Backpack Hooks

My kid walks in the door and immediately drops his backpack in the middle of the kitchen floor on his way to the pantry for a sanck.  #2 had his first day of Kindergarten and came home and did the same thing. This bugs me, but aside from hanging them on a chair or stuffing them in the hall closet I recognized there wasn't a better solution-- believe me I tried several things last year.  We don't have a mud room. The garage door opens directly into the kitchen. The front entry is tiny.  I had a choice to make-- backpack hooks in the kitchen or in the front entry. 
When a guest arrives at your house, do you really want them to be greated by a row of backpacks? I don't think so. Decorative front entry means backpacks in the kitchen--it really wasn't a choice. 

I tried to make them nice. Mr. L2D made sure I attached them to wall studs. It is by far better to have them hung than strewn about the floor. And I learned it is impossible to match stains.

I found these hook racks at Honks All A Dollar. They were a buck. I bought 8! I bought them for the hooks alone--I have purchased hooks before and the cheap, plain ones are about $3 a piece.

I spray painted the hooks black (I'm in love with wrought iron) while they were still on the board. Once dry I removed the hooks and tossed the cheap board.

Time for a confession: I love Home Depot. I haunt their Paint Opps! section and also back by the cutting table in their scrap wood bins. I've made some scores there, including this board for 51 cents! I picked up some stain in what I thought would be the right color for under $5. One corner of the board was ruffed up along the edge. Easiest way to ruff up the other side to match was to rub in against the concrete driveway-- just a bit! It's much faster than sandpaper and gives a much more random rough look.

I gave it two coats of stain. When that was dried, I added the hooks. With Mr. L2D's stud finder I located the studs. I double checked them because they were not the standard 16" apart. Rather than using a nail and leaving a big hole, I pushed a pin through the drywall and it stopped against the stud. Sure enough, 19" apart-- who built this house! Anywho... I marked and pre-drilled the holes in the boards. I even drilled a larger hole at the surface to allow the screw head to sink flush with the board. Aren't you proud of me, Mr. L2D?!

Here it is! Mr. L2D came home and said it looked nice, which is high praise indeed from a "plain-blank-wall" kinda man.

The double hooks will allow jackets and coats to be hung up, too! And until #3 is in school, there is even a place for my purse. The whole thing cost me about $6 bucks, but there is a ton of stain leftover. That means I don't have to try to match stain for my next projects!!