How to Build a Counter Wine Rack

Wash and dry six empty metal coffee cans of the same size. The size should be just right for a wine bottle to fit neatly into each one without much room between the bottle and the can.

Spread old newspapers in a well-ventilated area. Place each coffee can with the open end on the newspaper. Spray paint the outside of all the cans. Let the paint dry. Apply a second or even third coat, if necessary, to hide the labeling on the cans. Do not paint the inside of the can. You can paint each can a different color if you like.

Place three of the cans side by side on a flat surface. Run a piece of painter’s tape horizontally across the front of all three cans to hold them together. Put a second piece of tape horizontally across the back ends to further secure them in a flat row. Run a bead of industrial strength adhesive such as LiquidNails or marine adhesive down the valleys between the cans to glue them together. Let the glue dry.

Lay two more cans side by side on a flat surface and tape them together on the front and back sides. Run a bead of adhesive down the valley between the two cans and let it dry.

Stack the two glued cans on top of the three glued cans, lining up the fronts and backs of all the cans. The two cans will fit neatly into the valleys between the three cans. Make a pencil mark on the three cans on the bottom layer where the cans on the second layer touch. Remove the second layer of cans.

Apply a bead of glue on the bottom-layer cans along the side of the pencil marks toward the middle of the layer. Replace the second layer of cans and carefully press them into the glue. Do not squeeze any of the glue over the pencil lines so that it shows from the outside.

Stack the remaining can on top of the second layer and mark where it touches the second layer. Remove it and apply glue along the inside of the pencil marks on the second layer. Replace the top can and press it into the glue, again being careful not to squeeze any out the sides. Now you have a pyramidal counter wine rack for six bottles of wine.

Let the glue dry completely. Remove the painter’s tape. If desired, further decorate the cans with handpainting, stickers or glued-on decorations.