How High to Mount a Coat Rack on a Wall
Having a coat rack is convenient; it’s there whenever you need to put on or hang your coat. However, knowing how high to mount a coat rock on your wall is important so that you can easily place or remove your coat as needed. Imagine having to stoop down or reach up uncomfortably every time you want to use your coat; it’s so annoying!
If you don’t know how high to hang a wall coat rack, don’t worry! This handy guide will help you.
Make Sure to Have Sturdy Support
Before you hang up any kind of coat racks or hooks on your wall, you need to make sure that you have a strong and sturdy support that will be able to handle the weight of the coats. Individual coats might not weigh much but if your whole family hangs up each of their coats, those weights add up! What’s more, the coat rack itself might be heavy. No one wants a fully loaded coat rack crashing down!
If possible, use wall studs to attach your coat rack to the wall. Wall studs will provide the maximum amount of support and stability for your coat rack no matter how many coats you chose to hang on it. However, if studs are not available, you can use wall anchors. Place a wall anchor for every foot of coat rack and ensure that they are spaced evenly through the length of the rack.
Choosing the Right Height
Now let’s tackle the question, “how high do I hang coat hooks?”
On average, you need to install coat racks around at around 5 feet up from the ground so that both average-sized adults and children can easily reach the hooks. You can adjust the hooks slightly up or down as needed, or if you have small children, you can place a stepping stool below the coat rack to make it more accessible.
This height also ensures that even long coats will not touch the floor.
What About for Mudrooms?
A mudroom is small entryway in a house where the inhabitants and guests can wear and store their outwear and footwear. This prevents mud, dirt, and other debris from being tracked into your home.
If you have a mudroom, the height at which you hang your coat rack will depend on the space that you have available. Many mudrooms have small benches where people can sit so that they can remove their shoes more easily. Install your coat tack around 5 inches above the bench so that the bottom of the coats will not touch the top of the bench. You can even consider putting additional hooks on the bottom where people can hang their caps, bags, and other lightweight items.
However, if your mudroom does not have a bench, you can install the coat rack at least 5 inches from the floor.
Mounting a Coat Rack in Six Easy Steps
The process of mounting your coat rack will depend on the design of your coat rack. However, here is a simple 6-step guide that you can use for most coat racks:
- Measure distance of the coat rack from the ground using a measuring tape. The recommended height is 5 inches, but you can adjust it depending on the height of the people living in your home.
- Measure the distance of the mounting holes on the coat rack against your wall and mark these holes with a vertical mark using a pencil.
- Using a level, place two horizontal marks on top of the hole marks. This will make a “+” mark on your wall.
- Using a drill with a 1/4“bit, drill holes into the wall with the “+” marks.
- Hammer your studs or anchors into each hole.
- Align the holes of the coat rack against the anchors and secure it by drilling 2” wood screws into each anchor.
The Height of the Coat Rack According to Law
Did you know that there is a law that covers how high to hang a coat rack? According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, coat racks must be mounted no higher than 48 inches from the floor! However, this law only applies to public buildings and not to private homes. If you have a business where people have a place to hang their coats, you should make sure to follow this law to prevent possible lawsuits.
Creative DIY Coat Racks
Most coat racks are plain and economical but if you want to add a bit more flair and creativity to your coat rack, you can do so by making a DIY rack! Whether you want to have a coat rack made from scratch or you want to repurpose old items such as paddles, snow boards, or vintage wine crate boards, the sky is the limit when it comes to making a DIY coat rack.
If you decide to make your own coat rack, there are two things that you need to keep in mind:
- Make sure that you are able to hang the coat rack in a way that evenly distributes the weight along the surface of the coat rack. This can be difficult for racks that have irregular shapes such as a paddle, so you should use heavy-duty wall studs.
- Use hooks that are strong enough to handle heavy coats.
Conclusion
When it comes to how high to mount a coat rack on a wall, it will ultimately depend on the height of the people living in your home. If most are average-sized adults, you can hang the coat rack at 5 inches off the ground to make it accessible and comfortable for everyone. However, if you have young children at home, this height might be difficult for them to reach on their own so you need to place a bench or stepping stool underneath the coat rack. Find out more about coat racks.
