Framing a Closet

Adding another closet to your home will make it easier to store your items.

Adding a closet to your home can turn a den into a bedroom. It can also add value to your home by creating additional storage space. An additional closet may make it easier to store and care for your items. The time you put in to such a project will be worth the effort. You may need a helper when you install the frames for the closet.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Stud finder
• Two-by-fours
• Nail gun
• Nails
• Handsaw

Instructions

1. Measure the area you want the closet to be. You will need to measure the depth as well as the length of the closet. Use the stud finder to find the studs nearest to the length that you want your closet. You will need to attach the frames to the studs, so this will affect the actual size of your closet. Measure the height of your ceiling, so you know how tall to cut your two-by-fours.

2. Cut your wood to the correct lengths. You will need to cut the two-by-fours to be four inches shorter than the height of the ceiling, because you will nail a two-by-four on the top and bottom of the frame. Cut the top and bottom of the frames for each of the walls. You will need a wall for each side of the closet. You will also need a frame for the front of the closet.

3. Lay the frame for the two sidewalls out on the floor. You will need a two-by-four at each end of the length of the wall, and then 18 inches apart from each other for the length. The bottom and top of the frame will be flat to the floor and the ceiling.

4. Create the frame for the door along the front wall of the closet. If you buy an already framed door, you need to need to create a doorway to nail the frame into. You will need to leave the studs out of the doorway space, and create a top frame for the door to be attached to along the top. Measure the difference between the door top and the ceiling and frame out the top of the door with shorter two-by-fours along the top of the door frame.

5. Set the frames up in the position you want them and nail them into place. You may need an assistant to hold up the frame while you nail it into place. Nail into the studs you marked, and not just into drywall. Nail the frame into the ceiling stud and the floor. If you are in the basement, you will need to get nails made for concrete.

6. Remove the bottom of the frame where the door will be, once the frame is in place. You can do this with a handsaw. Hang your drywall to finish out the closet. Once the drywall is installed, you can install the door frame.

References

• This Old House: How to Frame a Partition Wall
• The Family Handyman: How to Build a Wall-to-Wall Closet
• Realtor.com: Framing Out a Closet