Amelia Byrne
Make this easy DIY Nerf gun storage rack out of PVC pipe to hang them all in one place! My son and his friends love having Nerf battles in the neighborhood park, and we've collected quite the armory over the years! Despite my best efforts to keep them contained in various outdoor storage benches and boxes, they still end up all over the yard! I thought about a pegboard system like this one, but I knew he would never take the time to find the right spot and we would end up with a bunch of empty hooks!
We also discovered that storing the Nerf guns flat outdoors allows them to collect water inside, rusting the springs and rendering them useless. So I needed to make a rack for hanging all the toys upright, so the rainwater can drain out.
After pondering all these problems for WAY too long, I decided to make this Nerf storage rack out of PVC pipe with hooks to hang all the toys. It's waterproof, easy to move around the yard, and just takes a second to hook each blaster on the rack. Purchases made through these links may earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. I decided to create two different levels, with the bigger ones hanging from the bottom rung to help weigh down the rack. It will live in this spot in front of the removable fence panel during the summer, and will hide inside that storage area during the winter. I applied PVC cement to the outside of the pipe and the inside of the connector, then held them together for 30 seconds while it set up.
It turned out to be WAY too much cement, but you can clean up any excess with acetone or nail polish remover. Once you have the two sides completed, stick them into the base with the open ends of the T connectors facing inward, then attach the middle horizontal bar.
Get all my tips and tricks for painting PVC to get a nice, even finish and add a fun pop of color.
These S hooks are a little too small for the 1 ½" diameter pipe, but it was easy enough to stretch one side to fit. I may end up adding a dab of hot glue to the spot where the hook meets the PVC to hold them in place better, but it seems to be working out ok for now!
