Closet Systems

My wife wanted some nice closet systems in order to avoid the use of dressers and save on space in our bedrooms. After going to Lowes, I quickly realized that we could either spend a lot of money on particle board, get some metal racks and shelves that I wasn't particularly fond of, or spend the least of the above options and get to work building. Of course I chose the latter - purchasing (2) 4x8 sheets of sanded pine plywood 3/4" thick cut into 15 7/8" widths, thanks to the helpful guys in the lumber department at the local Lowe's store.

Below is the pile of stuff I started with:



Taking the 15 7/8" strips, I cut 2 at 80". These would become the sides of the unit. Taking another full strip, I cut them into 15 7/8" lengths. I then trimmed them down to 15" deep. Taking the 2 remnants from the sides, cut these to 15 7/8" x 15" for additional shelves. I had 6 shelves, starting flush at the top, the every 15 3/4" down from the top. Taking some scrap, I cut a piece at 15 7/8" wide by 2 1/2" tall.

Now with all of the pieces cut, I put the sides of the unit on their sides and put the top and bottom shelves between the sides. I pre-drilled holes through the sides and screwed the top and bottom shelves into place. If you use a size like 1/2" or 1", you can purchase plugs at the local hardware store for a nicer finished look - I just used wood filler. After putting the top and bottom shelves in, I put on a 1/4" plywood back on - this was definitely overkill and made it look more like a bookcase. I nailed the 1/4" plywood on, then pre-drilled and screwed every 32" on the sides. Once that was finished, I stood the unit up, and begun to put the other shelves in. I started from the top, measuring 16" down and placing scrap 3/4" ply with my clamps to temporarily hold my shelves while I pre-drilled and screwed them in. After doing that 3 more times, I had the following:



After getting it up and all the shelves in, I was left with the unfinished, untamed ends of the plywood facing out. I purchases screen moulding from Lowe's which I cut to length and nailed with a finish nailer on all of the fronts of the shelves and sides. After that, I filled all the holes, nails, and screws with wood filler. In order to match the rest of the bedroom, I decided to stain:



Finally, I screwed the unit into place in my closet, finding studs in the wall to anchor to:



Note the extra shelves and rods...didn't really get into that. The rods are just 1" round rods that Lowe's sells in 8' foot lengths which I finished with linseed oil - easier than staining and polyurethaning. I attached them with plastic rod holders which I spray painted silver.

The same process could be followed for a bookcase. Checkout the pics of the house to see more about that...