Installing Our Own Built-In Closet System

Sabrina
by Sabrina
2 Materials
$950
2 Weeks
Medium

Ripped out our wire shelves in our walk-in closet to create a luxurious built-in storage. See how we did it!

Creating this built-in closet system is one of the best projects we’ve completed. It’s such a satisfying feeling to see a space that was once dark and disorganized turn into something that feels like a personal boutique. I really can’t wait to share the final reveal with you!

If you’re looking at this project and thinking “there is no shot I can make something like this”. Let me tell you, we’re no experts either. We only have two DIY carpentry projects under our belt, our built-in living room bookshelves and our kitchen built-in bench. That’s it!

I started by measuring out our closet space, planning out where we want our shelves and hanging rods to be. You can see all my  design plans and dimensions in this post

The back wall is our starting point. This section is designed for long garments and seasonal jackets. It’s also the only compartment that has a 20″ depth. The hangers need to be able to sit inside this fitted box completely as the right corner will be a covered section.

Since I’m not a fan of melamine or particle board, we are using 1/2″ thick plywood, we put extra pieces of wood against the wall and in between all panels to bulk it up. This creates the illusion of thick side panels, and those gaps are going to be covered by edging later. Anything that we secure to the wall is drilled directly into a wall joist. Use a stud finder ALWAYS!

As we begin on the next wall, this compartment is made for our double rods. We secure the two new vertical panel against the existing panel and base (marked as no. 1 in the above image). Then we put the horizontal cleats running across the back wall, one at the base (we removed the baseboards) and one just below the ceiling (see no. 2). Again, make sure the cleats are secured into the joist. The middle cleat is added to create a shelf, we use it as support since it’s there but not needed otherwise. 

To create the box shape, you’ll want to grab your other vertical panel (no. 3) and place it against the cleats on the opposite side where you will fasten them together. To finish off the box, grab another two horizontal cleats and attach it to the front side of the top and bottom (mimicking the back wall).

The structure will feel flimsy at first but as you move along and make all the connections, you will start to see how sturdy and heavy duty these built-ins are going to be. 

We did this same procedure to the remaining wall, which creates three fitted boxes in our space.

In the bottom platforms we included extra support, which is a bit of overkill. However, we know our daughter will be sitting/standing/playing on these areas. Better to be safe than sorry.

Once the framing is all complete, this is where the real magic starts happening. We went back and added all the wood edging, shelves and platforms. Using our plywood sheets, we cut everything to size with a table saw and fastened it in place with a nail gun.

Be sure to fill in all the screw and nail holes before priming the wood. The very best wood primer to use is  this one. Shellac primer fills in all the wood grains and gives a nice smooth finish. However, the negative is that it smells so BAD. The smell lasted a few days as this space does not have any ventilation. 

Once the primer dries, I gave it a light sanding and used two coats of Benjamin Moore standard white. This closet has the smoothest finish ever. You can’t see the wood grains at all. 



SEE THE FULL TUTORIAL ON PINKLITTLENOTEBOOK.COM

Suggested materials:
  • Plywood   (hardware store)
  • Paint   (hardware store)
Sabrina
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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