Materials
- Lumber (1”x 2” size)
- ½” Plywood (36” x 48”)
- Small decorative moulding
- White paint (or house paint in gloss or semi-gloss)
- Paint brush or roller
- Nail gun with finishing nails
- Wood glue
- Scissors
- Damp rag
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Saw (miter or circular)
- French cleat
- Mod Podge
Directions
1. Measure the space that you would like to put your wall plate rack. Work backwards from there. You want to make sure that this is custom built for your home, so the measurements will depend on the area you have! I am making mine 36” wide by 48” long.
2. Cut the plywood to the length and width of the entire rack. You will be building everything on the inside of this.
3. Decide how big you want the space between your shelves. Are you housing large platters? Little plates? A bit of both? This will help you determine how much space you need for your shelves that will hold your items. We made three shelves that are approximately 16” apart.
4. Paint all of your wood pieces white. Set aside to dry.
5. Take your recipe to your local print shop and have it enlarged. Keep in mind this may take 24 to 48 hours so act before you start building! We used a poster size (24” x 36”)
6. Cut your 1x2”s to make the entire frame around the inside of the plywood. You don’t have to do mitered cuts here so make the horizontal top and bottom long (36” across) and the inside vertical pieces just a bit shorter to account for the top and bottom horizontal pieces. (46.5” each).
7. Attach to the surface of the plywood with wood glue and finishing nails. Apply the nails from the back side of the board.
8. Measure and cut your 1x2’s to make each of the three shelves. (34.5”)
9. Attach the shelves to the plywood with wood glue and finishing nails.
10. Add decorative molding to the shelves with wood glue and finishing nails.
11. Use regular or decorative molding to create a space for your plates to sit. This is usually about 4” or 5” from the shelf bottom. This will hold them up without falling out. Attach with wood glue and finishing nails.
12. Cut your recipe into sections, one section per shelf.
13. Attach recipe to the board with mod podge. Use your damp rag to make sure that it is on the plywood backing with no air bubbles or gaps. You can also put a coat of mod podge on the top of the recipe to protect it in the future (also aids in cleaning if you even get anything on it!)
14. Attach a French cleat to the back of your rack and attach the other side to the wall. Make sure that you hit at least one stud to make sure that this will be strong and stable to hold all of the plates!
15. Add your plates and any decorative touches, sit back and enjoy your one-of-a-kind recipe plate rack!
