Step: 1
First, cut down your 2×4 to the size you desire. The one I made is 36 inches long, and I used my miter saw. Use a sander to sand it smooth. Cut your dowel rod into 1/2″ thick slices — I also used my miter saw for this. Sand the edges as they will most likely be a bit rough or splintery after you’ve cut them.
Step: 2
I decided to create the following pattern: long Lego (with 6 dowel pieces), coat hook, short Lego (with 4 dowel pieces), coat hook, long Lego, hook, short Lego, hook, long Lego. I didn’t do much measuring at this point, I just laid out my dowel pieces in the position I wanted them (leaving the “hook” spots blank at first) and eyeballed it to make sure everything was even.
Step: 3
Next, I dotted a little bit of wood glue on the backs of my dowel pieces and nailed them in place with my brad nailer. I made sure my brad nails sank into the wood enough that I could patch over them so they would not be visible. Using a putty knife and paintable nail hole filler, I camouflaged the brad nails.
Step: 4
After the nail hole filler had dried, I began the process of painting my “Legos.” This was the most difficult part of the whole project! I wanted nice, crisp lines, so I used painter’s tape to divide my Legos. I did one color at a time, allowed it to dry, then reapplied my tape to paint the “Lego” next to the one I had already painted. I used a combo of a foam brush and a small artist’s paint brush to get in all of the nooks and crannies. It probably could have used two coats of paint, but one coat was ok. I sealed the whole thing with Minwax Polycrylic.
Step: 5
I positioned my hooks where I wanted them and marked the holes with a pencil, then drilled small pilot holes.I screwed the hooks on, and then attached D-Rings to the back to hang it on the wall.
Step: 6
With two little boys who love Legos, I’m sure I’ll be making another one of these for our house very soon.