Garden ladders are pretty to look at, but if you don't have a garden of your own or plants that need a trellis to climb, you may not be able to find a use for one. However, there's a great way to utilize one of these pretty, wooden ladders that is both functional and stylish. Take a garden-variety ladder — pun intended — and use it to make a funky and chic towel rack like the one we used here.
This rack can be added to your kitchen or bathroom to hold small hand towels and brighten up your space. It also feels like a one-of-a-kind item because it truly is your own creation, and it will help you breathe life into you home by using a breezy, outdoor items inside. Also, don't worry about any complications: This towel rack is easy to make and easy to hang.
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Materials
- A pretty, wooden garden ladder
- A ruler with a T-square
- A pencil
- A roll of painter's tape
- Two jars of chalk paint in complimenting colors
- A paint brush
- Two metal angled corner brackets
- Four small screws that fit into the holes of the brackets
- A power drill
- A pretty, wooden garden ladder
- A ruler with a T-square
- A pencil
- A roll of painter's tape
- Two jars of chalk paint in complimenting colors
- A paint brush
- Two metal angled corner brackets
- Four small screws that fit into the holes of the brackets
- A power drill
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. First, take your ladder and turn it on its side. Place the T-square about a third of the way down the ladder, and mark it with the pencil where the ruler falls on both long sides of the ladder.
1. First, take your ladder and turn it on its side. Place the T-square about a third of the way down the ladder, and mark it with the pencil where the ruler falls on both long sides of the ladder.
2. Do the same thing two-thirds of the way down the ladder so you now have four marks on the ladder's outer sides, two close to the bottom and two close to the top.
3. Tear off a piece of painter's tape, and wrap it around the ladder at the mark. Do this at all four marks and make sure the tape lines up on the top and the bottom.
4. Next, get out your chalk paint. Paint the upper third of the ladder with one color, and paint the lower third with the other. Make sure to paint the rungs that correspond with the colors of each part of the ladder as well.
5. Remove the painter's tape. The ladder's original color should still be visible in the middle so that the ladder now sports a three-tonal, color blocking effect.
6. Turn the ladder right-side-up again. Place one of the brackets so that it is sitting up near the top of the ladder. One side should be pressed against the side of the ladder while the other juts out in order to be drilled into the wall later. Use the drill to screw one of the small screws into the bracket so it stays in place on the side of the ladder.
7. Repeat this step with the second bracket on the other side of the ladder.
8. Place the ladder against the wall where you are planning to hang it. Draw a mark where the holes in the brackets are. Put the ladder down and drill two holes in the wall with the power drill where you placed the marks.
9. Place the ladder back against the wall and line up the holes in the brackets with the holes in the wall. Screw the remaining two screws through the holes in the brackets, mounting the towel rack onto the wall.
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