After building and installing organizational compartments for our coat closet, I began searching for some coat hooks to add to the “mini lockers.” As is always the case, the ones I liked were not exactly cheap, and I needed a handful . . . which is when the usual question pops into my head . . . “could I just make these?”

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What you’ll Need to Make a DIY Coat Hook
Yes, of course I can! So can you, and it cost just pennies to make! All you need is:
- 7/16″ x 48″ round wooden dowel
- 1-1/4″ x48″ round wooden dowel (I used what was leftover after making DIY wooden closet rods)
- 1/4″ x 1.5″ (#10) Dowel Screws (one for however many hooks you’re making)
- Wood Glue
As far as tools go, the list is short:
- 3/16″ drill bit (this set is seriously the best)
- 7/16″ forstner bit
- Handheld drill and/or Drill Press
- Dowel Screw Driver **this is super helpful to have but there are probably other ways of attaching the dowel screws to the hook.
How to Make a Coat Hook
Step One
Cut a 7/16″ dowel into a piece about 2.5-3″ long.
Step Two
Make a hole into the back side of your coat hook using a 3/16″ drill bit (assuming you’re using a 1/4″ dowel screw and your coat hook is soft wood and not hardwood. If your hook is hardwood, drill a 1/4″ hole).

Step Three
Attach a dowel screw into the coat hook. Half should be in the hook, half should be out.
*Tool Tip*
When we re-did our stairs I bought a pack of dowel screws that came with a helpful dowel screw driver. I used this tool to make my coat hooks. Twist the dowel screw by hand a few turns into your pre-drilled hole, then use this driver to bring it halfway into your coat hook.

Step Four
Cut a 3/4″ section of a 1-1/4″ round dowel.
Use a 7/16″-sized forstner bit to make a hole (about 1/2″ deep) into the center of this piece.

Step Five
Attach the larger dowel to the smaller one with wood glue or multi-surface glue.


That’s it! You’re done with the DIY coat hook (unless you want to add a finishing oil or polyurethane). Once the glue has dried, you can screw it into the wall (use a drywall anchor) or straight into wood.

I attached my coat hooks to the wood of our closet dividers after pre-drilling 3/16″ holes.


