How to Turn a Fold-Away Iron Closet Into a Spice Rack

Do you have an old-fashioned foldaway ironing board that you never use? It doesn't have to keep wasting space in your house. Convert it into a clever and unusual spice rack.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Hook and eye
• 1/4" or 1/2" thick lumber
• Measuring tape
• Saw
• Hammer
• Fine nails
• Paint (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove the ironing board. The ironing board is attached to the lower half of the door by a hinge. Unscrew the hinge from the lower half of the door, and lift the ironing board out of the closet.

2. Install a hook and eye to hold the lower half of the door closed. Screw the hook into the corner of the lower door, where it will be out of the way of the upper door but close enough to the top for you to unlatch it easily. Then hold the lower door in the closed position, and mark the spot on the closet wall where the eye should go. Install the eye.

3. Measure the width and depth of the interior of the closet.

4. Cut shelves to fit. The shelves should be exactly as wide as the interior of the closet, or a hair narrower. Choose a width of lumber that is the depth of the closet, or only slightly shallower than the closet, so you don't need to rip-cut the lumber to fit the closet's depth.

5. Measure and mark where the shelves should go. Use your spice bottles to decide how high each shelf should be, and take the thickness of the boards into account.

6. Nail the shelves in place. You can pass the nails through the underside of the shelf and into the side of the closet, or you can tap two nails into each side and lay the shelf on top.

7. Paint the interior of the closet if you like a more finished look, or leave the wood plain if you like the authentic Victorian look.

Tips & Warnings

• Make at least one shelf much taller than the others for the odd tall bottle of spice that spice cabinets tend to collect.

• If you paint the interior of the closet, air it out well before you put your spices in so your spices don't all wind up tasting like paint.