DIY Wine Racks for Your Cellar: How to Make Your Own Wine Racks Quickly and Easily
Wine enthusiasts and collectors must have a means of storing their wines, but custom wine racks can be expensive. Learn how to make your own DIY wine racks and save money on wine storage.
For wine collectors and enthusiasts, a wine rack is a must-have item. Wine collectors who have an extensive collection may even have an entire wine cellar to store their bottles of wine.
Not only do wine racks provide a method of storage, but they keep valuable bottles of wine off the floor and out of boxes where they may be broken and wine racks are designed to keep bottles horizontal so the cork stays wet.
If you are a budding wine enthusiast or simply find yourself in need of a storage solution for your wine, try making DIY wine racks.
Countertop Wine Rack
If you only need to store a few bottles of wine or like to display your wine rather than keeping it hidden in a wine cellar, a countertop wine rack may be a good option for you.
Follow the instructions below to construct a three-level countertop wine rack that can hold twelve bottles of wine.
Materials Needed:
- 1″ by 2″ hardwood, 28 feet
- 1/2″ wooden rod, 8 feet
- Sandpaper
- Wood glue
- Handsaw
- Drill press or handheld electric drill
- 5/8″ drill bit
- Assemble the three levels of the wine rack separately. Cut fifteen 12.5″ pieces of the 1″x2″ hardwood. A half inch from each end of the hardwood slats, drill a hole all the way through the wood using the electric drill or drill press with the 5/8″ bit.
- Cut six 16″ pieces of the 1/2″ wooden rod. Slide five of the 12.5″ pieces of hardwood onto one of the wooden rods and slide another wooden rod through the holes on the opposite end of the hardwood slats. Space the slats evenly along the rod, leaving 2.5″ between each slat and 1″ on the outside edges Glue the slats in place and allow the glue to dry for 24 hours.
- Prepare the four legs of the wine rack by gluing together two 14″ pieces of 1″x2″ hardwood. You may also purchase a length of 2″x2″ hardwood and cut it into four 14″ lengths.
- Drill 3 holes on one side of each leg to a depth of 1″. Drill the holes at intervals of 3″, 7 3/4″, and 12 1/2″ inches from the top of the leg.
- Fit the ends of the wooden rods for each level of the wine rack into the holes on the leg pieces and use wood glue to secure them in place.
- You may choose to stain or paint your wine rack. To make this task easier, stain or paint all the pieces before assembly. You may also want to use a piece of fine sandpaper to smooth the pieces of wood before you stain, paint, or assemble them.
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Turn a Bookshelf Into a Wine Rack
Materials Needed:
- Sturdy bookshelf
- 1″ by 2″ hardwood slats
- Hammer and nails or nailgun
- Pencil
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Measure the width of one of the empty shelves on the bookshelf and divide the number by 6.5. This is the approximate number of wine slots you will be able to fit on each shelf.
- Measure the depth of the bookshelf and cut pieces of the 1″x2″ hardwood slats to that size.
- Lay one of the 1″x2″ pieces along the far left edge of a shelf and nail it in place using a hammer and nails or a nail gun. Use one nail near each end of the slat and at least one nail in between to properly secure it.
- Measure 2.5″ from the right edge of the slat, place another slat and nail it in place. Repeat this process until you reach the far right end of the shelf.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have affixed wine slots on all the shelves.
- Stain or paint the shelf, if you desire. To make this task easier, you may also choose to stain or paint the shelf and the hardwood slats separately prior to assembling the wine rack.
- Allow any paint or stain to dry completely, and insert your bottles of wine into the wine rack by placing the bottles in the slots, so they are cradled in the space between two hardwood slats.
Cheap and Easy Wine Rack
If you are looking for the storage value and the convenience of a wine rack but do not want to invest the time or money it takes to create DIY wine racks, try out this cheap and easy option.
Assemble a number of 3 1/2″ cardboard mailing tubes and cut them, using a handsaw, to 9″ lengths. Sand the rough edges of the tubes and if you desire, paint them and allow them to dry completely. Stack the tubes on a shelf that can hold the weight of several bottles of wine; slide a bottle of wine into each of the tubes.
With a few materials and a little bit of creativity, it is not difficult to assemble your own DIY wine racks. By storing your bottles of wine in racks rather than simply sitting them on shelves, you can make sure your wine ages properly.
Wine racks that keep your wine horizontal keep the cork wet so it does not dry out and crack or break when you open the bottle. All you need to make a wine rack is a few materials and a little bit of space like a bookshelf or closet. Secure the investment you have made in purchasing your bottles of wine by also investing in quality wine racks to store them.
References & Image Credits
- “Amazing DIY Wine Storage Ideas” decoist.com
- “10 Free Wine Rack Plans” thesprucecrafts.com
- “A Wine Rack with Vintage Appeal” HomeHardware.ca
- Vertical Wine Rack photo by Flickr user Prayitno
