Common closets have a hanger rod for hangers holding pants, button-down shirts and dresses, but additional storage shelving may be required to store T-shirts, hooded sweaters and other folded clothing. Purchasing closet shelving can be expensive, and the cuts may not fit your specific closet dimensions. Building your own shelving is a cheaper solution, and you can design the shelves to fit your closet. Before you start building, you must measure the dimensions for the closet shelves. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Draw an outline of your closet on a piece of paper so the perimeter of the closet is mirrored on the paper. The paper sketch is your closet shelving plan, so add measurements, shelving placement and stud locations during the measuring and preparation process.
2. Locate the wall studs in the closet walls by placing the stud finder on the wall. When the finder lights up or beeps, a stud has been located. Make a pencil mark on the wall or on your sketched paper plans, as the shelf supports must be mounted to the wall studs for ultimate support. The placements of the studs may influence how large or where the shelves are installed in the closet.
3. Measure the total length of the closet space, where you want to hang additional closet shelving. Write down the total length dimension. You can choose to install a long shelf measuring the total length or install two smaller shelves that mount to each corner so a gap is created between the two shelves.
4. Place the measuring tape on the side wall to determine how wide you want the shelves to be. The shelf should be at least 10 inches wide so it can hold folded clothes. Larger closets may allow you to create a 15-inch wide shelf. Write the width dimension down that suits your closet space.
5. Calculate how many shelves your closet can hold by measuring the total distance you want to have between each shelf. This is the height difference between the shelves. If you only have a few shirts for the shelves, the distance between the shelves can be a mere 10 to 12 inches. If you have a large stack of hooded sweatshirts, the distance between the shelves may be upward of 25 inches.
6. Use the measurements for getting closet shelving panels cut at your local hardware store or lumber yard. Aim to get 1-inch thick wood panels for optimal support for your clothing.
Tags: your closet, between shelves, closet shelving, total length, closet space