DIY Kitchen Plate Rack

Determine where you want to install your kitchen plate rack and measure the dimensions of the area. If you have a great deal of space beneath your wall cabinets, for example, you may choose to install your plate rack between the bottom of the cabinets and the kitchen counter.

Cut five pieces of 1-inch pine or some other hardwood for the top, bottom, back and sides of your plate rack. Use the height and depth measurements to cut the sides, the length and width measurements for the top and bottom, and the height and width measurements to cut the back of the plate rack.

Install the back of the plate rack by laying it flat against the wall in the desired position. Use a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall, then drive wood screws through the wood into the studs to secure it in place. If you have a tile backsplash, you may need to remove the tiles by breaking the tiles with a hammer and prying them loose with a putty knife.

Hold the top of the plate rack up against the underside of the cabinet and secure it in place with wood screws through the wood into the bottom of the cabinet. Position one screw in each corner and additional screws along the edges about halfway between each pair of corners.

Lay the bottom of the plate rack flat on the counter with the back edge pressed up against the back of the plate rack. Drive wood screws through the back of the wood at a downward angle into the back of the plate rack and the studs beyond. In doing so you can secure the bottom of the plate rack in place without drilling into the countertop.

Set the pieces of wood designated as the sides of the plate rack upright at either end of the rack, aligning the top, back and bottom edges with the pieces you already installed. Drive wood screws through the outside of the side panels into the top, back and bottom panels to secure them in place.

Cut two pieces of 1-by-1-inch pine to the length of the plate rack, and cut two more pieces using the height measurement. You will use these pieces to assemble the front frame of the plate rack.

Lay the two longer pieces of 1-by-1-inch pine flat in front of you and make a pencil mark in the center of the wood every 1 1/2 inches along the entire length. Use a drill press to drill a 1/2-inch hole almost through the entire thickness of the wood at each of the pencil markings.

Count the number of holes you were able to drill in the pieces of 1-by-1-inch wood, and cut that many pieces of 1/2-inch wooden dowel to about 1/2-inch shorter than the height of the plate rack.

Apply a dab of wood glue to both ends of each dowel and insert the ends into the holes in the 1-by-1-inch pine. When finished, the two pieces of 1-by-1-inch pine should be parallel to each other, connected by the vertical 1/2-inch dowels.

Install the plate rack front by holding it upright against the frame you installed under the cabinet, aligning the edges. Use a nail gun to drive nails through the front frame into the top, bottom and sides of the plate rack to secure it in place.

Paint or stain the plate rack to match the cabinets in your kitchen. To protect your existing cabinets and countertops, lay down a layer of painter's tape. Once the paint or stain has dried completely, insert your plates into the plate rack by placing them upright between the vertical dowels.