From Crib to Plate Rack; Up-cycle project

written by:Cassity Kmetzsch

I was just surfing blogs when I came upon this project, and I had to ask if I could share it with you!  It is from Erin at The Little Apartment on the Prairie.  Anyway, she had a crib that her little one just didn’t love!  So she made a beautiful dish display it is TOO COOL check it out:

Once Upon A Time I had this baby.

The baby that I waited nine years for. This baby with the polka-dot nose. The baby that sings songs to herself and tries to train the dog. The baby with the grandma name.
The baby I refinished a crib for when I was 8 months pregnant.
Who also happens to be one of those babies that screams in enclosed beds like cribs or playpens.

 No it wasn’t a stage, the behavior never went away. So the crib did.

But on the upside, it became a farmhouse style plate rack:

I saw this picture in an inspired by post over at the Brabourne Farm blog.
Pretty, Simple, and Rustic. So I went to work to see if I could create a plate rack for me!

I took the two sides of the crib railing and removed the hardware. 


I put them side by side to to determine where I would need to remove the rails.

I even held them up against the wall while measuring to ensure my plates would fit into the space.

And removed the pieces that I needed out with a small hand saw. 
It was really a lot easier than I thought it would be.
I used Gorilla Glue to cement the two side pieces together.
 I even caulked a little and touched up the white paint where it was needed. But I don’t think the caulking was highly necessary. The Gorilla Glue that I used expanded a little while setting and filled the space in between the two pieces very well.
Below is a picture of the bottle top. A bit was on top from my last use and dried. See how it’s bubbled? It expands as it dries. I just thought this looked cool. I know I’m weird. And you think the lid would be stuck on tight. But no, it slid right off. 
 I wasn’t going for a finished look.
This is me attempting to cover up an extremely poorly placed phone jack… in the center of the dining area wall! What?!
Here you can see the general idea of how the plates are supported.

Here is my plate rack. I might add a shelf to it later, we’ll see. Or maybe paint it green.
No not turquoise or hammered zinc. I think I’ll have to find some cute plates with color for it too.
Isn’t that just plain awesome? 
And for those old school cribs that aren’t up to code, 
this idea is perfect!
Cassity Kmetzsch
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Cassity Kmetzsch started Remodelaholic after graduating from Utah State University with a degree in Interior Design. Remodelaholic is the place to share her love for knocking out walls, and building everything back up again to not only add function but beauty to her home. Together with her husband Justin, they have remodeled 6 homes and are working on a seventh. She is a mother of four amazing girls. Making a house a home is her favorite hobby.

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7 Comments

  3. >I have found several baby beds at the curb on trash day. Right now I am working on making one a daybed. I might try the plate rack with another. Thanks for the idea.

    Reply

  5. >Oh my goodness this is an inspired piece! The reason I say that is because I have a two and a half year old who is soon looking to be in a big boy bed. I've wondered what to do with his crib (which has been the crib for my two older kids as well) and I think I know exactly what I want to do!!

    Thank you so much Erin!

    Reply

  6. WOW! I have been searching high & low for wooden wall plate racks to use as book display in my son’s nursery. They cannot be found! This is amazing & I just hope I can find an old crib in time to do this project before the baby is born! THANK YOU!

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