DIY: How to Add a Decorative Cup Rack to Your Kitchen

Do you have decorative coffee cups that you would like to display? Do you simply have so many coffee cups that you need more storage for them? Either way, a decorative cup rack will look good in your kitchen. Here's how to make one...

First you will need to choose a piece of wood to make your cup rack out of. It could be any piece of one-inch by four-inch or two-inch by four- inch wood. The thickness is up to you. If you would like to, you can use a craft saw to cut your board into a specific shape. It's fine to leave it in a plain rectangle, but if your kitchen theme suggests some other shape might look nice you can shape your board in some appropriate way before you move onto the next step.

The first thing you will need to do to your board is to paint it. You need to seal it so that when wet cups are hung on it the wetness won't damage the wood. You can paint it in any color or design that matches your kitchen or you can simply seal it with clear polyurethane, allowing the original wood grain to show through. Whether you use paint, or clear sealant, you will need to give your board a chance to dry thoroughly before moving on.

To attach your cup hook board to the wall you will need to screw it in to a wall stud. It is important that you screw it to the wall studs so that it will have enough support to hold the weight of your cups later. If you simply screw it into the drywall then the weight of your cups may cause your cup rack to pull right back out. If it falls, it is likely that many of your cups will be broken.

Wall studs are typically eighteen inches apart. Make sure that at least one screw goes all the way through your board and into a stud. Try to arrange your board so that you can screw into as many studs as possible.

Once your board is up, make marks for your cup hooks. Using a level or a ruler to make sure that your marks are in a perfect horizontal row, make a series of dots about eight inches apart. Take a step back and look at the placement of your dots. Compare it to the sizes of the coffee cups you intend to hang up. And be sure that it is going to look balanced.

Using your cup hooks, screw one into each of the dots that you have made. You shouldn't need any tools for this; they come with pointy self-drilling ends, so you just twist them into the wood until they stop at the collar on the cup hook. Be sure that you leave each cup hook with the open section facing upwards, so that you will be able to add the cups easily.

Now it is time to add your cups. Your decorative cup rack is perfect for storing your extra coffee cups, for keeping them in a handy spot where guests can find them, and (in a pinch) for hanging up your dirty ones so that people won't realize that you haven't done the dishes.

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