Rustic Pot Rack Woodworking Plans

By Chris Baylor, About.com Guide

With the major portion of the assembly of the rustic pot rack completed, the time has come to hang the french cleat on the wall, in preparation for hanging the rustic pot rack. Begin by determining exactly where you want to position the rustic pot rack on the wall. Make a light pencil mark on the point on the wall where the top of the rack will be positioned.

Next, measure the distance from the top of the rustic pot rack down to the bottom point of the french cleat. Then, back on the wall, measure down from the pencil mark the same distance and make another mark. This is where you'll mount the french cleat, with the point where the back begins to bevel away from the wall even with the lower pencil mark.

For the moment, pull the cleat away from the wall, and locate the studs behind the drywall. You may wish to use a stud-finder for this task, but another method is to tap on the wall with your knuckles, listening for the differences in sound. When you tap over a stud, the sound will be solid, whereas tapping over the gap between the studs sounds hollow.

Make a light pencil mark on the wall to denote the center of each of the studs to which you want to attach the french cleat. Reposition the cleat back onto the wall, using a small level to ensure that the cleat is perfectly horizontal. Then pre-drill a pair of counter-bored pilot holes through the cleat (one hole above the other, about an inch apart) to match the center of each of the studs.

Re-check the position of the cleat with the level, and drive a 3-inch screw through each of the counter-bored holes into the studs behind the drywall. Tighten these screws fully, to be sure that the cleat is securely fastened to the wall.