How to Build a Closet Organizer

A closet organizer can be the difference between a hectic and crazy start to the day and a wonderful morning. Building a closet organizer is not really that difficult, it just takes some basic tools, patience, and a layout of what you want inside the closet! Once you have planned the perfect closet organizer out, building it is a piece of cake! Use this step by step guide to build the closet organizer of your dreams so that you can start enjoying clutter free mornings in no time!

Materials to Build a Closet Organizer

Hammer
Drill
Measuring Tape
Graph Paper
Pencil
Closet Shelves
Clothes Rack
Shoe Rack

Guide to Building a Custom Closet Organizer

To build the custom closet organizer, begin by creating a graph of your closet. Measure the height, width and depth of your closet so that you have an idea of how much space you are working with. If you are building a closet organizer in a walk in closet then you should take measurements of each wall and create a separate graph for each section to keep the layout organized.

I like to use the graph paper to layout the closet because it makes it easy to see and visualize but you can also use plain paper if you wish. Using the graph paper, it's a good idea to make 4 squares on the graph equal to one foot of the closet. This makes any math needed in the layout process easy to break down on the paper too. For instance, if your closet is 5 feet long then you would draw this on 20 squares on the graph paper.

Once you have laid out the space that you have to work with in the closet, begin determining which elements in a closet organizer are important to you and must haves. This may include a shoe rack, a dual level clothing rack, various shelves, etc. Determine the must haves and also the wishes that you have and then head down to the local homestore to pick out the accessories for your closet organizer. Keep in mind the dimensions and the elements of the closet that you have to work with when choosing the organizer items.

Using the drill, install anchor into the wall to hang the closet shelves in. This will involve drilling a hole into the wall, inserting an anchor and then using a screw to install the shelving brackets. The anchors will assure that your closet organizer shelves are installed securely and will not budge with added weight of clothing or additional items placed on them.

Following your graph and the items that you have purchased for the closet organizer, begin laying out the entire closet and installing any mounting hardware that came with the organizer accessories. Install the clothes rack using a drill to drill out and screw in the hardware to mount the rack along the closet wall. Some clothes racks will hang from closet shelving if you have the standard wire type shelving. To install wire shelving, you should use a hammer drill to securely place the shelves inside the closet.

Always make sure that you securely anchor anything that you install in the closet organization system. Screws in drywall alone are not secure and if you do not use the proper anchors for the job you will be left with a closet organizer that falls apart as soon as it is placed under the pressure of having clothing and shoes and other accessories stored on it.