How to Make Homemade Shelves for Clothes
You need clothing shelves when extra clothes start choking your living space. Make homemade shelves for clothing in one day--and discover how organizing this clutter can improve your life. Assess your storage needs before designing the shelves. A longer-lasting shelving solution is recommended over makeshift shelves of concrete blocks and planks. The basic design of shelves remains constant even though the building material used depends on the expected weight-bearing load. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Masking tape
- Stud finder
- 18-inch-wide hollow-core door
- Table saw
- 2- by 4-inch board (same length as door)
- Electric drill
- Hammer
- Wrench chisel
- Chisel
- Carpenter's glue
- 1-inch brad nails, 20
- Level
- 1/4-inch by 3 1/2-inch lag screws, 10
- Carpenter's square
Instructions
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End Clothing Clutter With Shelves
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1
Analyze your storage needs. Identify the wall where the shelves will be placed. Locate studs using a stud finder and place masking tape in a straight line vertically over them. Draw a straight vertical line on the wall indicating the studs positions and double-check the measurements with a 4-foot level.
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2
Cut the door plank in half, lengthwise and put aside. Measure the hollowed-out space from one side of the door jacket to the other. Cut the cleats for the shelves using the 2-inch by 4-inch board.
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3
Prepare the wall by pre-drilling 1/4-inch holes in a leveled line at each of the studs. Place one cleat along the leveled line and drill a hole through it using a 1/8-inch bit. Make holes through the studs to accommodate the length of the cleat. Install the cleat by using a 1/4 inch by 3 1/2-inch lag screw and a wrench. Measure the distance you need between shelves and follow the same procedure used to install the first cleat.
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4
Use a chisel to scrape away 1 1/2 inches of the corrugated core on the edge of the door. Measure the door over the cleat to make sure it fits snugly. Smear a generous line of carpenter's glue to the bottom of the chiseled-out edge of the door, all along the length. Apply carpenter's glue to the top of the full length of the cleat.
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5
Press the shelf onto the cleat and hold for 5 minutes. Secure the shelf to the cleat by nailing 1-inch brads every 8 inches along the board. Use a carpenter's square to guide the nailing.
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6
Organize clothing on the shelves for optimal use.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You do not have to paint these shelves before you use them.
Be cautious using electric tools when young children are around.
