Mike drilled 2 holes in the top of the outer box.

And then did the same thing on the top of the inner box and brought the rope through and tied

a knot in both holes.


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The last step was to add some trim to the top. We used some scrap trim we had in our wood pile

in the garage and Mike nailed it in place with the nail gun.

This project took a couple of hours and cost about $4 for trim and sisal rope {everything else we

had on hand}. You could add some bead board or back board to the wall to add a little more

interest or use chain instead of rope. Lots of options here!


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Filed Under: Build it Yourself, Laundry, Wood ·

Lea says:

June 13, 2012 at 7:52 am


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This is great! I may try it, but using high test fishing line instead of rope or maybe a retractable

line if I’m feeling really ambitious.

Jessie says:

June 14, 2012 at 12:18 pm

Thats’s a great idea! Let me know if it works out!

Maggie B. says:

June 13, 2012 at 9:10 am

Such a good idea, I always need more drying space.

Jessie says:

June 14, 2012 at 12:17 pm

Thanks, Maggie:)

Melissa @TheHappierHomemaker says:

June 13, 2012 at 10:38 pm

Thank you for such an incredibly detailed tutorial! This has been on my to-do list (I recently

revamped my laundry room) but I’m still a novice at building things and your pics are a great

help! Pinning so I can work up the courage to try and make this!

Jessie says:

June 14, 2012 at 12:17 pm

Thanks, Melissa! I’ll have to hip over and check out your laundry room!

Jen says:

June 14, 2012 at 6:26 am

Great idea. I’m always running out of hangers or having clothes hanging in doorways!

Jessie says:

June 14, 2012 at 12:16 pm

Thanks, Jen!

Jesseca says:

June 15, 2012 at 8:17 pm

I’m SOOOOO glad I found this!! My husband has been nagging at me to do something

about all of my clothes that are hung all over our house while they dry… looks like I have my

weekend project!!

Jessie says:


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June 19, 2012 at 8:44 pm

Thanks, Jessica! Good luck corralling all those clothes:)

CAS says:

June 15, 2012 at 8:36 pm

Great idea! I so want one of these for my laundry room! Thanks for sharing.

CAS

Jessie says:

June 19, 2012 at 8:44 pm

Thanks:)

Aimee - ItsOverflowing says:

June 16, 2012 at 11:49 pm

PERFECT! Crossing my fingers you’ll share at my party! Saturdays at Seven!

XO, Aimee

Jessie says:

June 19, 2012 at 8:43 pm

Thanks, Aimee!

Daniela @frugal ain't cheap says:

June 17, 2012 at 2:31 pm

I need a big one of this!

Jessie says:

June 19, 2012 at 8:43 pm

Well it can easily be made bigger:)

Rita says:

June 17, 2012 at 7:04 pm

Love this idea, but how do I “pin” it?

Jessie says:

June 19, 2012 at 8:43 pm

Thanks, Rita! There is a “Pin it” button near the bottom of the post, under the pictures of

the other posts you may like. Let me know if I can help!

Inspire Me Heather says:


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June 18, 2012 at 8:01 am

That’s a great looking rack and awesome tutorial, thanks! I’ve got this linked to my drying

racks post too today, well done!

Jessie says:

June 19, 2012 at 8:42 pm

Aw, thanks, Heather!

Aimee - ItsOverflowing says:

June 23, 2012 at 10:33 am

This is FABULOUS! Featuring you today! XO, Aimee

Jessie says:

July 1, 2012 at 8:28 pm

Aw, thanks so much, Aimee!

Cathy says:

January 12, 2013 at 12:48 pm

How do you get it to stay closed? Sorry for the silly question, but going to make this today and

I am such a novice DIY! Love it though, hope mine turns out just as good.

Jessie says:

January 12, 2013 at 8:48 pm

Because it is nice and snug, when you push it up, it stays closed. Just make sure you takegood measurements so that it fits in there tightly!

Linda H says:

August 15, 2013 at 5:22 pm

Thanks for this tutorial! I’m going to ask someone about making one for me but I need to

reverse this so it opens on the top side but am not sure how to make it stay open. I want to

use it to hang clothes on hangers as I take them out of the dryer.

flower names and pictures says:February 15, 2014 at 4:27 am

How do you get it to stay closed? Sorry for the silly question, but going to make this today and

I am such a novice DIY! Love it though, hope mine turns out just as good.


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Jessie says:

February 15, 2014 at 7:19 pm

No silly questions! The thickness of the rope keeps it tight so it stays closed when you push it

up:) Good luck!

Tammy says:

October 15, 2014 at 4:52 pm

This is great and gave me a wonderful idea. My husband likes to make his own pasta and this

would be a great way for it to have somewhere to dry.

Incredibly Clever Ways To Organize Your Laundry Room | WORLD Warotter says:

July 12, 2015 at 2:07 am

[…] imperfectlypolished.com […]

DIY Pull Down Drying Rack says:

November 22, 2015 at 7:23 pm

[…] I love that this DIY Drying Rack just tucks away (like a Murphy Bed!), but easily pulls down

and is ready to use, and so simply that you could do it with one arm full of laundry! See

Tutorial […]

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DIY Pull Down Drying Rack