shelf-building 101
Last time on "Words in My Life", we left you with lingering thoughts of shelves in closets... and how they come to be built by a lady who doesn't really know what she's doing. What better way to figure it out, though, right?
The problem: awkwardly-shaped under-stairs closet, full of stuff packed into an ill-fitting, too-small bookshelf. Also, hyper-hyphenation of somewhat-descriptive words.
The solution: shelves. Deep shelves, built in the back of the closet where the floor-to-ceiling height is a cozy 55 inches.
In the front of this closet is a hanging rod that works nicely for our coats and jackets. Hooks on the side walls hold things like backpacks, umbrellas, my yoga mat, and kittens. Not really, I was just testing to see if you were paying attention. The kids' backpacks rarely get hung in the right spot. The closet is also home to hats, gloves, a guitar, some tennis rackets, kites, craft supplies, LOTS of games, the kids' science kits, and all of the other miscellaneous things that we don't know where to put. It's kind of a catch-all. The too-small bookshelf that was in there really did not serve the space well, and I decided to whisk it away to a place where it will be put to good use.
Badly-shot photographic evidence:
before: empty
during... one shelf in!
progress... two shelves
finished and full o' stuff
I actually bought plywood that wasn't quite thick enough, considering the width of the shelf. It wanted to sag... but a 1x2 glued and screwed to the underside of the front edge makes it strong and stable. We happened to have some wood leftover from a previous project that worked perfectly for the brackets along the sides and back when secured to the drywall with heavy-duty anchors (oddly enough, I think the most expensive part of this project was the multi-pack of drywall anchors). After some quick sanding and a coat of paint (leftover from the kitchen re-do in the old house!), the shelves were ready to load up with STUFF. Despite a thorough purging once all of the closet contents were removed, there was still a lot left! At least it's more organized and easier to access now.
Final Verdict: Are the shelves perfect? NO. Do they provide functional storage? Oh, yes. Definitely. Success!
Stay tuned, kids. Same bat-time, same bat-channel. Next time: ponderings on whether or not it's really a good idea to cut one's own hair on a whim.
originally posted at pixellaneous.com
The problem: awkwardly-shaped under-stairs closet, full of stuff packed into an ill-fitting, too-small bookshelf. Also, hyper-hyphenation of somewhat-descriptive words.
The solution: shelves. Deep shelves, built in the back of the closet where the floor-to-ceiling height is a cozy 55 inches.
In the front of this closet is a hanging rod that works nicely for our coats and jackets. Hooks on the side walls hold things like backpacks, umbrellas, my yoga mat, and kittens. Not really, I was just testing to see if you were paying attention. The kids' backpacks rarely get hung in the right spot. The closet is also home to hats, gloves, a guitar, some tennis rackets, kites, craft supplies, LOTS of games, the kids' science kits, and all of the other miscellaneous things that we don't know where to put. It's kind of a catch-all. The too-small bookshelf that was in there really did not serve the space well, and I decided to whisk it away to a place where it will be put to good use.
Badly-shot photographic evidence:
before: empty
during... one shelf in!
progress... two shelves
finished and full o' stuff
I actually bought plywood that wasn't quite thick enough, considering the width of the shelf. It wanted to sag... but a 1x2 glued and screwed to the underside of the front edge makes it strong and stable. We happened to have some wood leftover from a previous project that worked perfectly for the brackets along the sides and back when secured to the drywall with heavy-duty anchors (oddly enough, I think the most expensive part of this project was the multi-pack of drywall anchors). After some quick sanding and a coat of paint (leftover from the kitchen re-do in the old house!), the shelves were ready to load up with STUFF. Despite a thorough purging once all of the closet contents were removed, there was still a lot left! At least it's more organized and easier to access now.
Final Verdict: Are the shelves perfect? NO. Do they provide functional storage? Oh, yes. Definitely. Success!
Stay tuned, kids. Same bat-time, same bat-channel. Next time: ponderings on whether or not it's really a good idea to cut one's own hair on a whim.
originally posted at pixellaneous.com