Store coats in a winter storage closet
It's amazing to discover how much useful closet space you have once your out-of-season clothes are stored away in a custom-built winter clothes storage closet. Constructing an extra closet is a minor construction project that can easily convert an unused corner or out-of-the-way area into functional storage space. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Frame the Closet Area
1. Measure the area's length and width and outline it onto the floor with chalk lines. Mark the location of the closet door opening onto the floor and add an additional 1 1/4 inches to your closet door's width for the door frame.
2. Cut 2-by-4-inch wood studs to cover the length and width measurements of your closet's outline. Cut an additional set of wood studs using the same measurements to make the top plates of your closet's walls to attach to the ceiling.
3. Pre-drill holes through the 2-by-4-inch studs to screw the base plates to the floor. Pre-drill holes with a hammer drill if drilling into cured concrete. Insert anchors into the holes in the floor to add additional strength to the foundation of your closet walls. Use heavy-duty screws--deck screws work well for wood floors and masonry screws for concrete floors--insert them into the holes through the base plates and screw them into the floor.
4. Line up the top plates to the ceiling and screw these into the ceiling beams. An easy tip for attaching the top plates to the ceiling for each wall of the closet is to cut two vertical 2-by-4-inch wood studs to the height measurement of the wall between the top and bottom plate. Nail the top plate to the top of these wood studs and then stand them onto the base plate, level them and then nail the top plate into the ceiling.
5. Cut additional 2-by-4-inch wood studs using the height measurement between the top and base plates. Position these studs every 12 to 16 inches between the two end wood studs to complete the wall framing. Reinforce the closet's corners with two additional 2-by-4-inch wood studs butted against the studs that meet at the corner.
Door Framing
6. Frame the door opening with two 2-by-4-inch wood studs cut to 82 inches long for an 80-inch-long door. Nail these into the two wood studs on both sides of the door opening.
7. Cut another piece of 2-by-4-inch wood for the door header using the horizontal measurement above the two vertical 2-by-4-inch wood studs framing the doorway. Nail this piece into the top of these vertical pieces at each end.
8. Measure the vertical space between this door header base and the top plate for the wall. Cut four 2-by-4-inch wood pieces, space them and nail these into the top plate and the door header base.
Enclosing the Walls
9. Sheetrock the inner walls of your closet first. Measure the length and width of each wall and cut the pieces of sheetrock to cover the wall. Mark the measurements onto the sheetrock surface, and draw a line using a straight edge and pencil. Score the line with a utility knife, snap the piece in half on that line and then cut through the sheetrock backing to separate the pieces.
10. Line up the edges of each piece of sheetrock to land at the middle of a wood stud to support the edges of the sheetrock. Screw the sheetrock into the studs with a power drill and sheetrock screws.
11. Smooth each screw hole and seam with joint compound. Apply sheetrock tape to the seams and tack corner beads to the corners. Smooth over an extra layer of joint compound with a wide putty knife or feathering blade until the wall is seamlessly smooth.
12. Insert insulation between the wood studs and staple its edges into the wood studs to hold it up. Close in the outer walls in the same manner as the inner walls.
13. Install the door framing in the door opening, and hang the door using door hinges and screws. Drill the holes into the framing and door for the door hardware and attach the door knob and door plates using a drill or screwdriver.
Tags: wood studs, 2-by-4-inch wood, 2-by-4-inch wood studs, your closet, door opening
