This guide will walk over building easy shelves for small DIY Closet Shelves. My wife and I live in an older house with somewhat small closets and limited storage space. We have to make the most of every closet by creating basic wood shelves that enhance their storage capacity so we may remain as orderly as best possible.
Examining the closet and considering the optimal arrangement for what you need to keep initially helps you to Standard 8 foot height drives our little closet, which is 44 inches wide and 28 inches deep. For storing totes and linens, we determined that an upper shelf measuring 44″x 13″ and then 28″x 13″ would be effective. I'm spotting studs in the wall in the picture below, therefore the shelving system will be able to attach to them and create great strength.
Cutting boards to fit the basic shelves in our little closet came next. Cut the plywood using either a circular or table saw. The best quality and most reasonably priced plywood available at our neighborhood Home Depot is radiata pine.
I have made shelves in several different configurations. See my bookcase technique here if you want to create adjustable shelves in more of a bookcase design. I also have a tutorial for bigger DIY Closet Shelves.
Our top shelf was 44 inches by 13 inches. Given your overall closet depth of about 28 to 30 inches, this is a reasonable depth. I would advise an 11-12 inch deep top shelf if your closet is shallow 22-24 inch deep so you have space to fit bags between the shelf and closet header.
For this little closet, the side shelves run 13 inches in depth and 28 inches in width. Building your own basic shelves for small closets is beautiful since you may make them meet your own requirements. Best DIY closet shelves are a great way to customize your storage. The shelves feature a frame built around their sides that provides strength and a space fit for wall attachment using 3-inch long screws. DIY closet shelves and rods can be tailored to your specific needs. Wood glue and screws hold the strips fast on the plywood. DIY closet shelves wood options offer durability and a classic look. The front strip I trimmed to two inches covers the plywood front. DIY closet shelves and drawers can add both storage and style to your space. The plywood is 3/4 inches thick, and the other strips run 1 1/4 inch in height. If you're wondering how to add shelves to a closet without drilling, there are adhesive and tension rod options available. For a sturdy option, learning how to build closet shelves with MDF can provide a solid and smooth finish.
I built upper shelf support using 1x 4 boards. The 1x 4 boards are fastened to the wall's studs; the upper shelf will rest on the boards. At every stud, use two 3 inch long screws.
Choose your finish and paint or stain your shelves. On my closet projects, I like water based stains and sealers since they dry really quickly and smell nothing. This means before bringing them inside the house, we don't have to wait two to three days for oil based stains and sealers to dry and air out. That same day we may build, stain, seal, and install our shelves. We worked with a water based polyurethane and golden oak water based stain.
Pre-drilling holes in the lower frame of the shelf where it will be mounted to the wall allows side shelves to be built. Then put 3-inch long wood screws into the wall's studs and ensure they align. Make sure the shelves run in line using a level. Between every shelf, we ran sixteen inches in height. If you would want to hang clothing, you also want to build a DIY Closet Shelves.
It came out quite good as I built the shelves out of MDF using biscuits to glue them to the uprights. The shelves were not extremely long, hence flexing was not an issue. It painted really nicely as well.
To let the clothing clear the rear wall, a clothes closet should have a minimum depth of at least 24 inches.
Women's shoe shelves should be set apart roughly 6 to 7 inches.
Folded clothing should be arranged on shelves spaced 12 inches apart.
For most uses, especially for DIY Closet Shelves, choose wood at least 3/4-inch thick. Usually around 80 pounds for MDF and 130 pounds for plywood, this is the normal thickness for solid wood or MDF shelves and should be able to support a decent weight.
If money is not a concern, woods such as mahogany, African Padauk, and Ca are considered as the best wood closet shelf for their solidity, strength, and durability. Whereas unprocessed solid mahogany costs between $6 and $28 per board foot, koa start at $15 and might cost up to $140 per board foot.