Art Drying Rack
An Art Drying Rack is ideal for the kindergarten or elementary school classroom. Kids love to paint and can produce masterpieces daily. The problem is that in the classroom which is already packed out with books, toys and various educational materials there is often not enough space to dry these paintings.
Not only do children draw and paint in the classroom or in art class but at home too. If you have a child who loves to paint and is constantly creating a new picture for mommy or daddy then you are also going to find yourself looking for drying space and most likely an art storage rack too.
A paper drying rack for art is ideal if it’s flat. This is because paint is wet and the paper tends to warp quite easily if it’s not left to dry flat. Paint also runs and drips if it hasn’t had a chance to dry properly. You can imaging the disappointment on your child’s face when they see their masterpiece has been smudged.
Some people do prefer a hanging drying rack, only because it is a cheap drying rack but usually this is best for hanging materials like tie die or fabric painting on T- shirts and not good for paper art.
As a child I can remember our teacher making us put our paintings outside on the school lawn held down by small rocks! But this was certainly not an option on rainy days!
There are a variety of models and prices of art drying racks for sale. The range in pricing comes mainly from the size of the artwork drying rack and it’s function.
The wall mount drying rack tends to be smaller and therefore cheaper.
HOWEVER most models require you to purchase the wall attaching hardware separately. This will add to the cost so always take that into account.
What’s great about the wall mounted drying rack for art is that you can utilize unused wall space and save precious floor space. Make sure that the rack has rounded corners so that kids won’t bang their heads on sharp edges. It’s a great safety feature that most racks come with now days.
If you want to be able to choose between mounting the paint drying rack on the wall or using it on the floor, then look for an airer rack that has this 2 in 1 alternative.
For classrooms with many pupils you will need the extra drying space so look for a double sides drying rack. School outfitters sells them for $164.99 compared to the single, mobile drying racks which sell for $129.99.
A mobile drying rack is ideal for teachers or parents who want to be able to move the paint drying racks in and out of a room or around the room depending on the class activity. If you want the paintings to dry extra quickly you can conveniently push the mobile art rack over to a more sunny spot and air dry them quickly.
Space or lack thereof can often be an issue in the classroom and home and when paintings are not being dried then you really have no use for this type of rack unless you use it for paper storage. In this case a collapsible drying rack for art will be your answer.
If you are looking for a cheap drying rack for art then look for plastic coated wire trays. These sell for less than $60 compared to the chrome drying racks or metal drying racks that sell for more than $130.
Of course the hanging rack for art sells for a mere $5 dollars but like we mentioned earlier it is not really suitable for paintings on paper. This type of hanging dry rack has clips already attached. The other option is a wooden drying rack with nylon cords across that sells for less than $20 and simply holds more paintings. See the hanging drying rack page for more details.
Through our research we found schooloutfitters.com and discountschoolsupply.com to offer the best deals on art drying racks. Discount school supply offers free delivery on orders over $79 so that is a real bonus if you are living in the United States. kaplanco.com also sells drying racks for painting and specializes in toys and equipment for children.
The flat art drying rack is the most popular of all the drying racks for painting and discount school supply also seems to be the most reviewed and popular dealer because they do offer great discounts.