Making a sweet floor rack for your skis

Our house had enough sets of skis that stacking them in the corner just wasn't practical anymore. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to make your own sweet floor rack for your skis (or snowboards).

What you'll need:

-two shelving boards: 1" X 12" X however long you need for all your skis (I used 2 48" boards to hold 7 pair of downhill and cross-country)
-about 10-12 feet of 2" X 2" (actual dimensions 1-1/2" X 1-1/2")
-drywall screws
-four 5" angle brackets

-power driver
-drill bit set
-tape measure

Total time: about two hours, including cleanup

This project was great for me, as I used mostly scrap material from around the house. The shelving boards had been left by the previous tenants, though you can buy them for under $10 at any hardware/lumber store, and the 2X2s were all scraps from a project I'd built for Genya. The only items I had to buy specifically for this project were the angle brackets, which cost about $1 each.

First, measure and cut a number of 2X2 dividers the same height as your shelving boards:
Measuring...and cutting
Next, you'll need to spend some time measuring your skis and figuring out how far apart to place the 2X2 dividers. The tails of most skis are not wider than 4-1/2 inches, so I used this as a measure. I made one slot 6 inches wide in case I ever get some really fat powder boards. I made two slots much narrower for my cross-country skis.

Measuring the ski slots

Then use a drill bit (about 1/8") to predrill holes throught the shelving and into the centers of the dividers. Secure the dividers with 1-3/8" drywall screws. Hold off on the bottom outside corners, as this is where you'll attach the angle brackets at the end.

predrilling and driving screws

Now the other shelving board can be screwed on to the dividers.

Finally, attach the rack to two 2-foot-long 2X2s with the angle brackets:

And you're done!


Note: You might want to put some sort of padding underneath the rack so your ski tails don't scratch the floor. (Thanks Sven!)