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Let's look at how to install wooden closet shelves in a small closet. By removing unsightly wire shelving and replacing it with a white wood closet system, we gain tremendous storage space for folded clothes and shoes. Installing wooden shelves is a game changer when it comes to keeping your closet organized and the best part is you can do it yourself!
This cabinet is part of our master.Wardrobewhich was once a guest room. We remodeled it last yearadditionally in the roomin a closet, under which was this little closet.
Is it better to have wire or wooden shelves for the closet?
Wire shelving and wooden shelving serve similar purposes, but there are some differences to consider when deciding what type of cabinet system to install.
1. The advantages of cables are affordability and quick installation.
2. The advantages of wooden shelving are better design options for organization, no wire marks on clothes, and a more customized built-in look.
We've had both wire and wood cabinet systems and I personally prefer wood. IfJim has movedA few years ago we decided to convert the existing closet (which was part of our guest room) to hold his work clothes (the man has more clothes than me!) and converted the wire to wood.
When upgrading a wire shelving cabinet to wood, you have 3 options:
1. DIY closet shelves
Buy plywood and make your own shelves (like we did in ours). laundry). Building plywood shelving will take more time than buying pre-made shelving, but it's a great option if you have more time. Our DIY wooden shelves in our laundry room are awesome!
here is ourslaundrymiWooden bookshelves tutorialif you want to do it yourself:
2. Install a custom DIY closet system
3. Buy or make DIY wooden shelf covers that go over existing wire
Note: We chose to install EasyClosets white wood closet system which was very easy to install. Being totally transparent, Easycloset provided us with a closet system for free, but my review is 100% honest and I have only great things to say about the design process, delivery, quality and ease of installation.
Organizing systems for cupboards
Things to consider when buying closet organizer systems.
- Does the company offer online design services?
- The company offers free or low cost shipping (wooden cabinet systems can be expensive to ship).
- What material is the closet system made of?
- Installation instructions are easy to follow (many provide them online for review before purchase).
- Has the wardrobe system already been painted or stained?
- Does the company have good online reviews?
Step 1 - Determine a cabinet layout
The first step in installing a custom closet system is determining a layout. Start by writing down what kind of clothes you will have in your closet.
- Do you need a lot of shelves for folded clothes?
- Do you need rods to hang long dresses or coats?
- Do you need to store shoes?
By writing down your storage needs, you can design functional storage and maximize storage space.
Once we have identified our storage needs, we send the closet dimensions to our designer at EasyClosets. EasyClosets offers afreelance design expert(Yes, they have free design services via email or phone).
EasyClosets has customized storage solutions. After receiving the closet dimensions, they sent layout plans based on our storage needs. Their online design tools are also a great way to play around and see things you might like. The design process went smoothly!
We made a few changes and additions to our simple design and then ordered our custom closet system. So easy! definitely checkthis blog postto see why and how we make our design decisions.
The closet organizer arrived within a week and was neatly and securely packaged.
Closet with wire shelves in front
Below is the cabinet on the left before removing the wire shelves and installing the wood shelves.
As you can see above, there is a lot of wasted space under the closet's hanging rail section. Wooden shelves and closet organizers solve this problem and create a functional use of the entire closet.
Below is a picture of Jim laying the hardwood floor a month before installing the new closet organizer.
How do you remove wire shelves from a closet?
The goal is to remove the grid shelves with minimal damage. They will have holes that will need patching, but if you are careful the holes can be easily patched.
- Remove the support bars by grabbing the nails and pulling them out of the bar. Take the bar off the shelves and remove it
- Remove the top and bottom hooks with a flat head screwdriver to drive out the nail. If you pull the nail straight out, the dowel will come out straight and smooth with minimal damage to the wall.
- Remove the rack, you may need to touch the underside to release it from the hooks.
- Use a screwdriver or pliers to remove the remaining shelf brackets and wall hooks.
- Patch any holes with putty, sand and paint after drying. Spackle is great for small holes.
How to put together a closet organizer
After removing the existing shelves from the wire closet, we were left with an empty closet, allowing us to start over.
We simply followed the instructions and built our wooden shelving system.
Basically, we build the cabinet system in sections.
Under normal circumstances I would have filled, sanded and painted the holes in the wire cabinet system but the day we decided to install this part of the cabinet was at the last minute and we were at a time crunch so the holes would not be fixed until the next became day.
EasyClosets makes installation so easy!
Each panel has a label on the side of the closet system (and the labels peel off easily and leave no sticky residue, yay!) with the item number that exactly matches the picture and description in the instruction manual.
installation instructions
Use a small saw to remove the molding to allow the wooden bookcase to fit the wall (see below).
EasyClosets adjustable wooden shelves are perfect as you can adjust the height of each shelf according to the type of clothes or smaller items that are on the shelf. If necessary, you can also order additional shelves later.
You really can't mess up this setup, it's that simple! The boxes and parts of the product are labeled so it is self-explanatory.
We used a screwdriver and spirit level to build the wooden shelving system.
The bottom left wall is for wooden shelves to store folded pants, sweatshirts, and shoes.
The opposite wall is for hanging clothes.
DIY wooden closet shelves(before, afterwards)
EasyClosets offers affordable DIY closet systems that are easy to install and essentially a closet kit. We love our new custom closet!
Our new closet with wooden shelves provided much-needed storage for Jim's t-shirts, hoodies and work clothes.
If you tell yourself, "Jim has too many clothes," that's nothing! Take a look at our bonus room that we have remodeledLuxury wardrobeFeaturing the same wooden shelves and closet organizers as EasyClosets! Jimbo also has half the storage space.
Can you take a look at the seebigger closetdown in the mirror
Here's another view of the larger closet, which also features wooden shelves, wooden drawers, and a center island.
Closet organizer ideas
- Wooden wall shelves for shoes
- Adjustable shelves for smaller items like hats
- Wooden shelves for folded clothes and accessories
- The closet walls are lined top to bottom with clothes rails and wooden shelf dividers that keep clothes organized
- More hanging space for seasonal clothing and/or shirts and trousers
How to Install Wooden Closet Shelves (EasyClosets)
Print instructions
How to remove wire closet shelves and install a wood closet organizer with hanging rods and wood shelves.
Authorjessica bruno
equipment
Hammer
drill
screwdriver
machine gun
Never
study finder
small saw
Pencil for marking walls
Putty, sandpaper and paint for holes
Instructions: step by step
Remove wire shelves
Pin all the holes in wire shelves and paint
Set up the new wooden shelving organization system and get organized
Install the wooden shelf and hanging rod system according to the instructions
Add shelves and related accessories
Where to buy shelves and closet organizers?
You can purchase our wooden cabinet system atSimple closets.
BeWooden closet organizerIt has rave reviews and is great on Amazon. That iscloset organizerit's a bit smaller and also on amazon.
Furtherrecent posts
Our EasyClosets DIY Walk In Closet {In One Weekend}
How to turn a bedroom into a DIY closet
Master bedroom remodel ideas
Homemade curtains in our living room
Replacing wire shelving with wood is a great option when updating an existing closet or designing a custom closet in a new home. Buying a custom closet organization system and installing it yourself is sure to save you time and money.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Easyclosets. All opinions and words are 100% my own.
About the author
What started as a hobby, Jessica's blog now has millions of visitors a year, and while many of the projects and posts seem perfect, life hasn't always been easy.Read Jessica's storyand howOvercoming Death, Divorce and Dementiait was one of his greatest life lessons to date.