How to Change a Baker's Rack to a Wet Bar

Wash over your baker’s rack with a wet sponge. Use liquid dish soap to remove any dust or grease from the metal shelves and wood counter. Wipe the rack down with plain water and allow it to dry thoroughly.

Cover any of the rack's wood surfaces with newspaper and secure it with painter’s tape along the edges. Spread a drop cloth or newspapers on the ground outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Set the baker’s rack over the spread newspapers or drop cloth.

Spray the rack's metal with a color of spray paint that will suit the bar area you’re trying to create. Work in even motions to keep paint thickness uniform. Allow the paint to dry for an hour. Apply a second coat if desired. Let the paint dry for two to four hours.

Add wooden shelves to rest over the metal rungs that frequently make up the shelves of baker’s racks by measuring the length and width of your shelf space and cutting the appropriate number plywood boards.

Measure and cut a piece of decorative contact paper large enough to cover the wooden surface of your rack’s main shelf as well as any plywood boards. Peel the wax paper backing from the contact paper and apply the paper to each shelf, working slowly to avoid air bubbles. Set the plywood shelves over the metal rungs.

Install any hanging wine racks to the undersides of lower shelves and stemware racks to the underside of upper shelves using wood screws, as desired. Center the wine racks along the baker’s rack for a balanced, formal wet bar, or set the wine racks to one side of the shelves for a modern appeal.