Hey guys! Jamin here back today, to talk a little about the family closet. We loved showing the fun reveal a few weeks ago, so to see all the posts in this series so far, be sure to click here!
Getting our home into gear has been a long process, especially with the whole bathroom thing. But when we tried this in the kids’ spaces, we decided to move all of their clothes to our master closet since it really worked with our floor plan. It’s been a streamlined process that makes getting ready (and the laundry) a cinch.
This is a pretty simple project, but remember that any measurements are for our closet {Our closet measures at 13 (l) x 6 (w) and in one (small) place – it’s shaped like a backwards L – 8 (w) to give you some perspective.} So you’ll need to sub in your own numbers. With that in mind, I’ll walk you through the process (instead of providing you with a bunch of cut lists).
First up: Getting rid of this wire shelving. Who’s idea was this stuff anyway? It’s actually cheaper to build wood shelves than to install these. (Fun fact of the day.) #diewireshelvingdiebuildersbeigedie
After you unscrew them you’ll more than likely have to rip the drywall anchors out of the wall (also known as those little plastic things helping keep the screw in). Don’t worry about the damage, you can simply patch it with some drywall paste or mud, sand it and you’re good to go on painting the area.
We wanted a lot of cubby space to fold and store our family’s clothing, and it made a huge difference in the space it created with doing so. We scored a great closeout deal at IKEA on something very similar to what we had in mind. Not only was this a money saver, but we saved tons of time. These little beauties were a snap to put together. You guys know we’re big fans of handmade in our home (see: our site name = nerds) but it’s nice to buy and work with it, too. Sometimes it just happens like that.
We still wanted more shelving to maximize that space above the Expedits, for everything from bedding to accessories and wedding dresses… and knew we needed something simple.
So we decided we would build shelving all the way around at the top.
Also, we still needed somewhere to hang the few clothes that truly need hanging. Like dress shirts and long dresses. So on the wall opposite from all the cubbies, we decided to use that area for more shoes, and hanging clothes.
It was a great way to utilize all that (previously unused) space.
Our initial reveal post wasn’t too clear on that, so we decided to make sure we were thorough on a few things so that you understand how it looks. Sometimes tight spaces are hard to shoot, so we even went underneath to see how we put it together. {It’s definitely prettier in real life – we’re showing you all the little joints and underneath parts you don’t really notice when standing there.}
We needed to build a space to hang clothing, and we knew the area was simply too long to run rods. So we considered putting supports under the rods and running it from one closet wall to a new wall we would build. But then I saw this (because apparently this project brought all the shopping mojo with it – Does that ever happen? The closet juju gods were smiling in our favor) we were stoked about a ready-made hanging system. It ended up being cheaper than the supplies to build one. And it fit just right. Sparkling lights and cherub babies. You never know what you’ll find that you can modify to fit your needs.
We would still need to build one ‘wall’ to attach the system. If you need to build more than one wall for your project, just duplicate this part as many times for as many as you need.
Building the wall
To build the wall, you’ll need some 2 x 2’s. How many and what length will depend on your wall size. Our wall would be 82 inches by 15 5/8 inches. So we needed (2) 2 x 2 x 8’s and (1) 2 x 2 x 6.
I cut the 8 foot pieces down to 79 inches, then cut (2) 15 5/8 pieces. At the top and the bottom, simply attach the 79 inch pieces to the 15 5/58 with some wood glue and #10 2 1/2 inch wood screws. I used an impact driver, but you can use a regular drill as well. If you do, you might want to pre drill your hole first to avoid stripping the screw (remember adjust your sizes to your space).
Decide where your rod will hang and cut a 1 x 6 to 12 5/8 and attach it. I just used scrap wood laying around. (You can do all this cutting with a Miter saw/box, but since it was a small project I just used a good old fashioned circular saw.)
Now you will need to cover one side of the wall you built. You can use about anything from sheetrock to wood planks to MDF board. We choose MDF, because I always have a sheet laying around some where and we would use it for another part of this project.
I simply measured out a piece 82 inches by 15 5/8 and cut it with my saw. Then attached it to one side by spreading some wood glue and using a finish nail gun to secure it.
You’ll need to attach the new wall to the your existing closet wall. Ideally you will be able to drive it into a stud. If not you will need to buy some form of a wall anchor to hold it in place. We were able to drive ours into a stud. (Tip: paint it before you attach it, you can thank me later – matched up to the white/creamy color of the Ikea shelves).
Also, I cut out a small notch for the crown molding and a snug fit at the bottom.
cut and attach your shelving
First measure all the places that you will be placing shelving including the top of the wall you just built to the shelving unit. Make sure you measure not only distance but depth as well.
We decided to use 1/2 inch MDF for our shelves, not only because of the depth of our shelves, but also the affordability of MDF.
Our depth was 15 5/8 inches. I used a circular saw (or table saw if you have one) to cut my strips of MDF. I then also cut several strips at 1 1/2 inches to be used as wall supports for the shelves. You will need to cut as many linear feet of these strips for as much shelving as you are putting up. You’ll want to place this anywhere the shelves might touch a wall.
After you decide on the height of your shelves, measure down 1/2 inch and use a laser level to draw a straight line across the wall. Place the top of your 1 1/2 strips on this line and attach them to the wall. Again I would suggest painting before attaching and you only have to paint one side. (Hint I used a nail gun to quickly hold them in place before using a impact driver and #8 2 inch screws to screw them into closet wall studs.)
Support your shelving
Now that you know the height of your shelves you will need to cut some more 2 x 2’s to use as supports. I would suggest spacing them no more than every 2 feet. Again you can use a circular saw to cut these. We kept it simple, and it really worked for this space.
Once you have all these and your shelves cut and painted you can assemble them. Simply place your shelf on the wall support already hung and slide your 2 x 2’s underneath it to stabilize it. Then begin screwing the shelf onto the wall supports using # 8 1 1/2 inch screws and into the 2 x 2’s using 2 inch screws.
We also decided to run a shelf across each hanging section and followed the same steps except the 1 1/2 inch support strips were placed on the sides, instead of the back.
Corners
If you are running corners as we did you will want to brace the two pieces together. You could drill pocket holes and screw them together or you can simply use melding brackets to join and support the two shelves. These particular ones won’t support a lot of weight, but because of the layout of our closet, it worked. We use this area to store blankets, pillows and all around things we aren’t using at the moment.
Finishing touches
At this point your shelving might look a little rough, and that is where the finishing comes in.
We finished off our shelves with some quarter round molding and I cut a thin piece of wood to place over the outside of the wall I built. I attached it all with wood glue and a nail gun. Then finished it off with some quick drying paintable chalk.
So there it is! An easy way to get rid of that wire shelving and create our closet the way you want it.
We love the way all the little elements came together to make a super organized, simple solution for our space.
As always, let us know if you have any questions, and be sure to check out the rest of this little series, here!
Have an inspired day!
Seng says
OMG!! This looks sooo good. Your closet is ginormous!!!! I love the fact that you have cubbies so you can see everything. What an amazing idea. What’s hilarious is I have a freeze dried wedding bouquet also sitting in a plastic tote somewhere. Made me laugh 🙂
Stay fabulous,
Seng | http://www.sengerson.com
Janet says
I absolutely adore your home! These ideas are awesome- especially the closet! Thanks for all the details!
katie says
wow! it looks so great and clean. I love expedit shelving and have 3 right now (as bookshelves), but I’m thinking I could build out a really nice closet with them now. thanks for the inspiration!
katie says
I also think it’s amazing (crazy?) that you guys decided to share the closet with the kids. I can see the laundry benefits, but I’m so interested to see how it works out. 🙂 Hopefully well!
ashley @ the handmade home says
We’re loving it – we’ve been doing this since last summer, but just whipped it into shape! I highly recommend it if it seems right for your fam! ;}
Wendy says
Oh how I love those cubbies! I am secretly jealous, but so impressed by your handiwork. Yes, I also have that wire shelving which I have come to loathe. You guys did an awesome job and inspired me to maybe try this project. Thanks for providing us with such a detailed tutorial!