A pot rack is a functional piece of kitchen furniture that is used to hang or store cooking pots and pans. Steel, wood, wrought iron, and a few other metals are the most common types of materials used for pot racks. Pot racks also usually have some type of finish or stain to help them match pots and decor. In addition, pot racks can range in size from less than a foot to over fifteen feet long. These larger pot racks are capable of supporting dozens of pots and pans.
Pot racks are often purchased for convenience, saving storage space, and for decorative value. Using a pot rack delivers convenience because a person is able to find the pots and pans quickly and easily when they are needed. Pot racks also save storage space by freeing up cabinet space and allowing pot racks to be stored on in previously unused space in the kitchen. Pot racks also provide decorative value and can enhance the overall scheme and visual appearance of the kitchen. [1]
There are three basic categories of pot racks: hanging, wall mounted, and free standing.
Hanging pot racks are the most common type of pot racks. Hanging pot racks need to be installed into ceiling joists. They usually come with chains or extension hooks, or hanging links and ceiling screws. Hanging pot racks are normally sold with hooks that can be positioned on the rim or on the grid. Pots and pans can be hung directly from the grid or from the rim using these hooks. Grids can be many shapes, but the most common are rectangular, round, or oval.
Wall mounted pot racks are designed to hang on the wall to save space. Wall pot racks can appear like a horizontal bar or can look like a small hanging shelf. Bar pot racks are just a strip of metal that attaches to wall studs in two places. Pots are hung on the knob that protrude from the bar. Wall pot racks are safely attached to screws that are drilled into wall studs, not plaster or drywall.
Free standing pot racks are not attached to anything else, but instead sit directly on the ground. There are many different looks and styles for free standing pot racks. Some look like tall book shelves and have pots resting on the wood at various levels. Others stand freely, but contain hooks to hang the pot on. Most freestanding pot racks have the same design elements as other decorative furniture pieces.
Hanging pot racks come in various heights. There are three measurements needed in order to install a hanging pot rack. First is the reaching height, or the height where it is comfortable for a person to reach. Most people want to hang a pot rack at a comfortable reaching height. This height is usually about one foot above the height of a person's head and this is where the pots should be located. The second measurement needed is the height of the ceiling. The third measurement is the height of the pot rack with the hooks. The height of the ceiling minus the reaching height is the required height of the pot rack and chains.
Wall pot racks are safely attached to screws that are drilled into wall studs, not plaster or drywall. Otherwise, the weight of the pots and pans may dislodge the pot rack, damage your wall, or become a safety hazard.
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including:
Drywall is a panel made of calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), with or without additives, typically extruded between thick sheets of facer and backer paper, used in the construction of interior walls and ceilings. The plaster is mixed with fiber ; plasticizer, foaming agent; and additives that can reduce mildew, flammability, and water absorption.
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room. It is not generally considered a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the roof structure or the floor of a story above. Ceilings can be decorated to taste, and there are many fine examples of frescoes and artwork on ceilings especially in religious buildings. A ceiling can also be the upper limit of a tunnel.
Lath and plaster is a building process used to finish mainly interior dividing walls and ceilings. It consists of narrow strips of wood (laths) which are nailed horizontally across the wall studs or ceiling joists and then coated in plaster. The technique derives from an earlier, more primitive process called wattle and daub.
A lath or slat is a thin, narrow strip of straight-grained wood used under roof shingles or tiles, on lath and plaster walls and ceilings to hold plaster, and in lattice and trellis work.
Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting. The process of creating plasterwork, called plastering or rendering, has been used in building construction for centuries. For the art history of three-dimensional plaster, see stucco.
A pattress or pattress box or fitting box is the container for the space behind electrical fittings such as power outlet sockets, light switches, or fixed light fixtures. Pattresses may be designed for either surface mounting or for embedding in the wall or skirting board. Some electricians use the term "pattress box" to describe a surface-mounted box, although simply the term "pattress" suffices. The term "flush box" is used for a mounting box that goes inside the wall, although some use the term "wall box". Boxes for installation within timber/plasterboard walls are usually called "cavity boxes" or "plasterboard boxes". A ceiling-mounted pattress is referred to as a "ceiling pattress" or "ceiling box". British English speakers also tend to say "pattress box" instead of just "pattress". Pattress is alternatively spelt "patress" and Wiktionary lists both spellings. The word "pattress", despite being attested from the late 19th century, is still rarely found in dictionaries. It is etymologically derived from pateras. The term is not used by electricians in the United States.
A hatstand (UK), hatrack (US), coat rack or coat stand is a device used to store hats and often coats on, and umbrellas within. Some upscale European catalogues market it as a portmanteau from the French porter ('carry') and manteau ('cloak').
The galley is the compartment of a ship, train, or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. It can also refer to a land-based kitchen on a naval base, or, from a kitchen design point of view, to a straight design of the kitchen layout.
Canada's Worst Handyman 1 was the first-ever season of the Canadian reality TV show Canada's Worst Handyman, which aired on the Discovery Channel, based on the UK Channel 4 Television Corporation's Britain's Worst Driver. The show is considered to be a sister show of Canada's Worst Driver, as Canada's Worst Handyman shares much of its production crew with Canada's Worst Driver. As with subsequent years, five people, nominated by their family or friends, enter the Handyman Rehabilitation Centre to improve their handyman skills, in an effort to not be named Canada's Worst Handyman. This year, the Handyman Rehabilitation Centre is located in a public housing complex building in the Regent Park neighborhood of Toronto that has since been demolished to make way for a FreshCo supermarket and new apartments.
Joint compound is a white powder of primarily gypsum dust mixed with water to form a paste the consistency of cake frosting, which is used with paper or fiber joint tape to seal joints between sheets of drywall to create a seamless base for paint on interior walls and ceilings. It is often referred to simply as mud or as joint cement.
Plaster veneer or plaster skim is a construction methodology for surfacing interior walls, by applying a thin layer of plaster over a substrate—typically over specially formulated gypsum board base, similar in nature to drywall.
Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw. Wattle and daub has been used for at least 6,000 years and is still an important construction method in many parts of the world. Many historic buildings include wattle and daub construction.
A shelf is a flat, horizontal plane used for items that are displayed or stored in a home, business, store, or elsewhere. It is raised off the floor and often anchored to a wall, supported on its shorter length sides by brackets, or otherwise anchored to cabinetry by brackets, dowels, screws, or nails. It can also be held up by columns or pillars. A shelf is also known as a counter, ledge, mantel, or rack. Tables designed to be placed against a wall, possibly mounted, are known as console tables, and are similar to individual shelves.
Gypsum block is a massive lightweight building material composed of solid gypsum, for building and erecting lightweight, fire-resistant, non-load bearing interior walls, partition walls, cavity walls, skin walls, and pillar casing indoors. Gypsum blocks are composed of gypsum, plaster, water and in some cases additives like vegetable or wood fiber for greater strength. Partition walls, made from gypsum blocks, require no sub-structure for erection and gypsum adhesive is used as bonding agent, not standard mortar. Because of this fundamental difference, gypsum blocks shouldn't be confused with the thinner plasterboard used for paneling stud walls.
A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves and/or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood, coated steel, or synthetic materials. Commercial grade cabinets usually have a melamine-particleboard substrate and are covered in a high pressure decorative laminate, commonly referred to as Wilsonart or Formica.
Mechanical Plastics Corp. is a company based in Norwalk, Connecticut that "produces screw anchors and toggle bolts used in the construction industry." These anchors, which range from light-duty to heavy-duty, are "used to fasten objects to walls, ceilings, and floors made of concrete, brick, cement block, drywall, and fiberglass". Mechanical Plastics Corp. currently contains two main divisions, TOGGLER and Wej-It. According to The New York Times, Mechanical Plastics currently distributes its products to twenty-four countries internationally, and these products are then sold at retail stores such as Lowe's. TOGGLER anchor system, whose patents are owned by Mechanical Plastics Corp., is used in the area of home improvement, when driving "a screw or nail directly into a framing member behind the wall surface" is not possible and it is necessary to choose a fastener that is "specifically designed for gripping in the hollow spaces between the studs and joists." Mechanical Plastics Corp. also manufactures the Wej-It expansion bolt, which "is a one-piece all-steel anchor for attaching anything to concrete, brick, or stone."
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one end of the hook is pointed, so that this end can pierce another material, which is then held by the curved or indented portion. Some kinds of hooks, particularly fish hooks, also have a barb, a backwards-pointed projection near the pointed end of the hook to ensure that once the hook is embedded in its target, it can not easily be removed.
A tool board or tool wall is a board for hanging tools onto, and is typically mounted on a wall or as a folding cabinet which rolls on wheels. Such boards are often found in workshops, and often consists of plates made of wood or metal. The tools are often hanged onto the tool board via hooks, screws, cane holders or other types of tool holders, and these are often attached to the board through pegs.