How To Turn An Old Ladder Into A Stylish Coat Hanger

Everything old can be made new again. If you're a fan of reclaimed wood, rustic interiors, vintage kitsch, shabby-chic designs, or any item artfully repurposed into something new, you know this to be true. Social media is a great source for ideas of how to reimagine old items you may come across in your garage, attic, basement, or on trips to the thrift shop. For example, if you're short a coat rack but have an old wooden straight ladder lying around, there's an easy TikTok hack to turn the ladder into the former (pun intended).

Repurposing falls under both the "reuse" and "recycle" umbrellas of the well-known triumvirate reduce-reuse-recycle. It's an important aspect of our environmental protection efforts, as it feeds the other branch by decreasing how much waste goes into landfills and makes limited resources more sustainable overall. It's also more frugal to find new ways to use things we already have than to continue to buy more and more stuff. Plus, a ladder-turned-coat-rack makes for the ultimate stylish piece of décor. 

Taking an antique straight ladder, TikToker @teaandforgetmenots1 demonstrates how to create a lovely and unique coat rack for your entryway. The first step is to measure and cut the ladder, for length if necessary, and to even out the ends so they are equidistant from the end rungs and have flat edges. Next, sand down all the rough spots so the wood is smooth and not splintered.

For the hooks, your standard hanging cup hooks will do. These are steel hooks (often brass-plated) with a pointed screw end and a stopper plate to prevent them from being inserted too far. This TikTok user chose to paint their hooks black, though black ones are available for purchase from Walmart, and did so by putting the hooks in a box, sticking the points through the cardboard to hold them, then spray painting. Use a paint meant for metal surfaces.

Pre-drill small starter holes into the ladder at a point near each rung — ensuring each is the same distance from its rung — then screw the hooks in all the way to the stopper plates. Measure the wall where the ladder rack will be hung, and use drywall anchors and screws to best secure your hanging method. By hanging the ladder horizontally, with the hooks coming straight down from the bottom of the new piece, you also create small shelves in between the rungs, perfect for small knick-knacks, succulents, or a mandatory entryway catchall basket.

The TikTok user kept the ladder more or less exactly as they found it, dried paint stains and all. It's a very rustic look that matches the décor of the room in the final result. Not everyone vibes with that style, but you can easily punch up the look of this ladder coat rack with just a few extra steps.

After you've cut the ladder down to size and sanded all its rough edges, simply keep going and sand the whole thing. This will take some more time and effort, depending on how fast you go and what kind of shape your ladder is in to start with. If it's scratched and dripped with paint, start with a coarse-grit sandpaper and work your way to a finer grit the smoother things get. Because the ladder has so many tight spaces, you'll likely have to sand it by hand, which will take longer but will ensure you end up with a better finished product.

Once you've finished sanding, you can choose to either paint or stain your project. Stain will bring out the natural grain and beauty of the wood, while paint can cover up a lot of flaws and blemishes. Also, the choice between the two is often an aesthetic one. Paint used to be the go-to for a wide variety of colors, but stains have come a long way in that regard, so consider how you'd like your rack to look. The possibilities are endless.