How to Make an Iron Pipe Pot Rack
What would you say if I told you that you could make a pot rack for less than $120 in materials? I’ll show you how to make an iron pipe pot rack in less than 10 minutes. DIY step–by-step instructions below.
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IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!
The first time I saw my friend Molly’s @mollyatmaine kitchen pot rack on Instagram, I fell in love with the industrial look. We have very different kitchens, and I knew I didn’t have the space to install a pot rack quite like hers. I had to come up with something similar that worked in a smaller area.
After much begging and nagging, and more begging, my husband came up with this design. This pot rack would fit directly above our kitchen island and would still have that feel I was looking for.
The picture above has all the materials you will need to build a pan rack that is approximately 30″L x 16″W x 6″T. The reason why these measurements are approximate is because you gain about 1-inch to 1 1/2-inches due to the components used to assemble the pot rack, specifically the unions and the 90 degree side outlet elbows.
Material List
- 4 – Pipe Decor 1/2 in. x 6 in. Black Steel Pipe
- 2 – 1/2 in. x 30 in. black Steel Pipe
- 1 – (pkg. of 4) Black Steel Pipe 1/2 in. x 8 in. Nipple Fitting
- 2 – (pkg. of 2) Pipe Decor 1/2 in. Black Iron Pipe Union
- 4 – 1/2 in. Black Iron Floor Flange
- 4 – 1/2 in. 3-Way Black Iron 90 Side Outlet Elbow
Step 1
Attach a 6-in. steel pipe to a 3-way side outlet elbow. Repeat with the remaining 3 – 6-in. pipes and elbows.
Step 2
Separate the iron pipe unions and attach one-half of each side to the 8-in. pipe as pictured above.
Step 3
Attach a 30-in. pipe to a 3-way 90 side outlet to each end. Repeat with the other 30-in. pipe.
Step 4
Attach a floor flange to each 6-in. pipe
Step 5
Attach each 8-in. pipe with the unions to the 3-way side outlets.
Step 6
Install your beautiful new pot rack to the ceiling. Note: You must attach the pot rack to studs or with heavy duty wall anchors.
I used S hooks to hang my pots and pans from the rack.
The new black iron pipes have an oil coating on them to prevent them from rusting. You can choose to leave it on the pot rack, or you can remove the coating. We chose to take the black coating off so I could have more of a rusted and more vintage look. We used a wire wheel on a bench grinder to remove the coating, and then used a mixture of dish soap and baking soda for cleaning the pipes before assembly.
**Disclosure: The rack hanging in my kitchen was our first pan rack project. We bought the materials to make another rack so I could give one away. After our first DIY project, we realized that having the unions make a connection with the 8″ pipe vs. a 15″ pipe, would make the rack stronger.
I hope this inspires you to try and make a pan rack of your very own. This DIY was basically the trifecta!
- Cute
- Within my budget, with materials costing under $120
- Assembly time was less than 10 minutes
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Wow, it’s really great.
I’ve spent time to find the right pot racks in my home, and this post inspires me to make it DIY project.
I have one quick question:
I think most of the house in US has 2×4 (inches) studs and I also need to mount the flange to the 2 inch side, which is quite small to mount the pipe flange.
Didn’t you have any difficulty on finding the studs and mounting it?
Hi there! Thanks for your question.
My husband used a stud finder from Amazon to easily locate the studs. Here is the link:
Limited-time deal: Tavool Stud Finder Sensor Wall Scanner – 4 in 1 Electronic Stud Sensor Beam Finders Wall Detector Center Finding with LCD Display for Wood AC Wire Metal Studs Joist Detection https://rstyle.me/+waWvlbahIFwfFqmJvVq3nQ
And he also told me that the 4 mounting screws that attach each base to the ceiling are 1.5″ apart. So he angled the screws towards the center of the stud when he installed them with his cordless drill. He said you can easily tell if you got the stud if the screw tightens up and doesn’t spin, which would mean you are just in the drywall and missed the stud.
Hope this helps!
This is so great, Kim! Thanks for sharing my pot rack! (I used brass pipes and fittings for mine!)
And I absolutely love it Molly!
Now that looks fabulous! My fav. Christmas memory has to be when my children and I were alone (single motherhood) a kind neighbor placed a surprise cash gift on our front door step that totaled about $60. My youngest found it and brought it in. We were so touched at their kindness and that was our Christmas that year. I cried and we have never forgotten to bless others and pay it forward.
That is such a wonderful memory! I too was a single mom for many years and can imagine how you must have felt that day. Thank you for sharing
My favorite holiday memory was helping my grandparents put lights on their house and set up a nativity scene each year when I was a teenager. It was always comical trying to untangle the lights and figure out the broken bulbs and so pretty once it was done.
Forget the untangling of the lights, what about figuring out which light was burnt out and needing to be replaced because it made the entire string go out! Sounds like a lot of fun!
My favorite Christmas memory was baking lots of Christmas goodies and then passing them out to the neighborhood! That was about 7 years ago and it’s been a tradition ever since. ❤️
Baking has always been one of my favorite things to do for Christmas. And neighbors always love getting little goodies.
My favorite holiday memory was when we took our kids for an RV trip around the States for a year and spent Christmas in an RV park in Cottonwood, Arizona. My husband and I went for a walk on Christmas Eve and came back to find the boys had strung lights throughout the RV and decorated our little artificial tree with lights and handmade ornaments. The next morning we watched a solar eclipse through a pinhole in a cardboard box. Sweet memories!
That sounds like a wonderful Christmas! I love that the boys took it upon themselves to surprise you with some decorations.
We get lotto tickets as part of the beautiful tables are. I never win but someone always wins q little and its awesome. P.s. if I win I get that beautiful green collander too 😉
That is right. You most certainly do!
My favorite Christmas memory was the year I got my first dirt bike. I was only 10 years old. I was over the moon excited!
I felt the same way when I got my first bike!
Hi, Beautiful pot rack! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂 My favorite memory is going to my grandparents house for Christmas. Their house was simply magical to me. From the smell of the candles on the table, to the way the holiday lights outside were obscured by this little amazing beaded window that made each little twinkling light outside blur into a point of light creating a colorful masterpiece on the glass, to how they would hang a sheet across the livingroom so that we could not see the tree or presents before breakfast. (Although we always tried to peek! We would visit them twice a day on Christmas. The drive was about 35 mins each way. Once for breakfast and then we’d return again around 4:30pm for dinner. My grandparents really made us feel special. We didn’t have a great upbringing with my parents, so feeling all the love on Christmas was truly special and I will always cherish those memories. To this day the smell of a beeswax candle that has just blown out brings me back to that time. Happy Holidays!
I always had a special bond with my Nana and felt that Christmas was so special when she was around. What great memories. I love the sheet across the room so you couldn’t see what was going on!
Christmas Florida style with the lanai sliders open and shorts and flip flops on!
I could seriously do that this year! It sounds amazing!
I think my favorite memory was last Christmas when I spent a week with my mom at her assisted living. She was 89 with Parkinson’s and could no longer live with me. We watched old movies especially the older Christmas movies and when “It’s a Wonderful Life” came on we turned the lights down and soaked up every second! She went to heaven this Oct 3 and I’m so grateful for last years Christmas memory!
Thank you so much for sharing this Gwynne. You have touched me deeply, and I am so glad you have that special memory. My daughter passed away a couple of years ago, and while I was reading this, it brought me back to the memories I had with her while watching It’s a Wonderful Life. It was our favorite holiday movie. We watched it so much, we could recite every word.
We lived on a military base and my favorite memory was piling in the station wagon with a thermos of hot chocolate and homemade cookies to deliver to the Marines guarding the gates on Christmas eve . Sharing just a simple thing makes a world of difference wgen far away from home.
What a wonderful memory Deborah. It really brought a smile to my face. So Sweet.
My mom always strung Christmas garland (all plastic, in the early 1960’s) and big red paper honeycomb bells down the hallway. I would see them from my bedroom waking up and that made me feel so happy! I miss my mom and those silly plastic Christmas decorations.
It’s so hard when you don’t have those experiences in your life anymore, but I love that you have those amazing memories. Thank you for sharing.And yes, I remember everything being plastic back then.
Kim this is awesome! I love your detailed directions and the giveaway too! So fun! Your kitchen is just beautiful!
Thank you Kelly! I can’t believe how easy it was!
My favorite holiday memories are of my daughter waking up on Christmas morning and seeing the excitement on her face. I’ve always told her the reason we celebrate for the birth of Jesus Christ. To see the excitement on a child’s face though brings so much joy.
What a wonderful memory! I have the same ones with my daughter. Thank you for visiting.
I absolutely love this! My favorite holiday memories are baking cookies! We get together & bake all the goodies! And I love that my guy & I give each other a new ornament that sums the past year, some years he nails it others..lol ❤
Picking out new ornaments for one another is such a great idea. And I LOVE baking cookies too. Some years are better than others though. Thanks for visiting.