How to Make a Wooden Spice Rack

Using spices in cooking is the difference between creating food that is blah and bodacious. But home chefs often collect so many small jars of dried spices that they can't find the herb they need when they need it. That is why a simple spice rack in the kitchen, broken by sections into sweet and savory, will make preparing a sumptuous meal a snap.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• One 1" x 9" x 18" length of maple board
• One 1" x 6" x 18" length of maple board
• One 1" x 3" x 18" length of maple board
• Medium- and fine-grain sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Stain
• Disposable foam paintbrush
• Finishing nails
• Decorative nailheads
• Hammer

1. Have the lumber store cut your boards to measure. Use both medium- and then fine-grain sandpaper to smooth all sides of the boards. Clean away dust with the tack cloth. Stain the boards with two to three coats of stain. Dry thoroughly between coats.

2. Place the 6-inch-wide board on top of the 9-inch-wide board and line up the back and sides. Use a hammer to countersink the finishing nails so that your spice platform is secure.

3. Place the 3-inch-wide board on top of the 6-inch-wide board. Line up the sides and back and repeat the process. The spice-rack platform is built.

4. Use decorative nailheads to give the outer edges of the rack a distinctive design. Put the rack in your cupboard and try to keep your spices alphabetized so you can find them quickly when you need them.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make this spice platform any size you want. If you have a long cupboard, extend the length. If you need even more space, extend the width of the platforms and build up as high as is necessary.

References

• How Stuff Works
• The Kitchn

Resources

• A Minimalist Builds a Spice Rack