Measure current storage to determine the needs of your new walk-in closet.
A walk-in closet is a dream for many homeowners, and some don't realize how easy it is to add one themselves. This project requires some basic carpentry skills such as using a circular saw and electric drill. With some basic instructions you can add a walk-in closet to a bedroom or any room of your choice in a few days for under $400 in basic materials. Fixtures to hang clothes will add costs to the project. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Design and draw out your closet plan. Determine the dimensions of the space you will be enclosing and include your door in the drawing. Measure each dimension several times for accuracy and take the door frame into account. A walk-in closet can be built into a corner, but the easiest method is to build a full-height partition wall with a centered door to capture one side of a room.
2. Build the wall frame in place. Use a 2-by-4 board with the wide side flat against the walls, ceiling and floor except where the door is placed. Use 3 inch drywall screws to secure each board to studs in the walls, ceiling and floor.
3. Rough frame the doorway using 2-by-4 boards. These extra beams, called king beams, support the door's weight so the wall doesn't bow or distort when the door is open. The inside dimensions of these boards should be 1/4 of an inch larger than the outside dimensions of the pre-hung door, including its frame.
4. Add upright stud beams to the frame every 15 inches between the walls and door. Also, add horizontal boards on the interior side of the frame where the fixtures will be hung. Turn these boards so the widest part is flush with the frame.
5. Add the pre-hung door to the rough frame using shims or scrap slivers of wood to block the door frame into the rough frame. Secure the doorway in place using long drywall screws. Counter sink the screws and conceal screw heads with wood putty.
6. Add drywall to the exterior and interior walls, and use 1 1/4 inch drywall screws to secure the drywall to studs. Close seams using drywall tape and spackle. Once the spackle dries and seams are smooth, the walk-in closet can be painted and fixtures hung.
Tags: walk-in closet, drywall screws, ceiling floor, door frame, door frame into, drywall screws secure