Add storage space by installing a walk-in closet in a spare bedroom.
If you have an unused bedroom and need more closet space, consider turning the room into a walk-in closet. The project is extensive but it only requires a small amount of carpentry skill. Closet rods install with basic tools and the hardware required to install them is available in home improvement stores. After you install your closet, you'll enjoy more storage space and make use of your extra bedroom at the same time. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Measure the room's length and width with a tape measure and write down the measurements. Decide where to install the closet rods and whether there is enough room to install shelves.
2. Mount closet rods on one side of the room by installing closet rod brackets on the wall. Mount the brackets using the provided hardware at heights of 40 and 80 inches for double-stacked rods. Or mount one rod at a height of 45 inches. Place the bracket on the wall 12 inches from the adjoining wall, mark the mounting holes with a pencil, drill out the holes with a 1/4-inch drill bit, insert drywall anchors, replace the bracket and mount it with the provided screws. Repeat for the other brackets.
3. Insert the closet rod between the brackets and mount a support brace for the rod every 34 inches, by screwing the brace to the wall behind the rod.
4. Build shelves to mount on the far wall. Cut two, 12-inch boards to a length of 80 inches with a power saw. Cut five boards to a length of 34 inches. Assemble the shelves by placing the shorter boards horizontally between the longer boards, and screwing them together with wood screws. The result is a column of shelves with the longer boards vertically oriented and the shorter boards horizontally between them, spaced about 15 inches apart.
5. Cut 34-inch-long cleats from 1-by-3 pine boards. Cleats are used to hold shelving in place; they mount flat on the wall with the wider side facing the wall. Install these cleats on the wall 80 inches from the floor with drywall anchors and wood screws. Lift the shelving unit assembled in the previous step onto the wall so the back, underside edge of the top horizontal shelf rests on the top edge of the cleat. Drill pilot holes with a power drill and a 3/16-inch bit, through the back edge of the top shelf and into the cleat. Drive a 2-inch screw through the shelf and into the cleat to mount the shelf. Install another cleat under the middle shelf in the same way, and two along the sides of the shelving unit for added stabilization. This prevents the unit from shifting sideways.
Tags: holes with, boards horizontally, boards horizontally between, boards length, boards length inches, closet rods, drywall anchors
