It’s no secret that storage solutions warm my happy heart. I love everything thing about my boys’ room, except for the small, simple closet. It has just one rod and it often looked like this:
Okay, so it looked like that all time time. I talked my bff into taking the kiddos on an afternoon drive and I headed to Home Depot to get some game on! Building shelves is easier than you might think. If you’ve been wanting more closet storage don’t walk, run your buns to the store and in a few hours you’ll be feeling spectacular.
Materials:
- Shelving board (my term for “Particleboard Bullnose Shelf”)
- Nail gun, or nails
- Caulk
- 3″ screws
- 1×3 wood (primed or not primed)
- Level, Stud finder
1. I bought two 8 foot shelf boards. They are strong, engineered boards with one side rounded, like this. You can find them at any home improvement store. An old secret is the hardware store will cut your board for free! Up to two cuts per board, but I never have been charged when I cut a few more. One cut should be the height of your existing horizontal shelf (if you have one), for me that was 6 feet. The other cuts are the width of the shelves and will all be the same.
The rounded edge, or the “bullnose” goes to the outside to make the shelf prettier. I unscrewed the clothing rod and re-screwed it into the side of the vertical board once it was set. I lost hang-up space, but gained tons of shelves and storage space. The board should fit snuggly against the wall and the top shelf in your closet, make sure it is level. A good tight fit gets you off to the right start. Don’t forget to saw space for the baseboard if you have one:
2. Use the 1×3 boards to frame out the shelving. Making this level is essential.
Draw a line on the back wall where you want each shelf to rest (remember that is the bottom of the shelf and the board itself is 1 inch thick). I built my shelves to fit the storage bins I already had, 16″ high. After marking the shelving lines attach the 1×3 to the back wall first with 3″ screws into the studs.
3. When the back 1×3 are attached, follow the height to the sides and attach a support on each side.
4. With the vertical divider up and supports attached lay the shelves on top and secure them down with a nail gun, or nails (screws work too, you just don’t have a lot of space to work with) Important: You do NOT want your shelves super tight, you want a little wiggle room (like 1/8″) so the walls can swell and move but your shelves won’t bow. The space between the wall and the shelf should be filled in with paintable caulk.
5. Last step! Paint and organize that newly found delightful space, then probably eat a cookie, you deserve it!
Happy Creating!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I am so impressed! Way to go!