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PROJECT PLAN

Maximize your closet!

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34 FEBRUARY 2004 THE FAMILY HANDYMAN

Is your closet too small and overstuffed? Do your cluttered shelves,packed and sagging clothes rods, and jumbled shoes all cry out formore space? Of course, the coolest solution would be to expandthe existing closet, but that’s usually impossible. Instead, you canorganize your existing closet to make every cubic inch count and

get more dresser space to boot.It’s surprisingly easy and economical to squeeze more storage out of

limited space. In this story, we’ll show you how to remodel a standard 8-ft.long, 30-in. deep closet, a size that’s found in millions of homes. Here’swhat we’ve done to maximize storage.

Cabinet module: The 2-ft. wide, 23-in. deep, 78-in. tall cabinet module isdesigned to provide extra drawer and shelving space. The unit is mounted6 in. above the floor for easy cleaning. The mountingheight also makes installation easier because youdon’t have to fool with removing andreinstalling carpeting or baseboards.

Clothes rods: Rod capacity is maximizedbecause the rods are double-stacked at oneend of the closet for shorter clothes likeshirts and skirts. The single rod at theother end of the closet is for slacksand dresses.

Shoe shelves: To tame shoescatter, we’ve designed a two-tier shoe shelf. Including thespace under the shelves, you’llhave 9 luxurious ft. of shoestorage—enough for eventhose beat-up, knockaboutshoes you can’t bear to part with.

by Travis Larson

your closet!Double your closet capacity with smart and efficient built-ins,shelving and rod space

Maximize

THE FAMILY HANDYMAN FEBRUARY 2004 35



2Clean off any sawdust on the edges and then ironthe edge banding onto the outside edges of the

sides and the two lengths of drawer divider stock.

3Trim the overhanging edges of the edge bandingwith a trimming tool, then file and sand the edges

smooth and flush with the edge.4Mark the shelf bracket hole locations on pegboard

and use it as a drilling template. Flip the pegboardto drill the other side.

Custom-build your own closet systemIt’s easy to upgrade the typical singlerod and shelf found in standard clos-ets for more efficient “closetry.” Homecenters offer several lines of mix-and-match closet cabinets and organizersso you can design and install a customcloset system. Those systems lookinexpensive—until you start addingup all the parts! A similar-size

Melamine cabinet module alone willcost about $300. We offer a morehandsome, lower-cost alternative—custom-building your own. For thatsame $300, you’ll have a closet full ofcabinetry that’s so doggone good-looking that you’ll want to leave thecloset doors open.

This project doesn’t call for anyfancy woodworking joints. All theparts are end-cut and simply screwed

together. While that makes for easyconstruction, it means you’ll have touse plywood-core, veneered plywood(any flavor) because it’ll hold screwsand has a smooth, even surface readyfor finishing. If you want to use parti-cleboard-core sheets, plan on joiningparts with biscuits, dowels or anyother fastening system you’re familiarwith. We chose birch plywood tomatch the bedroom’s existing

1Cut the sides to length and width using a rippingjig (p. 39). Rip the drawer dividers to width only.

Cut the angles on the front edge of each cabinet side.

SIDE

BOTTOM

IRON-ON EDGE BANDING

SET ON“COTTON”

SHELFBRACKET

EDGE-BANDINGTRIMMER

DRILLSTOP

LEFT SIDE

RIGHTSIDE

30-3/4"

6"

RIPPINGJIG

LAMINATEROLLER


9"

7-1/4"

7-1/4"

3-1/2"

30-3/4"

78"

23"

14"

DRAWER A

DRAWER B

DRAWER B

DRAWER C

82"TO FLOOR

42"

16"6"

3-1/2" HANGING STRIP FROM SCRAP

4-1/2" CLEATS FROM SCRAP

80" (DRESSES)74" (SLACKS)

TO FLOOR

6"8" TO FLOOR1/2" WALLCLEARANCE

HANGING STRIP

22-1/4" WIDESHELVES(CUT 1" SHORT OFFRONT)

3/4" PLYWOODCABINET SIDES

22-1/2" WIDE DRAWERDIVIDERS

2"

1/4" PLYWOOD BACK

1/2" DEEP HOLES,(DIA. TO MATCHSHELF BRACKET)

IRON-ONBANDING

SEE FIGURE BFOR DRAWERDETAILS

24"

FINISH WASHERSAND SCREWS

CLOTHES ROD AND BRACKETS

1" OVERHANG15" WIDE SHELF

11-1/4" WIDE SHELF

BOTTOM-MOUNTDRAWERSLIDES

Figure A Closet assembly

1/4" x 21-1/2" x 22"PLYWOOD BOTTOM

1/2" PLYWOOD SIDES AND ENDS

3/4" PLYWOOD FACE (SEE TEXT FOR DETERMINING HEIGHTS)

24"

22"

20-1/2"(INSIDE)

2-1/4" (A)6" (B)

7-3/4" (C)


PULL

Figure B Drawer assembly

ITEM QTY.

3/4" plywood 3 sheets

1/2" plywood (buy a 4x4 sheet if it’s available) 1 sheet

1/4" plywood 1 sheet

Iron-on edge banding 3 rolls

Construction adhesive 1 tube

Woodworking glue

8' chrome closet rods 1

6' chrome closet rods 1

Closet rod end brackets 3 sets

No. 8 finish washers 50

No. 8 2" oval head screws 40

No. 8 3" oval head screws 12

22" “Liberty” bottom-mount drawer slides 4 sets

Drawer pulls 4 (or 8)

Shelf brackets 12

Materials List


7Stand the cabinet upright and rip spacer blocksfrom scrap to space and support the other drawer

dividers as you screw them into place.8Glue and pin the cabinet back to the sides and

dividers to square the cabinet. Then glue and pinthe hanging strips to the back and sides.

5Cut the five edge-banded drawer dividers tolength with the crosscutting jig, four from one

length and one from the other.

dust off the clothes iron and use it toapply the edge banding (Photo 2).But there are a few other optionaltools you’ll find useful. While it is pos-

sible to hand-nail the parts together,a brad nailer (Photo 8) will speed up

construction. (Since you can nowbuy a brad nailer for under $100,this project is a good excuse to add

it to the toy collection.) Alsopick up an edge-banding

trimmer for quick, accurate edgetrimming (less than $10; Photo 3).

Building the cabinet boxStart the project by cutting the cabinetbox sides (Photo 1) and two 23-in.wide lengths for the drawer dividers;see Photos 1 and 5. Consult Figure A

on p. 37 for all of the cutting dimen-sions. Before you cut the drawerdividers to length, edge-band one

woodwork. All of the materials shownare found at any well-stocked home center. See the list on p. 37.

As for tools, you don’t need muchaside from a good circularsaw, a screw gun, acarpenter’s squareand two30-in. barclamps.You’llalso have to blow the

6Screw a scrap to the top of the cabinet, spacingthe sides 22-1/2 in. apart, then clamp the bottom

drawer divider between the sides. Predrill and fasten.


5THDRAWERDIVIDER

DRAWERDIVIDERS

22-1/2"

SCRAP

22-1/2"

BOTTOM DRAWERDIVIDER

NO. 8 FINISH

WASHER

2" NO. 8 OVAL HEAD SCREW

SPACERBLOCK

SPACERBLOCK

2"2"

CENTER

DRAWERDIVIDERS

BRADNAILER 1" PINS

1/4" PLYWOOD(FINISHED SIDE DOWN)

CROSSCUTJIG

EDGE-BANDONE EDGE

Edge-banding basicsIf you’ve never used iron-on edge banding, it’ll only take you a couple ofattempts to achieve proficiency. Don’tworry if you make a mistake; run theiron over it again and the heat-sensitiveglue will release so youcan adjust thepiece and iron itback on again.Cut each stripof bandingabout 1 in. extralong with a sharpscissors. Leaveabout 1/2 in.or more of banding


edge. That way the exposed edges willbe finished before they’re cut to length(Photo 5).

Before you assemble the cabinet,drill the holes for the adjustable shelv-ing. We show the old trick of using apegboard jig for consistent hole spac-ing (Photo 4). Because the sides taper,you’ll have to shift over a row or two ofholes to keep the narrower top shelfbrackets within a few inches of thefront. Try to keep the front and rearholes about 2 in. from the edge. Buy adrill bit that matches the shaft on theshelving brackets that you chose. It’sbest to use a “brad point” drill bit tokeep from splintering the veneer.

If you have a full-size table saw, great—you’ll be able to use it for most of the plywood cuts. If you have a portable tablesaw, use it for the smaller ripping jobs like making the shelving and drawer parts. But you can also do a fine job withonly a circular saw fitted with a plywood blade and a couple of simple, screw-together jigs made from cheap Melaminecloset shelving stock.

Ripping jig: Use an 8-ft. length of 16-in. wide shelving to build the rip-ping jig. Draw a line 3 in. from theedge and cut along it with the circu-lar saw. Screw this piece to the largerpiece about 3 in. away from one edgewith the factory edge facing thewidest section of shelving as shown.Then use that edge as a guide to cutoff the Melamine. Now it’s just a mat-ter of lining up that edge with markson plywood stock and clamping it tomake perfect cuts up to 8 ft. long onany piece of plywood (Photo 1).

Cutting plywood with simple jigs and a circular saw

Either use a depth stop or mark thedrill bit with a piece of tape to keepfrom drilling through the plywood.

Begin assembling the cabinet on itsback by attaching a spacer strip at thetop and then screwing the bottomdrawer divider into place (Photo 6).Predrill with a 1/8-in. bit and drive 2-in. long No. 8 oval head screws withfinish washers (p. 38). Then stand thecabinet and, using spacer blocksripped from scraps, position and holdthe drawer dividers in place while youscrew them to the sides. Keeping thedividers tight to the spacers as youscrew them into place is important forthe drawers to work properly.

Crosscutting jig: You can use theripping jig for crosscutting, too, butthis crosscutting jig has the advan-tage of a stop on the bottom. Pushthe stop against the plywood, alignit with the cutting mark and clampfor quick, accurate crosscuts. Makeit from a 4-ft. length of 24-in. wideMelamine shelving (or plywood ifwide shelving isn’t available). Cut a 4-in. wide strip for the stop from oneend and another 4-in. wide stripfrom one edge for the fence. Alignthe factory edge of the short piece

with the factory edge at the otherend of the shelving to make thestop. Then clamp and screw the twopieces together while checkingalignment with a carpenter’s square.Flip the jig over and measure fromthe long factory edge 6 in. to posi-tion and screw the long saw guideas shown. The key with both jigs isto use the straight factory edges forguiding the saw.

FACTORYEDGE 6"

3"

4"

STOP

FACTORYEDGE

FACTORYEDGE

FENCE

6"


3"

Use a file held at a 45-degree angle toremove oozed-out glue and bandingthat’s still a little proud, then sand allthe joints smooth with a sanding blockand 100-grit paper.

You’ll save a lot of time simply byedge-banding all the parts after rippingthem to width and before cutting themto length. Then you won’t have so manyindividual parts to edge-band, or thosepesky short drawer front ends to deal


11Set the drawer front panel (edge-banded onthree sides) on a temporary cleat screwed to

the cabinet bottom. Mark and cut the lowest drawerfront. Edge-band the raw edges.

12Space each panel two quarter thicknesses apart,then measure and cut the next. Edge-band the

two raw edges that meet, then repeat the procedure for the next panel.

9Glue and pin the drawer sides together with 1-in.brads. Before the glue sets, square each drawer

by gluing and pinning the bottom in place.

overhanging the starting cornerbecause it tends to creep when youiron it. Move the iron along (set on“cotton”) at about 1 in. per second allthe way to the other end, guiding itwith your other hand as you go. As youguide it, make sure the banding edgeshang over each side of the plywood.Before it cools, push a block or rollerover it to embed the banding. Then letthe banding cool for 30 seconds or so

and check for voids. Re-iron andembed any loose spots.

Cut the ends as close to the plywoodas possible with the scissors and thenrun the edge-band trimmer downboth sides to trim off the overhang.You’ll have to make multiple passes toget all of the spots flush. The trimmerworks best if you trim with the grain.Sometimes that means reversing direction in the middle of trimming.

10Screw the drawer slides into the cabinet andbottom edges of the drawer boxes. Slide each

drawer into place to check the fit.


1/4" PLYWOOD

1/2" PLYWOOD

SIDE FRONTOR BACK

1-1/4"SHORT OFOPENING

FLUSHWITH

FRONT

DRAWERSLIDE

FLUSHWITH

FRONT

1/4" GAP (USE PLYWOOD SPACER)

OPENINGHEIGHT

OPENING HEIGHTMINUS 1-1/4"

NO EDGE BAND

LEAN CABINETAGAINST WALL

CLEAT

MARK AND CUT ATCENTER OF DIVIDERS

EDGEBAND

EDGEBAND

EDGEBAND

EDGEBAND

TWOQUARTERS

crucial.You can always shim out thedrawer slides if the drawers are a littlenarrow, but if they’re too wide, you’llhave to rebuild them.

Now is a good time to finish rippingand edge-banding your adjustable andfixed shelves. Don’t cut them to finalwidth until the cabinet is mounted soyou can measure and cut exact widthsto fit their selected positions. Stainand finish everything at the same time


14Apply four beads of construction adhesive to the drawer boxes and restack the drawer

fronts, spacing them with double quarters.

15Lay a board across each edge of the fronts andclamp overnight. Then drive four 1-in. screws

through each box into the fronts.16 Set cabinet on blocks and center it in closet.

Plumb it, shimming as needed, and drill 1/8-in.pilot holes through the cleats into studs or drywall.

with. Pay attention to the simple littleclamping tip shown in Photo 2. Screwa shelf bracket down and clamp thewood to it. That’ll hold the pieces steadyfor edge banding.

Drawer constructionThe prospect of building drawersmakes most neophyte woodworkers’knees rattle, but don’t worry—it’s notall that hard. The key is to build the

cabinet and the drawer boxes square.If you’re using drawer slides otherthan the ones we call for, be sure toread the directions before building thedrawers. They’ll tell you the necessaryheight and side-to-side clearances.

Building a square drawer is easy ifyou pin together the sides and thensquare them up with the plywood bot-tom before the glue dries (Photo 9).Accurate side-to-side dimensions are

13Place crumpled newspaper behind each drawerand replace the drawers. They should stick out

about 1/2 in. beyond the cabinet front.


HANGING STRIP

HANGINGSTRIP

MARKEDGE

ONWALL

NO STUD

STUD

and shelves anywhere you wish.Build the cabinet taller, wider or withmore drawers. Drawer sizes can beeasily altered too—make deeper onesfor sweaters or shallower ones forsocks. The project how-to’s shown willwork for any configuration that bestsuits your needs.

Art Direction • HOPE FAY and BECKY PFLUGERPhotography • BILL ZUEHLKETechnical Art • EUGENE THOMPSON



19Screw the closet rod brackets to the cleats andthe cabinet, then install the clothes rods. Cut

the top shelves and fasten them to cleats (Figure A).20Add the drawer pulls and adjustable shelves,

then fill it up. Still not enough space? Donatewhatever doesn’t fit!

prior to installation. We used an oil-based honey maple stain and top-coated it with two coats of satinpolyurethane.

Making it fit in your closetThe cabinet unit is 78 in. tall, so it willfit in any closet with 8-ft. walls, evenwith the 6-in. gap at the floor. Alter theheight if you have a lower ceiling.

You’ll have to set the cabinet aside

before mounting it to install drywallanchors unless you’re lucky enough to have the cabinet fall in front of twostuds. Position the cabinet in thecloset, then plumb and mark the wall(Photo 17) so the pilot holes line upwith the anchors after you reset it.Then measure to the wall to deter-mine the final length for the topshelf—don’t forget to add 1 in. for the left-side overhang. Place cleats

17Remove the cabinet and screw drywall anchorsinto the holes without stud backing. Reposition

the cabinet and screw it to the wall.18Build the shoebox about 1/2 in. short of the

wall. Screw a cleat to the wall, then screw thebox to the cabinet and nail it to the cleat.

STUD

HOLLOW WALL ANCHOR

CABINETSIDE

HANGINGSTRIP

1/2" SHORTOF WALL

SCREWCABINET TO BOX

LEAVE 7/8" SPACEFOR BOX CLEARANCE

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