DIY Wood Countertop Spice Rack for the Kitchen

This simple DIY spice rack fits perfectly on your counter and looks great! You'll only need a few pieces of wood to create a pretty storage solution for your spices and herbs.

This one could be called the three little bears of spice rack tutorials. It's such a simple project when you get down to it...but it gave me fits. 

I didn't mean to take a week away from posting by the way -- I've been fighting a sinus infection for weeks now, and late last week it hit me harder than ever. I was knocked out on the sofa or bed for nearly 48 hours straight. 

I blame that for some of my issues with this DIY project...maybe my brain was foggy? I blame the illness for sure. ;)

For awhile I've had an idea for a simple countertop spice rack, and last week I finally started tackling it. It would be easy my brain said! Just a few pieces of wood, less than an hour. EASY!

The plan was as simple as you can get -- I was going to build a basic frame with a couple shelves. Maybe some dowel rods across the front for a cute touch. That's it. Nothing on the back, just simple. 

I started with 1x2's and checked to be sure my spice jars would fit. The width was great, but my initial plan was to do two shelves so I could stack three levels of the jars. 

But because the wood was 3/4 thick and the jars were about four inches tall, it wasn't going to work. 

Next, I tried a 1/2 inch thick piece of wood that was even wider, so the jars had even more surface space: 

Perfect! I was well on my way -- the 1/2 wood was going to save me the space I needed.

I started to assemble the frame for this (SIMPLE!!) spice rack, using the corner clamp I used when I built our DIY frame for the TV: 

And then stained it with one coat of Special Walnut by Minwax. I didn't want it to be super dark, just a light brown tone. 

The wood countertop is one and half inches thick, so of course the trim I already had wouldn't work. (It wouldn't work anyway because I was going with completely different dimensions, but whatever.) SOOOO, back to the hardware store to grab a couple 1/2 thick boards that were 3.5 inches wide. 

Using some wood glue and my nail gun, I wrapped the butcher block with this "frame" and my spice rack was starting to come together: 

After filling in the nail holes with this awesome wood filler (my new favorite for the past year or so!) and caulking the corners, I gave the frame a quick sanding.

Then I painted it with a couple coats of Tricorn black (the same black I use on my black interior doors): 

My last step was to add a center shelf that I cut down to size on my miter saw. I used wood glue along the back and then carefully nailed into the ends of the shelf through the sides of the frame to secure it. 

When it was done I breathed a sigh of relief and was thrilled with how it turned out...finally!:

I tried it out on the end of the counter, but later moved it against the backsplash. 

The design is simple and I love the wood stain and black combo. It provides a ton of spice storage:

I fit 28 jars on my two tiered spice rack (as you can see I had to nix the three level idea) which is perfect for our needs! It fits nicely under our kitchen cabinets.

You may remember I had a spice drawer in the pantry cabinets a few months back with the cute mason jars. I quickly realized I hated having them stored with only the label on the lids visible. Even if I stored them alphabetized, I still couldn't find what I needed quick enough. 

My brain is visual (are you surprised?) and I need to be able to see the actual color and texture of the spices and herbs -- I find what I need quicker than even reading the labels!:

I ended up with these taller glass spice containers with the cute labels and LOVE them. The set comes with a TON of labels, including a page you can use to write your own. (I scanned the empty labels into my computer so I can print off more in the future if needed.)

I love how they look, and really love having them so close to where I cook or prep food. I think a wooden spice rack looks great as kitchen decor: 

It only took three tries, but I finally got a finished result that I love. You may notice there are no dowel rods across the front. I decided with only two shelves we really didn't need them, and I like the simpler look:

It's a good thing I didn't want to use them, because the frame wasn't deep enough to add them anyway! GoodNESS. 😂

I doubt we'll have any issues with these staying put, but if we do I plan to add a leather accent like I used on the cutting board storage on the side of our fridge. 

I love that my crazy projects might inspire projects in your home! :)