Walk in closet help....

[Eric Larsen]

Now that my stairs are almost done, I'm turning more attention to my next project, the walk-in closet. The closet is 10' x 10', by 8' high.

Here's my plan. Please stop me if you find any egregious flaws:

1) Mill a bunch of spanish cedar to 1/4"x6"x10' lengths. I have a well-tuned jointer, a well-tuned bandsaw with Woodslicer blades, and a wide belt sander to make this a fairly easy task.

2) Glue 1/4" x 6" strips vertically to 3/4" ply in random lengths. I'm thinking about putting a small gap between the strips using playing cards. Spanish cedar moves around, I'm told.

3) Route dados in the ply/cedar -- vertically for shelf and drawer standards and horizontally for shelves.

4) Install shelf & drawer standards. Glue and keep in place with some brads. (Nawm style.)

5) Add shelves and drawers, where possible. Some shelves will span the length of 2 1/2 sheets of ply, so it is not convenient to add the long shelves at this time.

6) Slap the plywood up against the walls, and screw them in to the studs. Fix the 1/2" holes with plugs that I make with my plug cutter.

7) Install any long shelves - they'll be resting on days old standards, so stability should not be an issue. I'll have plenty of clamping surface by this time.

8) Add about 10 zillion dollars worth of brushed nickel hardware from hardwarehut.com


Am I forgetting anything?

Thanks!

[William OConnell]

Closets are tricky and its always good to have a sketch with dimensions. I didn't notice any clothes hanging options in your post Whether they be single hanging or double hanging. I've done quite a few closet "systems" and its important to draw it first as its all about maximizing storage. They are usually more time consuming than I think. Its easy to get caught in a time sucking warp for such a little space

[Eric Larsen]

Listed under #8, "buy a zillion dollars worth of hardware." ;)

I'll have double hanging in my half (well, third). LOML will have double hanging and single hanging. I used sketchup to draw it out.


Closets are tricky and its always good to have a sketch with dimensions. I didn't notice any clothes hanging options in your post Whether they be single hanging or double hanging. I've done quite a few closet "systems" and its important to draw it first as its all about maximizing storage. They are usually more time consuming than I think. Its easy to get caught in a time sucking warp for such a little space

[Ben Davis]

overestimate for shoes... and then overestimate by an additional 10% on that!

[Dave Falkenstein]

My own experience with cedar in a closet was enlightening. I used 1/2" T&G cedar to line the rear walls of two walk-in closets a number of years ago. The closets smelled great, just like a cedar chest, for about a week or two. Then the cedar oxidized and the good odor went away. I assume if I sanded the oxidation off the cedar, the odor would return. But who wants to sand in a closet full of clothes, even with dust collection? Apparently, cedar works well in a small enclosed space, like a cedar chest with a tight lid. Ask around about the wisdom of using cedar in an essentially open-to-the-air space, like a closet.

I have designed and installed many walk-in closet systems. The trickiest part is effectively utilizing the dead space in the corners. I usually use the corners for hanging clothing that is out-of-season. Extend the clothing rods into the corners and use cabinetry or partitions on the adjacent walls. I found that corner shelving does not work well, since it uses too much of the wall space on both of the walls forming the corner.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd just use 3/4" Baltic Birch Ply on the walls. Routing and dadoing will certainly add the strength and will keep your uprights and shelves rigid and lined up. An easier (not that I'm advocating easier if you're doing this to build skills) solution is to install horizontal cleats under the hanging shelves. The cleats can be fastened to the studs, eliminating the need for a 3/4" back. The ends of the cleats will keep the uprights in check and will provide a stable surface into which to drive a screw or attach a bracket.

[Eric Larsen]

I'm using spanish cedar, which is actually a species of mahogany. It's used regularly in gianourmous walk-in humidors, so I think I should be ok. Besides, any leftovers can be used for making humidors, which is a bonus in my opinion.


My own experience with cedar in a closet was enlightening. I used 1/2" T&G cedar to line the rear walls of two walk-in closets a number of years ago. The closets smelled great, just like a cedar chest, for about a week or two. Then the cedar oxidized and the good odor went away. I assume if I sanded the oxidation off the cedar, the odor would return. But who wants to sand in a closet full of clothes, even with dust collection? Apparently, cedar works well in a small enclosed space, like a cedar chest with a tight lid. Ask around about the wisdom of using cedar in an essentially open-to-the-air space, like a closet.