OK so, anyone else obsessed with all things industrial pipe? I am definitely raising my hand here because I’ve been on an industrial pipe kick for the past few months.
Hands-down the best thing about DIYing with industrial pipe is that it is so easy and accessible to work with…and the options are endless! After my first few smaller scale projects with industrial pipe and I was ready to take it big, and create a design all of my own.
If you are interested in creating your very own industrial pipe + wood entry way station (hall tree) then keep reading!
- Before & After
This is what my entry way looked like before. A sad Ikea shoe rack – definitely not hatin’ on Ikea – but it just wasn’t cutting it. There was no where to set down my bags or hang my coats so everything just ended up in random rooms.
All in all this project cost me ~$120 (not including drill & screwdriver) and here are all of the supplies that you will need:
Materials
- 4x Wooden Crates
- 3x 8″ by 17″ cut pieces of wood – I believe I used Common Board from Home Depot
- 1x 8″ by 36″ cut piece of wood from same board as above.
- 4x 3/4″ Floor Flange
- 2x 30″ Industrial Pipe
- 2x 36″ Industrial Pipe
- 2 3/4″ Coupling
- 4 Hooks (Don’t have the exact link but they should be top mount and face down)
- Varathane Wood Stain in Walnut
- Varathane Satin Polyurethane Spray
- Rags to Stain With
- Variety Pack of Screws
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Sandpaper
- Goo Gone
- Wooden Paint Stir Stick (to fix the uneven crates; free at Home Depot)
Note: I originally had another board of plywood and hinges but due to a tragic misunderstanding at Home Depot I got home and realized the size was completely wrong. I wanted to make a open and close cover to my top crates but the board ended up not being large enough. Perhaps a project for another day!
DIY Guide
- Prep & Stain: Once you’ve gathered all of your supplies, you will need to prep all of the materials and stain the wood. I sanded down all of the wood boards and crates as must as possible. The crates were fairly low quality so they needed a decent amount of sanding due to their rough nature. I then used Goo Gone to remove all of the price stickers from the industrial pipes and wiped them down.
- Stain: Use a rag (I used microfiber clothes) to stain all sides of the wooden boards and crates. I decided to leave some bottoms and backs of the crates unstained because they weren’t going to be seen due to their orientation. Follow the stain’s instructions for dry time. Then use the polyurethane spray to apply 2 coats (following instructions) to seal in the stain.
- Assemble Crates: After sufficient amount of dry time I was able to assemble the structure. Start with the wood crates at the bottom. Securely screw each 8″x17″ board to the bottom crates (one on each end and one in the middle). Then make sure you screw the bottom two crates together horizontally. After you have finished the bottom set you may start to attach the top crates. My crates were uneven so I added pieces of a Wood Paint Stir Stick to even it out (see pictures below). I then screwed these crates to the bottom crates to complete my crate structure.
- Assemble Industrial Pipe: I fully screwed together all industrial pipe parts and screwed in two bottom flanges to the two outside 8″x17″ boards. Now the piping should be going straight up into the air. This is your chance to make sure everything is secure and even.
- Assemble Top Shelf: I then placed my final top shelf (8″x36″) on top of the top set of flanges and used my level to make sure everything was even. I then used my drill to screw in the last two flanges – don’t fully tighten each screw until you have everything in place.
- Hooks & Decorate: The last step is to add 4 hooks into the bottom of the top shelf. I drilled pilot holes with my drill and then screwed in each hook with my screwdriver. YES! We’re done!! Now it’s time to decorate the hall tree and enjoy your master DIY skills! Don’t forget to take Before & After pictures of the area and tag me @maykitdiy if you try this DIY.
Check out the simple video below if you want to understand more about the process. Or feel free to comment and contact me with any questions. I hope you have a chance to try this DIY!
– Claire
