One of the overall goals for the laundry room makeover I started several weeks ago is to help it function better for the family that uses it daily. Sure it’s fun to make it more beautiful, but what good is that if the family is having to make sacrifices in this space (or elsewhere in their house, for that matter) in order to live their everyday lives.
So, enter the backpack drop zone.
Previously the backpacks were dropped off on the floor as the 4 kids of the house entered the house through the garage.
Not pretty and certainly not functional. But the solution is so easy. And pretty cheap too!
To make it, I started with a 1″x4″x8′ and cut it to the length I was going for. I didn’t want it to reach too far past the edge of the washing machine, so the two pieces, or rails as I’ve been calling them, are 32 inches each.
Before I hung them up, I covered them with 2 coats of paint (after lightly sanding), leaving the back unpainted since it’ll never be seen!
I just used a hi-gloss off-the-shelf white which is what the homeowner is slowly transitioning all of the trim in her house to.
To hang them, I marked where the studs where so I could ensure maximum durability. Then I drilled holes in the boards using a countersink bit which helps the screw heads recess below the surface.
I used 2-1/4″ screws since I had them on hand. Definitely lean towards a longer screw when hanging something in a stud that will have a lot of weight on it, like kids’ backpacks these days!
With the screws in place and just below the surface of the board, I puttied over them. While the putty was setting up, I got my hooks ready to install.
I had seen these new hooks from Moen at the blogger conference I attended back in August. They have a stamp on the back that marks where you need to attach the screws for the bracket to make installation that much easier!
So I marked where I wanted the hooks to go, 8 inches from each end, held the hook in place and pressed down.
If you’ve ever hung towel rods, toilet paper holders, or hooks before, you know it can be difficult to get the bracket exactly where you want it in order to have the rod/holder/hook where you want it when it’s all said and done. And having it just right was especially important for my backpack hooks. Since there are 4 that needed to match and they’re so close to each other, I didn’t want one slightly higher or lower than the other. (**Moen graciously sent the hooks for this project since I was so anxious to try them out. All opinions, though, are 100% my own!)
Once all 4 brackets and then hooks were in place, I used the provided Allen wrench to tighten the hooks onto the brackets very well! Lots of torquing and twerking took place. Ok maybe not the twerking…
By this time I was able to lightly sand the putty smooth and touch up the paint. Then by the time the kids got home form school, the new backpack system was ready for action!
There was some negotiations that took place to determine who got which hook. Oh the things I have to look forward to with multiple kiddos! Ha!
Since these are double hooks, there’s room for their backpacks and then the lunch boxes on the front, lower hook.
You just can’t beat function that’s also looks great! Next up on the laundry room to-do list is more function and storage above the lovely laundry sorter, which you can find a tutorial on how to make by clicking here.
Thanks for Checking In! ~Chelsea
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