Easy Wall-Mounted DIY Spice Rack

Build your own wall-mounted DIY spice rack with these free plans! This easy to build wood cabinet has a rustic chicken wire door and adjustable shelves.

DIY Spice Rack

Get your spices organized and add style to your kitchen with this easy to make wood spice rack. This rustic wall-mounted cabinet has a chicken wire door, chalky paint exterior, and adjustable stained wood shelves. The free printable plans make this a simple project for do it yourselfers of any skill level.

You may also enjoy this DIY Wood Spice Shelf and this DIY Tiered Spice Rack.

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Before we get into how to build this DIY spice rack, be sure to click the subscribe button at the bottom of this page to sign up for my FREE weekly newsletter loaded with helpful pocket hole tricks, space-saving workshop ideas, clever DIY tips and more!

How Many Spices Can This Cabinet Hold?

This rustic spice cabinet was designed with four shelves and holds about 36 of these spice jars. The cabinet can easily be customized to add more shelves to organize more spices of different shapes and sizes

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What Spice Jars Did You Use for This Rustic Spice Rack?

I bought this pack of 36 glass spice jars for this project. The spice jars come with spice labels, shaker lids, metal caps, and a collapsible funnel.

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What Skills Do You Need to Build This DIY Spice Rack?

This is an easy do it yourself project for DIYers of any skill level. It’s made with just a few basic tools which makes this a great project for beginners.

Related: 10 Must-Have Woodworking Tools for Beginners

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What Tools Do You Need to Build This DIY Spice Rack?

We only need a few basic tools to build this wood spice cabinet. Tools like a miter saw, Kreg Jig and a drill. It’s handy to have an orbital sander, but you could use a sanding block to smooth the parts instead. It’s also helpful to have an assortment of bar clamps.

You may enjoy these helpful tool tutorials:

• How to Use a Kreg Jig
• Beginner’s Guide to Using a Power Drill
• 7 Miter Saw Tricks Every DIYer Should Know

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What Kind of Wood Do You Need to Make This Spice Rack?

This easy to build spice cabinet can be made with just about any type of wood. I used common pine to build the cabinet and shelves. Pine is inexpensive and easy to work with. I purchased the pine at my local home improvement store.

Related: Beginner’s Guide to Wood Sizes

I painted the cabinet and stained the shelves. One way to customize this project is to use a different type of wood for the shelves. Woods like cherry, oak or mahogany would look great with the painted cabinet.

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How Do You Finish This DIY Spice Rack?

I wanted to keep this project simple so I painted the cabinet with this chalk-type paint. Unlike other types of paint, we don’t need to apply a primer to the wood before applying a chalk-type paint.

Related: How to Stop Knots From Bleeding Through Paint

I sanded the wood smooth and applied the paint with this paintbrush. Chalk-type paint dries quickly so I was able to apply two coats in just a few hours.

Related: Beginner’s Guide to Spraying Chalk-Style Paint

For the shelves, I applied a coffee stain and one coat of wax-free shellac. I followed the shellac with a couple of coats of this matte-finish water-based Polycrylic. I think the matte-finish of the shelves pairs well with the chalky paint and gives the cabinet a rustic feel.

Related: How to Stain Wood With Coffee

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Where to Use This Cabinet

• Kitchen to organize spices
• Bathroom to organize toiletries 
• Craft room to organize craft supplies

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Customize This DIY Spice Rack

I designed this project without a back so beginners could build it without using a table saw. If you have a table saw (or circular saw) you could cut a back panel for this project. A piece of ¼” plywood or beadboard would complement the style of this cabinet.

Related: Beginner’s Guide to Table Saw Safety

If you have a router you could add a cove or ogee detail to the top and bottom. You could also add a round over detail to the front edge of the shelves.

I was planning to use chicken wire for the door. I used hardware cloth instead because I had some on hand from another project. Using chicken wire instead of hardware cloth would give this project an even more rustic look. You could also make a raised panel door or glass panel door instead.

I used a small foam roller to roll a coat of this black chalk-type paint on the front and back of the hardware cloth. When I built this outdoor plant stand a few readers suggested that I paint the chicken wire black. They said it would be easier to see inside.

I tested both the bare wire and painted wire on this project. I have to agree. I think it’s easier to see inside with the black wire.

This cabinet has four shelves. You could make more shelves depending on what you need to store.

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How Do You Install the Shelves in This DIY Spice Rack?

Shelf pin holes are drilled in the sides of the cabinet. Shelf pins are installed in the holes to support the shelves. 

I had these shelf pins from another project so that’s what I used for my spice cabinet. Many times wood is not perfectly flat. This means the shelves could rock a little bit on the shelf pins. This happened with my cabinet.

In that case, you may want to use this type of shelf pin instead. A little screw can be driven in the hole to keep the shelves from rocking back and forth. 

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How Do You Hang This DIY Spice Rack?

This spice cabinet will be heavy when it’s loaded with spices. My cabinet and spice jars weighed nearly 30 pounds. So it must be securely attached to the wall.

There is a cleat at the top and bottom of the cabinet. The best way to attach the cabinet to the wall is to drive a 2-½” or 3” screw through each cleat into a wall stud. 

You could also use wall anchors if there isn’t a stud where you want to hang your cabinet. If you’re going to use wall anchors you may want to consider using two at the top and two at the bottom.

An easy way to attach the spice cabinet to the wall is to use one of these heavy-duty french cleats. 

Related: How to Make a French Cleat

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Where to Buy a Spice Rack

Store-bought spice racks are available if you don’t have the tools or time to make one. Here are a few options you can buy online and have sent to your home.

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Video: How to Make a DIY Spice Rack

Watch the quick video to see how to make this spice cabinet!

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Step 1. Make the Carcass

Cut the sides and top for the carcass or box of the cabinet.

Related: How to Cut Wood for Beginners

Use a Kreg Shelf Pin Jig to drill holes for the adjustable shelves in the sides.

Related: How to Make Adjustable Shelves with a Shelf Pin Jig

Apply glue to the ends of the top and bottom and clamp to the sides. Attach with pocket screws

Step 2. Attach the Cleats

Apply glue to one edge of the cleat, position inside the cabinet and clamp. Attach with pocket screws.

Step 3. Make the Top and Bottom

Cut 2 boards to length, apply glue to the edge, and clamp the boards together.

When the glue is dry, cut 2 pieces for the top and bottom. Attach the top and bottom with wood screws.

Step 4. Make the Shelves

Cut 2 boards to length, apply glue to the edge, and clamp the boards together.

When the glue is dry, cut 1 piece to length and test-fit the shelf in the cabinet. Adjust the length if necessary and cut the remaining shelves.

Step 5. Make the Door

Cut 2 pieces for the stiles and 2 pieces for the rails. Apply glue to the rails, clamp to the stiles and attach using pocket screws.

Step 6. Attach the Hinges

Attach the hinges to the door and cabinet with the screws that came with the hinges.

Step 7. Finish the DIY Spice Cabinet

I painted the cabinet with two coats of this chalk-type paint. 

Next, I sanded the shelves smooth. I applied three coats of this coffee stain with a rag and allowed the shelves to dry two hours between each coat.

After the third coat of stain was dry I lightly sanded the shelves with 220 grit sandpaper. I removed the sanding dust with a ShopVac and applied one coat of wax-free shellac with an inexpensive chip brush.

When the shellac was dry I lightly sanded the shelves with 220 grit sandpaper. I removed the sanding dust with a ShopVac and applied three coats of this matte-finish Minwax Polycrylic. I allowed each coat to dry for about two hours. I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper between each coat and removed the sanding dust with a ShopVac.

I used a small foam roller to roll a coat of this black chalk-type paint on the front and back of the hardware cloth.

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Final Thoughts

Get your spices organized and add style to your kitchen with this easy to make wood spice rack. This rustic wall-mounted cabinet has a chicken wire door, chalky paint exterior, and adjustable stained wood shelves. The free printable plans make this a simple project for do it yourselfers of any skill level.

Click here to get the free plan (including the detailed instructions and measurements) now!

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