With general contractor Tom Silva, This Old House television
8 to 10 hours
$400 to $800 for average-size walk-in closet
Difficulty: Moderate
About This Video
In this video, This Old House general contractor Tom Silva and host Kevin O'Connor build a storage system for a walk-in closet.
Steps: 1. Cut the plywood parts to size using a circular saw and clamp-in-place straightedge. 2. Use a clothes iron set to the cotton setting (no steam) to adhere 13/16-inch iron-on veneer onto the plywood edges. 3. Sand the veneer flush with the plywood using a sanding block and 120-grit sandpaper. 4. Use a router fitted with a ¾-inch straight bit to rout rabbets and stopped dadoes in the vertical sides of the cabinets. 5. Cut a small notch, called a haunch cut, in the front corner of the shelves using a jigsaw. 6. Install a counter-balanced, fold-down wardrobe lift to the inside surface of the upper sides. 7. Screw the cabinet parts together using a drill/driver and 2-inch drywall screws. 8. Attach a ½-inch plywood back to the rear of the cabinets using 1 ⅝-inch drywall screws. 9. Screw fixed closet rod hardware to the inside surface of the lower cabinets. 10. Set the assembled cabinets into the closet and fasten them together with 1¼-inch screws and then to the wall studs with 3-inch screws. 11. Mount the horizontal closet rods to the fold-down wardrobe lifts. 12. Install slide-out shoe racks in the lower cabinets, and slide-out pant racks at waist height.
1. ¾-inch birch plywood, for building the cabinet, shelves and dividers 2. 13/16-inch-wide iron-on veneer, for adhering to the edges of the plywood top 3. ½-inch birch plywood, for the cabinet backs 4. Fold-down wardrobe lift, used to make clothes more easily accessible 5. Clothes rod, for hanging clothes 6. Slide-out shoe rack and pants rack, for neatly organizing shoes and pants 7. Assorted drywall screws, for assembling and installing cabinets
Tools You Will Need:
1. Portable circular saw and straightedge guide, used to cut plywood parts to size
2. Router, for cutting rabbets and dadoes
3. Drill/driver, for drilling holes and driving screws
4. Jigsaw, for making haunch cuts in shelves
5. Random-orbit sander, for smoothing wood surfaces
6. Clothes iron, used to adhere iron-on veneer to plywood edges
7. Clamps, used to hold straightedge guide in place during cutting
8. Sanding block and 120-grit sandpaper, for sanding veneer flush