Mount a flat screen on the door frame and build shelves inside the closet.
Transforming a closet from a place to hang clothes to a place to house your media equipment is a good way to repurpose a closet. A theater closet can also make up for a lack in wall space and the work involved in framing and creating a theater or media wall. Since the framing is already in place, you don't have to worry about hanging drywall. The biggest task is to connect to an electrical outlet. Other than that, it's really a matter of installing shelves to support your equipment. Consider the tasks and issues involved prior to tackling the project yourself or determining whether you will need to hire a professional to make the conversion. Does this Spark an idea?
Assessing Your Existing Closet
The size of your existing closet is a key consideration. A double-door closet is optimal; however, a single-door closet is also doable. A small, single door closet is suitable if you don't have an extensive amount of audio and video equipment and it already has a rack-style set-up. A double-door closet is wide enough to transform the closet into a recessed theater closet and you can even mount a flat screen television on the wall. You should use a stud finder to check where studs are located inside the closet because the studs will bear the weight of the shelves and provide the support for equipment you want to mount on the closet wall.
Closet Doors
You can remove the doors, or leave them in place. It all depends on whether you want the option to conceal your media equipment. Alternatively, if you remove the doors, you can create a flow that connects the theater closet with the rest of the room, while still defining the transformed closet as your home theater equipment center.
Access to Electricity
Take an electric circuit sensor and run it along walls to locate any existing wiring behind the closet walls. Pre-existing wiring is a good thing because you will be able to install electrical outlets inside the closet. That way you can conveniently conceal wires and cables running from your equipment. Have an electrician take a look and provide you with a professional evaluation and cost estimate for doing any electrical work that will be required. She will also be able to inform you whether you'll need a small fan unit installed to keep your equipment from overheating, especially if you have a wide-screen television and multiple audio and video equipment units. There may also be local fire safety ordinances that you must abide by that require the installation of a fan for ventilation. Contact your local building code office regarding requirements, permits and codes.
Shelving and Wall Mounting
Take measurements of the height, width and depth inside the closet to determine what you will have to work with for shelving. Then measure your equipment to determine how much height you'll need in between each shelf for each piece of equipment. You may even consider adding a shelving unit on the floor to house a collection of media. If you're going to mount a television on the wall, identify where you want it placed for the best visibility when you're seated.
Planning
Draw a layout for your media closet. Identify where you will mount equipment on the wall and which pieces you will house on shelves. Determine how long and wide to make the shelves, based on the width and depth of the closet. Use your layout to plan the project as a do-it-yourself installation or to get estimates for having the conversion installed by professionals.
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