An iron pot rack is a simple design that gives you another option when it comes to storing pots and pans. The pot rack simply hangs from the ceiling of your kitchen, freeing up valuable storage space by offering an area to hang pot and pans. A hanging pot rack just might be the solution to your kitchen clutter. Wrought iron pot racks come in just about every size and style. It is important to find one that fits the size of your kitchen and is aesthetically pleasing, seeing as you are going to be looking at it nearly everyday.
First and foremost, choose a spot that is within your reach. Pot racks usually go over kitchen islands, sinks or counter areas. Keep in mind where you do most of your cooking and prep work, so your utensils are always close. Also, make sure you don't block ceiling lights or natural light sources. Remember some iron racks can be rather large in size, so keep the rack from blocking views into other rooms. Iron pot racks should be hung so that your utensils are easily reachable, yet aren't low enough to bump your head.
So first figure out what is your comfortable arms reach, then the height of your ceiling. Also, take into consideration how much the average pot or pan will hang down from the rack, thus creating a virtual extension of your reach.
A good ballpark figure is approximately 42" above the counter space below. To figure out how your specific rack will fit, subtract the size of the rack from 42". That number will then tell you how many inches from the ceiling the kitchen rack should be hung. First, remember that you are dealing with a pot rack made of wrought iron, so you must hang it from the ceiling joist or wooden beam.
Locate your joists. You can do this one of two ways: use a stud finder or look for nails or nail heads in the drywall. A stud finder is very simple, only requiring you to slide it across the ceiling and wait for the beep or flash indicating a solid frame. If you don't have a stud finder, you can check for joists every 16" to 24", looking for nails or nail heads and then tapping the area to find the solid frame.
Once you've located the ceiling joists and decided where along the frame you want your pot rack to hang, measure the distance between the chains, and mark your ceiling. Drill the pilot holes, making sure that the holes are not larger than your ceiling hooks. Keep in mind the rack should be squared over the counter, island or sink. After screwing in the hooks into the ceiling, decide how low you want the rack to hang.
Then, hang the chains on the hooks without the rack, in order to reduce the weight you're lifting above your head. Ceiling-mounted pot racks serve the triple function of storing bulky items, keeping pots and pans in easy reach and dressing up your kitchen in your own personal style.
Because pot racks support a fair amount of weight, it's important to attach them to the support beams in your ceiling, called joists, rather than just screwing them into the drywall or plaster. This job is much easier with two, so enlist a friend to help you if possible. Measure the distance between the hanging chains on the pot rack. If the rack has four chains, one in each corner, measure both dimensions. Run a stud finder over the ceiling where you want to hang the pot rack and locate the joists.
Measure out the required distance along a joist, and mark the spots for the screws on the ceiling in pencil. For a four-chain pot rack, put marks for two screws on one joist and the remaining two screws on the adjacent joist. If the joists don't match up with where you want your pot rack and you have access to the attic, drill small holes in the ceiling in the spots where you want to anchor the chains.
Thread pieces of wire through the holes in the ceiling so you can spot them more easily from the attic. Go up to the attic, measure the distance between the joists at the locations of the holes with the wire and cut 2-by-4s to this length with a saw. Nail a 2-by-4 over each of the holes, with the ends of the 2-by-4s attached to the nearest joists. Drill pilot holes into the joists or the 2-by-4s.
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