Carpentry and Woodworking - Custom Closet Shelves
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diy_master
01-14-06, 11:36 AM
Hello,
I am planning to build some organizational shelves/cubby holes in our closets. I prefer to not have the shelves supported by the floor incase I ever decide to change the flooring at a later date and time.
The closet is about 47.5" wide and the shelving will be about 15" deep. The material I plan to use is 3/4" ply.
I plan to support all of the horizontal pieces with cleats on the side and back walls. The three bottom shelves will be used as book shelves. I think that the 47.5" span of 3/4" plywood will not be able to handle the load of the books. So I was planning on making a vertical divider half way across the shelf for support. The vertical divider will be one solid piece of 3/4" ply and will span from near the fllor to the top of the shelving unit. The horizontal shelves will be attached to the vertical with a 1/4" dado into the vertical.
Now my question is how would I attach the vertical to the wall? It must be attached somehow in order to hold some of the load. I can not come up with any good ideas...
Thanks,
Jared
I am planning to build some organizational shelves/cubby holes in our closets. I prefer to not have the shelves supported by the floor incase I ever decide to change the flooring at a later date and time.
The closet is about 47.5" wide and the shelving will be about 15" deep. The material I plan to use is 3/4" ply.
I plan to support all of the horizontal pieces with cleats on the side and back walls. The three bottom shelves will be used as book shelves. I think that the 47.5" span of 3/4" plywood will not be able to handle the load of the books. So I was planning on making a vertical divider half way across the shelf for support. The vertical divider will be one solid piece of 3/4" ply and will span from near the fllor to the top of the shelving unit. The horizontal shelves will be attached to the vertical with a 1/4" dado into the vertical.
Now my question is how would I attach the vertical to the wall? It must be attached somehow in order to hold some of the load. I can not come up with any good ideas...
Thanks,
Jared
Herm
01-15-06, 08:50 AM
Jared,
Welcome to the forums.
If the unit is going to be as wide as the closet, the side walls of the unit will be right up against the side walls of the closet, right? Find out where the studs are in those closet walls, and put screws through the walls in the unit into the wall studs. You can recess the screw holes enough to put a plug over the screws to conceal them. Iwould put quite a few if your going to be putting a lot of books in there. Put a screw strip (cleat) under the top shelf of the unit also. Screw to the unit before installing, then find the studs on the back wall, and screw the cleat into it.
You may need to find a way to support the center under the middle verticle wall from the floor (in the front of the unit). Your right about the 47 1/2" span, and putting in the middle verticle, but the whole thing may sag in the middle without proper support from the bottom. You can always make it removable, if you ever want to change flooring. Or, since it is goint to be a built in unit, you can remove the flooring that will be under the unit, and mount it right to the floor. If you ever get new flooring, just install it up to the front of your shelves.
Good luck
Welcome to the forums.
If the unit is going to be as wide as the closet, the side walls of the unit will be right up against the side walls of the closet, right? Find out where the studs are in those closet walls, and put screws through the walls in the unit into the wall studs. You can recess the screw holes enough to put a plug over the screws to conceal them. Iwould put quite a few if your going to be putting a lot of books in there. Put a screw strip (cleat) under the top shelf of the unit also. Screw to the unit before installing, then find the studs on the back wall, and screw the cleat into it.
You may need to find a way to support the center under the middle verticle wall from the floor (in the front of the unit). Your right about the 47 1/2" span, and putting in the middle verticle, but the whole thing may sag in the middle without proper support from the bottom. You can always make it removable, if you ever want to change flooring. Or, since it is goint to be a built in unit, you can remove the flooring that will be under the unit, and mount it right to the floor. If you ever get new flooring, just install it up to the front of your shelves.
Good luck