Hiring a professional to build or design your closet can cost a small fortune these days, but it really does not have to cost a lot to have the closet space of your dreams. You need planning, patience and an afternoon to build it. The completed unit will have a top shelf with a second shelf a foot below. The center of the closet will be a shelving unit that spans from the second shelf to the floor, with closet rods on both sides. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove all existing closet hardware. Begin constructing your closet organizer by measuring the length of the back wall and two side walls to determine the length your shelf supports. Remember to deduct 1½ inches from the length of the back wall for the 3/4-inch thickness of both side supports. Because the side supports will be installed first, the back support will be shortened the 1½ inches to fit between the side pieces.
2. Cut the shelf supports from the 1x3-inch lumber, and attach each side support 84 inches from the floor using nails driven into the studs. Then attach the back support the same way. These are the supports for the top shelf of your closet organizer. You will now have an empty closet with three 1x3 planks nailed to the wall that the shelf will sit on and attach to.
3. Cut the shelf supports for the bottom shelves and attach the supports 76 inches from the floor using nails driven into the studs. Attach the sides first, then the back. The side pieces will stick out from the wall 3/4 of an inch for each side. The sides are attached first because the back will fit on the back side of the wall between the side pieces. These are the supports for the second shelf of your closet organizer.
4. Cut two long shelves from the 3/4-inch plywood. The shelves should be 11 7/8 inches wide, and their length is the width of your closet. Cut two 11 7/8 x 76-inch side pieces from the 3/4-inch plywood. These two are the outside supports of your shelving unit.
5. Cut six 11 7/8-inch square shelves for the shelving unit. Assemble the shelf unit, with the shelves spaced to your needs, using nails, leaving the top and bottom open. The top of the shelving unit will be attached to the lower long shelf that spans the length of the closet; the bottom will be on the floor of the closet. At this point, you have a skinny shelving unit with six shelves.
6. Center the shelving unit equal distance from each side of the edge of the closet. Mark notches for the bottom shelving support. Cut the notches from the shelving unit with the hand saw. You will have a shelving unit with L-shaped back corners so the unit will lay flat against the wall and the notches fit over the shelving supports.
7. Lay one long shelf on the lower support and attach with nails. Attach the other long shelf to the upper shelf support and attach with nails.
8. Measure the length from the side of the center shelving unit to the wall on each side. Cut the closet rod to fit. Attach the closet rod to each side of the center section with screws. Then attach the rod to the wall using your desired method for attaching the closet rod. The sturdiest way is to permanently attach the rod to the wall using screws, but this way is difficult to change in the future.
9. Paint or stain as you desire.
Tags: shelving unit, each side, your closet, side pieces, unit with