A small project with 2 interesting features.

[Packard]

My back is still hurting me, so I am limiting myself to projects that don’t require carrying large sheets of plywood.

This coat hook station has two interesting features (in my opinion, interesting).  The first is the integration of leather straps to the coat hook station. 

The second is the mounting method.

I used 3-1/2” wide red oak by 3/4” x 40”.  The hooks and straps are 5” on center.  I could not find anything online suggesting the spacing.  But the 5” on center seems about right. 

My house has all plaster with metal lath, so stud finders will not work.  Instead, I used toggle bolts.  I placed one toggle bolt behind each hook.  The hooks hide the fasteners.  It makes for a clean look. 

The leather straps add some versatility.  They are perfect for scarves, and you can hang a conventional coat hanger from one at a lower height for kids. 

I used 1” wide straps 2.5 - 3 mm ordered from Amazon.  I have higher quality and thicker strap in the house, but they would end up too thick to mount behind the wood board. 

The strap loops are 7”, about 20” of strap required for each loop.  Rubber cement is helpful as an extra set of hands.  I rubber cemented together the ends of the 20” strap and used hole punch to make two holes for short screws.  I cut a dado to fit the strap so that the board would fit flush to the wall. 

You could probably drill holes for mounting the leather.  I have never tried that.  If you do, I would clamp the rubber cemented strap ends between two pieces of scrap wood and drill through the entire sandwich.  I think that is the only way you can get clean holes in the leather.

I am happy with the look of this coat hook, it seems to fit in with the enveloping green of the entryway. 

Below is a look from the bottom up to show how the straps fit in.

The best takeaway from this (in my opinion) is using the hooks to hide the mounting holes.  A cleaner look than gluing in plugs.

I like the leather straps and I will include it on the mud room cabinets that I am planning on. 

And I forgot to mention, I cut a decorative edge on the board with a router.

The most difficult part of this project was taking these pictures.  The dark color on the wall combined with the semigloss paint made hot spots all over the place.  I probably spent 20 minutes moving around the lights for these images and they still suck.

Packard

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I like the idea of the leather straps. They could layer things on there too, by pulling the strap forward, hooking a regular hanger, and allowing the piece to lay on top of the others.  (at whatever thickness is required) Pretty cool.

I have been attaching cabinets to each other for years, by putting the screws behind the hinge plates. It's very clean looking, but does cause one small problem. If the next guy to remodel the space has never seen it done, they are usually a bit rough about it, when they take them down.

 

[Packard]

I’m not sure I understand the “layer” bit, but thanks for the feedback.

Also, since I made all the loops the same size, I could run a closet pole through them.  I just can’t figure out what that would accomplish. [big grin]

At any rate, a project planned for one day, but took much longer when I realized that the leather strap I had was too thick.

Overall, I’m pleased with it.

 

[mino]

+++ for the asymetry
+ for the detailed comments

Suggestion:

I think the leather would look more fitting if it was natural just with a "patina" to match the wood. No surface treatment leather with e.g. natural linseed oil comes to mind. Let to dry it would keep the straps a bit "open" by themselves.

I did something like this when I wanted a waist band from "old-looking" leather back at high school. Took a non-additived mineral motor oil (1920s style stuff) and mixed it 1:1 with oil-based varnish. The mineral oil was to prevent the varnish to ever fully cure. Worked great but that was a waist band, so I needed it to stay pretty elastic. For this some non-boiled linseed oil should be fine IMO.

 

[Packard]

+++ for the asymetry
+ for the detailed comments

Suggestion:

I think the leather would look more fitting if it was natural just with a "patina" to match the wood. No surface treatment leather with e.g. natural linseed oil comes to mind. Let to dry it would keep the straps a bit "open" by themselves.

I did something like this when I wanted a waist band from "old-looking" leather back at high school. Took a non-additived mineral motor oil (1920s style stuff) and mixed it 1:1 with oil-based varnish. The mineral oil was to prevent the varnish to ever fully cure. Worked great but that was a waist band, so I needed it to stay pretty elastic. For this some non-boiled linseed oil should be fine IMO.

I bought that leather from Amazon.  I only needed 6 feet of it and buying that small of a quantity of leather strap from my regular vendor would be cost-prohibitive.

I agree that the leather does not look very rich.

I will order replacement leather the next time I put together an order with my regular leather vendor.

The high difference is that the preferred leather for this application would be latigo leather, a more flexible and more durable grade of lether.  And the leather I used in the project has a color finish sprayed on, so the outer surface has the color and the reverse is blond.

The latigo leather is vat dyed and the color runs all the way through.  See the image below of a handle I made for a door on barn door hardware.

As you can see the color runs all the way though.  What you cannot see is that the leather is more supple.  Latigo leather is the preferred leather for leashes and horse harnesses.