Home Improvement Blog Improving Your Home And Your Life

Most homeowners would like more closet space in their homes. You can add a closet in a bedroom, den, or guest room if you have the carpentry expertise and enough floor space. If you follow the instructions correctly, your new closet can look like it was there originally.

First, you have to construct the closet frame and attach it to the walls surrounding it. After you finish building the closet frame and fastening it to the walls, trim the door opening and put in your choice of closet doors. After you finish this part of the project, you can hang clothes rods or add shelving, drawers and other closet amenities to your closet interior.

First the closet walls must be framed

Use 2 by 4s to construct the closet frame. The inside depth of the closet frame must be at least 27 inches. You can use two different ways to build the frame. Construct the walls in place where the closet is located or construct the walls on the floor and raise the whole structure up into position. If you have a floor with a clear, large enough area, it is simpler to fasten the framing together on the floor.

Mark the locations of both the top plate and the sole plate. Indicate both ends of the center of the closet wall on the ceiling. On the two sides of each mark you made, measure 1 ¾ inches. Using a chalk line, snap parallel lines between the corresponding marks to indicate the top plate’s position.

Next, you need to hang a plumb bob at each end of the lines and note these spots on the floor. The sole plate’s location must be marked, using two more chalk lines to connect the floor spots.

Stud positions must be marked

Lay the top plates’ edges next to the edges of the sole plates, and be sure they are even at both ends. Starting at one of the ends that will be fastened to an existing wall, measure in 1 ½ inches. Use a combination square to mark a line across both plates. Beginning at that end, measure and mark lines at 15 ¼ and 16 ¾ inches. Starting at those marks, move forward 16 inches at a time. Mark lines at the new measurements to indicate stud locations until you get to the far end of both plates.

Each wall must be framed

After you have framed each wall and raised the framing upright, you will cut out the sole plate where it spans the door opening.

You will need a king stud and a trimmer stud on each side of the door’s rough opening. The door opening will also require a header across the top, and cripple studs must be placed between the header and top plate.

Using full-length studs, make cuts that are equal to the height of the ceiling minus 3 ¾ inches.

At proper intervals, fasten short cripple studs into the top plate. Cut the studs across the doorway to size if you nailed in studs in that location. The header must be measured and cut. Using 16d nails, fasten the header to the bottoms of the cripple studs. Toenail the header to the king studs, utilizing 8d nails. Two trimmers studs must be measured and cut, and then fasten one to each king stud using 10d nails, following a staggered pattern. If necessary, alter the width of the opening by putting in a pair of trimmers on one side.

The walls must be built

Build the walls and then lift them into place. Shim between the ceiling beams and the top plate. The end studs must be attached securely to the existing wall studs.

Put each sole plate between the lines marked on the floor. Use 10d nails to fasten them in place with a space of 2 feet between them. Remember not to nail the part of the sole plate that is running across your planned closet door opening. Fasten them to the sole plate and the header. You are now ready to cut out the sole plate. Be careful not to damage the flooring beneath it. It should equal the width of the door’s rough opening. After the sole plate is cut, pry it away from the flooring.

Finishing the closet

Install wall coverings that match the room. If you use gypsum wallboard, tape the ridges between the old and new wallboard. Use metal corner bead to guard any outside corners.

Now you are ready to hang the doors. Tracks fastened to the bottom of the head jam are used to move bifold doors. Pivots that turn are located in the top and bottom brackets, and there is a center guide located at the top that runs in the track. Sliding doors move on rollers located inside metal tracks and have floor guides below that keep the doors aligned. There are pre-made tracks that can be purchased that match standard 1 3/8 inch interior doors. You can hide the track using a trim strip. The necessary hardware is included with most doors.

Use pole sockets to put in a closet rod. Screw one socket in place on the wall. Install the rod and check to see that it is level before you fasten the other socket to the wall. If you have a very long closet rod, you will need to fasten a hook near the middle of the rod for support.