How to Hang a Pot Rack

Pot racks can get very heavy when weighed down with a full set of pots & pans, so it is important that yours is installed firmly into the joists to prevent the rack from falling!

You will need:
· ceiling screws, that is a wood screw for the joist with a hook at one end to attach to the chain. For a heavy or loaded rack, you might need a stronger anchor, like a long molly bolt.
· a drill
· a stud finder (optional)


How to find joists

* The simplest way to find joists is to look for nails or nail heads that hold the wallboard to the joists. Depending on construction, most joists are spaced at 16” or 24” gaps. A flashlight may help to locate these. Tap the area to find a section with solid backing – the joist

* Failing that, invest in a stud finder from your local hardware store. A simple stud finder can cost around $10. Simply slide it across the ceiling and it will beep or flash as it detects the solid frame. Mark the position of the joists and their direction

Where do you drill?

If your rack has 2 ceiling points

* Racks are sturdiest when hung with the chains at an angle, either outwards or inwards, as shown in the 2 pictures below. This adds more stability and prevents the rack from swinging or tilting,

In this picture, the 2 chains on each end meet so the rack will hang from just 2 points in the ceiling.

* The simplest way is to hang the rack in the same direction as the joists, so you can simply measure point to point across the joist, drill, fix in the screws and hang the rack.

* If you prefer to hang the rack at right angles to the joists, find 2 joists and measure the distance across. Make sure that the distance between them will allow you to still hang your chains at angles, as in the photographs. Depending on the size of your rack, you might need to go to the next joist.


If your rack has 4 ceiling points

In this photo, the customer preferred to use 4 hanging points. This is recommended if you have a heavy pot rack and/or a lot of heavy pots and pans.
This spreads the weight of the rack out across 4 points, putting less pressure on each ceiling hook.

In such a case, you will need to find 2 joists.

The rack above was 30” wide, the joists 16” apart. Angling the rods slightly outwards, they could reach 2 joists.

Note that the 4 point hanging is our preferred method. We do not sell ceiling hooks because we recommend getting a type that will specifically work for your ceiling type.