Spice up a boring closet with homemade closet doors.
Sometimes closet doors do not match the design of the room or have become damaged or even removed, leaving your items in plain sight. Replacing closet doors can be expensive, but you can easily create your own at home for a cheaper price. When you create the doors yourself, you can customize the door to fit your specific needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Fabric
Fabric works well for decorating closet doors because of the array of available colors and patterns. It is also typically machine-washable and on certain doors can be removed if it becomes dirty. To create fabric closet doors, use wooden panels or another strong, flat material to cover with fabric. Purchase the track for the closet door and install it in the top of the closet door frame and the wheels onto the top edge of the panels. The wheels will fit into the track. Next, cover the panels with fabric, either covering the entire panel or only parts of it. If you want to remove the fabric later on, clamp it on the back or use a staple gun to attach it on the back side only so it can be removed when needed.
For a simpler, one-day project, cut a piece of fabric that is twice as long as the closet is tall. Hang a curtain rod and drape the fabric over the rod. Pull it down so one half is on either side. This will keep it from sliding off. Make sure the curtain rod is thick. Thin curtain rods will bend when stretched across large spaces.
Stand Alone
Room dividers can be altered to work as closet doors. If you want an inexpensive, low maintenance set of doors, decorate the room dividers with paint, stencils or decals and prop the dividers in front of the closet. The dividers should hinge in the middle and can be folded in half when you need to access the closet. Install wheels on the bottom to make the doors easier to roll out of the way. You can also use separate panels and attach them to the closet door frame. The panel should be attached on the side and wheels placed on the bottom so it can be rolled back much like a regular closet door would.
Panels can also create makeshift closets in one corner of the room. Place them at a diagonal angle so they block off the corner and store your stuff behind it. No set up or construction required. If you have an actual closet that is missing its doors, you can set the panels up a few feet in front to give yourself room to walk behind while still blocking the view from the rest of the room.
Unusual Projects
If you're the handy type, you might want to try building a closet door out of materials you already have. While wooden closet doors are functional, why not give a boring closet some pizazz by turning the closet door into a bookshelf? Not only will it provide extra storage space for your reading materials, but it also acts as a hidden closet that only you know exists. The bookshelf swings open to reveal your closet behind. Make sure not to set breakable objects on the shelves in case they fall when opening the door.
Tags: closet doors, closet door, boring closet, closet door frame, closet that