Warning, this is entirely too long a post on the topic of a paint rack, but this is the journey I’ve been on over a few months in 2024. Hopefully by reading it you’ll learn something and not repeat the learning curve I’ve gone through.

I’ve recently gotten back into Warhammer again. I was interested in it as a teen, but never had the money for all of the models, paints, brushes, and miscellaneous extras to make a good job of it. Now that I have more money than sense I’m going way overboard. Enter, my custom Citadel Paint rack.

If like me you have a painting space, you will then want quick access to your paints. There are MDF and cardboard options, but having tried a few they aren’t as robust as I’d like. Searching online I found recommendations for make-up storage and they seemed to fit the bill very well.

BTremary 6 Tiers Clear Nail Polish Display Rack Stand Holder

I ordered one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08V8Y5ZZR

There are two levels, 3 and 6. The 6 holds 54 Citadel paints, which is pretty good. 3 then holds 27. What’s nice about it is that the Citadel paints fit very well, not too snug that they’re hard to remove, but not too loose that they fall over either. However, the 17mm and 18mm pots from other brands, do fall over. But, I’ve got a solution to that problem to share later in this post.

54 paints is quite a lot, but it’s not enough. My spending found no limits when it came to buying paints and I needed more space. I then bought another 6 level rack, so I had 108 Citadel paint spaces, but found I didn’t have the wide physical desk space. I needed something taller.

The painting desk with current models dotted everywhere

Custom Perspex

I worked out that if I was able to get some custom sized Perspex, then I’d be able to drill holes and then get my extra height and storage. Genius. I was also able to choose a custom colour (Chilli Red, if you’re asking), and that hit the sweet spot in my soul.

I had to work out the angles and do the math to make sure it would all work, and that meant taking apart the rack, but it was all worth it in the end. Then I:

  • Visited https://www.perspexsheet.uk/
  • Made a custom order
  • Using masking tape, a 5mm wood drill bit, and a block of wood underneath, I gently (slower is better) made holes in the Perspex according to my paper plan
  • I then re-built the rack and behold, it was wobbly

Wobbles

The 3 and 6 level versions of the make-up rack were very robust, but moving up to 9 – for a total of 81 Citadel paint spaces – meant that the extra depth of the side panels allowed for too much flexibility.

So I bought another 3 level rack, and then secured one of the trays to the very back of the rack creating a cross-brace of sorts. It then increased the total storage by another 9 paints for all of the silly duplicate purchases I’d already made. Perfect. I then added yet another tray at the back because I seemingly can’t stop buying paints I already own.

Even more paints are stored in the rear trays, plus under the rack as well

More paints

You won’t be shocked at this point, but then I surpassed all of the storage by buying even more paints (that I’d never use). So I then bought custom Perspex for a 5-level rack. Somehow buying another 9-level rack was too much, and using the spare 6 level clear Perspex I already had wasn’t in-keeping with my painting-space red branding. – reading that back, I sound like a right tit.

I’m now using Two Thin Coat (TTC) paints instead

Continuing the I’m-a-right-tit theme, I then changed my paint of choice. I moved over to Two Thin Coats, and couldn’t be happier. They are excellent paints; easier to apply with greater pigment content. However, they come in slimmer bottles. They fit the rack fine, and you can fit 15 across at a push. So, now I had a huge amount of space for my quickly growing TTC collection.

But, fitting 15 was too tight. It was too hard to remove the bottles and then too hard to organise them. If I had less than 15 paints in the tray that then meant they were prone to falling over.

Sometimes my genius scares me. But not in this instance. In this instance I ordered some dumb 10mm draft tape and stuck it to the back of the trays so to create a barrier to hold the TTC paints in place. Dumb, sure, but it works.

I now have 12 paint slots across the tray, the paint bottles don’t move, and it’s easy to place or take a paint out. If I move the paint rack all of the paints stay securely in. Phew.

At long last, this journey can finally end. Right?

Well no, I’m now running out of space again. Plus, the company that sells the Perspex no longer allows cutting to just 32mm, so I either need to find a new supplier that will (but will they have the same RAL colour?) or change the sizing of my design (which means replacing my existing rack BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO MATCH), or going wider.

I know what you’re thinking. What. A. Tit.

Total cost for all of this lunacy?

  • £50.97 – 6 level rack (x3)
  • £21.98 – 3 level rack (x2)
  • £19.95 – 9 level Perspex plates (x2)
  • £10.05 – 5 level Perspex plates (x2)

Total: £102.95

Dimensions needed for custom Perspex (9-levels)

  • A = 378mm
  • B = 30mm
  • C = 42mm
  • D = 270mm

Hope this helps.