How to Build a Freestanding Wardrobe Closet

How to Build a Freestanding Wardrobe Closet

Demand a some extra closet storage? Cheque out this post for how to build this stand up alone DIY closet cabinet!

When we built our garage apartment firm a few years agone, our program was that eventually, when we built our forever house next door, this would become my store space.

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So nosotros wanted information technology to be as open up as possible for afterward when I had workbenches and tool carts in here.  But that means nosotros didn't want to build out a closet.

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I thought living here for a year, or two without a closet wouldn't exist a big deal.  But, one calendar week in and nosotros were both already sick of the mess.

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And then, I decided to do something about it and built these fun modern DIY closet cabinets to organize and hide all our wearing apparel and shoes.

If you're living in a home with fiddling to no closet space…or perchance you only accept more clothes than y'all know what to do with, I'll show you how to add some closet space with these piece of cake DIY cabinets.

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I've got the downloadable PDF plans available here and I'll walk you through the process beneath.

NOTE ABOUT THE BUILD: One of these cabinets was built with rods for hanging clothes and the other was built with adjustable shelves and a shoe rack.  The cabinets are the same size, the just difference is on the inside.

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I've included details on both in the plans.  And I've also got a tutorial and video for yous beneath.

This post contains affiliate links.  Delight see policies page.

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What You'll Need to Build These Cupboard Cabinets:

• (four ½) sheets ¾″ PureBond plywood (builds two cabinets similar shown)
• (ii) sheets ¼″ plywood
• (3) 2x2x8 boards
• (ii) 1x4x8 boards
• (ii) 1x2x8 boards
• (1) 1 ½″ diameter dowel rod half-dozen′ long
• (8) concealed hinges
• (four) door pulls
• Round Saw
• Kreg Rip Cut
• Kreg AccuCut
• Miter Saw
• Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
• Drill
• Nail Gun (optional)
• Kreg Curtained Swivel Jig
• Kreg Shelf Pin Jig
• Shelf Pins
• Wood Glue
• 1 ¼″ Pocket Pigsty Screws
• ii ½″ wood screws

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Pace ane: Build Closet Chiffonier Base of operations

The first matter I did with this DIY cupboard cabinet build was start with the base.  The base of operations isn't necessary for this project, simply I liked the idea of the chiffonier being off the flooring and existence able to vacuum underneath.

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The base is very uncomplicated and fabricated from 2×2 material.  I merely glued and screwed the frame together with 2 ½″ forest screws.  I congenital it 33 ½″ wide, 18″ deep, and viii″ tall overall. Since I was painting, I just puttied the holes and sanded.

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However, if you were going to stain these, I recommend using pocket holes or dowels so you don't run across the screws from the outside.

You lot can download the PDF edifice plans here.

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One time the base was assembled, I puttied and sanded and painted it black.  While the paint was drying, I moved onto the bodily chiffonier.

Footstep 2: Build the Closet Chiffonier

As mentioned earlier, I congenital ii dissimilar types of cabinets, but they were both the aforementioned size.

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And so, I cutting down the plywood and assembled two carcasses using ¾″ pocket holes and 1 ¼″ pocket hole screws like shown hither.  I always recommend using PureBond plywood for building cabinets and furniture of any kind.

RELATED: Check out this guide for how to cut down your plywood sheets!

I built these cabinets 18″ deep (because that was about every bit deep equally it needed to exist for my clothes hangers to fit and still be able to close the doors).  You can make them equally tall as you wish.

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I assembled them together using ¾″ pocket holes and i ¼″ pocket hole screws.

Only when it came time to add the centre shelf in the cabinets, for the hanging clothes chiffonier, I put it in the eye and for the adjustable shelf cabinet, I installed it slightly off eye making the top department a little larger than the lesser.

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The middle shelf isn't 100% necessary, but it helps keep the sides from bowing out and helps sturdy up the cabinet.

One other divergence between the two types of cabinets likewise the placement of the heart shelf is the shelf pin holes.  For the chiffonier with adjustable shelves, I added shelf pin holes using my Kreg shelf pin jig.

Of class, you tin can do stationary shelves instead, just adjustable shelves are really squeamish so you tin can place them wherever you want in the cabinet.

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When I drilled these, I made certain that they were no more than than eleven″ from the back side of the cabinet.  You don't want the shelves too deep, and then you leave room for the shoe rack on the back of the doors.

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One thing to note here is that I didn't think near it until after I had already congenital these is that because these may have a tendency to exist top heavy, it'due south recommended that you attach them to the studs in the wall to forbid them from tipping over.

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In order to practice this, you lot volition demand to have a board running between the sides at the height of the two cabinet sides.  You lot can see this in the plans, but you tin can use a flake slice of ¾″ plywood and secure between the cabinet sides at the top using pocket holes and screws or simply 1 ¼″ wood screws through the chiffonier sides.

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Then screw through this piece into the wall studs when they are in their final place.

Step 3: Attach Cabinet Carcasses to Base

Once the cabinets were assembled, the paint was finally dry on the bases, so I attached the cabinets to be bases using 1 ¼″ wood screws like shown.

Step 4: Attach Backer to Cabinet Carcasses

And so, I cut a piece of ¼″ plywood to use as a backer and fastened using my nail gun and brad nails.  If you don't take a nail gun, stop nails and a hammer work just fine or a hand stapler 🙂

Step five: Add Doors to the Closet Cabinets

Next up are the doors.  I cutting downward two doors from ¾″ plywood and added some edge banding .

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Check out how to install edge banding in this post.

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I made these as full overlay doors, so they would cover upwardly the chiffonier sides.  My cabinets were 33 ½″ wide, so I cut my doors sixteen ½″ wide to allow ⅛″ on each exterior and ¼″ gap in between.

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Then I added full overlay concealed hinges from Liberty Hardware onto each door using my Kreg concealed hinge jig. I take a helpful guide for installing concealed hinges hither.

Once the hinges were in place, I went ahead and hung the doors on the hanging clothes cabinet and all that was left to practise was add together the closet rods.

Stride 6: Customize Closet Chiffonier Details

I cutting 1 ½″ dowel rods 32″ long to fit inside the cabinets and secured from the cabinet sides into the rod with 2 ½″ wood screws.  However, you could also use closet rod hanging hardware.  Screws are cheaper, though…but maxim 😉

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Make sure when you install these, you test fit your hangers to brand sure the rod is located where the hangers will hang freely and fit.

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But, for the cabinet with adjustable shelves, there was even so work to do.  I used 1x4s and 1x2s to build a quick little shoe shelf like shown below. This should exist about 15 ¾″ wide and slightly shorter than the top section of the cabinet carcass.

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There were just three shelves, but I spaced them about 14″ apart.  If your shoes are smaller than that and you want to add move shelves, you tin.  You only have to brand sure that you don't lengthen the height of your overall shelf.  It has to fit above the centre divider shelf in the cabinet.

I used wood gum and brad nails to attach the shelves, simply on the meridian and bottom of the dorsum side, I used screws to attach 2 ane×two boards.  You can see this below.

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These are how you lot adhere the shelf to the door.  Since they will exist belongings all the weight, I went with screws.

I thing to annotation here is that the shelf was then wide that I had to trace and cut out a little on this shelf so it would fit around the concealed hinge in guild to shut the door on the closet cabinet.

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I gear up the shelf at the height I wanted it on the door (1″ down from the top) and traced effectually the hinge, then cutting it out using my jig saw.

Then, I screwed the shelf in place onto the door.

Yous can find all the dimensions and details in the downloadable PDF plans here.

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Once the shoe shelves were fastened to the doors, I installed the doors onto the adaptable shelf cabinet.

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And finally, the final thing to do was cut a few shelves and add those in with shelf pins.  You tin can add as many shelves hither as you want, merely make certain the ones at the top are only nigh 11 ¼″ deep or the doors with the shoe shelves won't exist able to shut.

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Also annotation: in one case the cabinets are in place, be sure to deeply attach to the studs in the wall.

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Then make full those things with ALL THE Clothes!

And all the shoes!

Information technology may not be a typical closet or enough clothes storage for everyone, but for our tiny garage apartment and the few dress nosotros take, information technology's perfect.  And it matches our simple, mod fashion, besides, but similar the kitchen in our garage apartment 🙂

For a little extra storage and to requite me a place to exercise my piece of work, I added this simple footling desk-bound and mobile drawer box.  But that'south another story for another day haha.

I really love that when nosotros build our forever home next door to this garage flat, I can simply move this DIY closet chiffonier to our new closet and build onto it.  And so, if you're ready to get building, exist certain to check out the plans bachelor for download hither.

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And exist certain to pin this for later 🙂

If yous would like some more organisation ideas from several other super talented friends of mine, bank check out these ideas below.  We joined together to share some of our latest ideas and DIY projects to assist proceed you organized 🙂

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Until next fourth dimension, happy building 🙂

How to Build a Freestanding Wardrobe Closet

Posted by: justinathearod.blogspot.com