Add a Hook Rail to a Hall Tree

by Karen Dunnam

2 Materials

$20

1 Hour

Easy

My new living situation has put my hall tree into the spotlight. It's in an optimal place by the entrance door, and I've added shoe storage. But it needed more hooks.

Here's the issue: with variable weather, I have big coats, light jackets, cycling apparel, grocery totes, and more all crammed onto the fairly few coathooks. Coats and jackets, shoes, boots on boot trays, and my Mardi Gras painting projects.

First: took off all the coats. And the Mardi Gras beads.

Results of my shopping trip. There are fancier ($$) hooks ... the idea is that these won't be seen under the coats and jackets.

Marking the center of the drawer front, which will be the mounting surface for the hooks.

These 1/2" pipe brackets fit the hall tree rails perfectly.

Center marked, holes drilled, one side attached

Here's the first fitment all attached on the center rail of the hall tree.

Second fitment going on. I offset them just for stability.

And the third one.

Those with sharp eyes will notice that I used single slot screws. These have been around forever -- my father bought a hardware organizing set back in the 60s,. While I much prefer using Phillips or some of the other types of hardware now available, it felt good to use up some of this ancient stuff.

The screws are too long, will have to swap them out.

It looks like it's going to work out well!

I installed one hook, then added the strip of masking tape to align the subsequent ones. Needed a longer drill bit, so I used one out of a four-way screwdriver.