How to Make a Ballerina Practice Bar

Prepare the Wooden Dowel

• 1

  Sand the dowel to a smooth finish with sandpaper. Always sand with the grain rather than against it.

• 2

  Stain the dowel if you want to change the color. Allow the dowel to dry.

• 3

  Seal the barre with two to three coats of polyurethane. Make sure that the dowel dries thoroughly between each application.

Mount the Barre

• 4

  Decide the height of the bar by having the user stand straight with her feet together. With her shoulders relaxed, bring her hand up so that the palm is parallel with the floor. Measure from her hand to the floor for her ideal barre height.

• 5

  Find the two wall studs that will support the barre using the stud finder. Mark the desired height of the barre using a tape measure and pencil.

• 6

  Connect the two marks and use a level to check that the line is straight.

• 7

  Position one closet bar bracket on the wall so that the part that will hold the barre is at the correct height and center it on the stud. Trace the screw holes onto the wall with a pencil. Repeat for the remaining bracket.

• 8

  Drill pilot holes for all the screws in the places marked.

• 9

  Put the first bracket in place and screw it in. Repeat for the other bracket.

• 10

  Complete the barre by placing the dowel in the brackets and securing it to the brackets with screws.