Juno come tell me about your closet!

[FoxInFiji]

OMG I didn't know you were building your own closet system?! Did you make it completely from scratch or was there something there before? Are you staining it or painting it? What kind of wood is that? So there will be doors on the top? Spill it and please give me all the details.

[wawa]

Yes, spill!

[emjacobs]

Sits and waits for story time.

[theycallmeliz]

Joins the group for story time!

[housegeek]

Ooh I want to know too!!

[Deleted]

Hi fox, it's from scratch. I've AWed it before, surprised you didn't see it I posted when DH finished dovetailing all the drawers (he's obsessive).

The new MB was part of the remodel, so we just had the GC leave the closet open since we wanted to attack it ourselves. We installed the cedar plywood and then just started building. We had practice on that bathroom cab.

DH built boxes for the drawers and built all the drawers, so I don't have much to add there. I can tell you he used leftover fir baseboards to make the drawer fronts so they would match everything else. I did screw the hardware on the front I also hung the bar, overhead shelving and built the header, which wasn't up when I took that picture. I used tongue and groove off-the-shelf stuff from HD to snap together the shelving.

We bought and stripped old single-panel interior fir doors and took them apart to cut them down to size for our three closet doors. We planed them down to 1-inch thickness, cut the rails and styles to size, cut down the panel, and reassembled. The first is finished, and we plan to hang it this weekend. I'll PIP when that's done. Once everything is finished it will be trimmed out in fir and stained the same dark color on the other woodwork (combo of walnut and mahogany). The trim from the top of the window will be continuous around the corner and over the closet.

We did have the electrician come in and add LED puck lighting under the lower shelf once I had that in. Once the doors are closed, the ceiling lighting doesn't do much for the stuff on the bar.

Really, I can't take much credit at all, this is DH's baby, and he's completely awesome. I was so dejected when we looked at all the crappy pre-fab stuff compared to our old built-ins; he really came through for me!

[FoxInFiji]

Sounds awesome! Any additional in the process pics you can post as well? Did you DH have a dovetail rig? I love that you repurposed old doors and trim for this project! So smart. Sounds like the extra lighting is the way to go. I'm planning to do some of that too.

We're hoping to make a built in closet system with drawers in our walk-in closet as well. I think we'll have a lot to learn but luckily we know a lot of cabinet makers and carpenters. I'm torn about using stained wood in the closet (most likely birch stained to look like cherry or birch plywood with cherry face frame and drawer fronts) or painting it white. Only because I worry wood might make the room feel smaller. All four walls will have some type of shelving or hanging so it could close in the room quickly.

Can't wait to see it when it's all finished!

[Deleted]

May 17, 2012 16:20:45 GMT -5 FoxInFiji said:

Sounds awesome! Any additional in the process pics you can post as well? Did you DH have a dovetail rig? I love that you repurposed old doors and trim for this project! So smart. Sounds like the extra lighting is the way to go. I'm planning to do some of that too.

We're hoping to make a built in closet system with drawers in our walk-in closet as well. I think we'll have a lot to learn but luckily we know a lot of cabinet makers and carpenters. I'm torn about using stained wood in the closet (most likely birch stained to look like cherry or birch plywood with cherry face frame and drawer fronts) or painting it white. Only because I worry wood might make the room feel smaller. All four walls will have some type of shelving or hanging so it could close in the room quickly.

Can't wait to see it when it's all finished!

I'll see what other pics I can dig up when I get home. I'm not too organized about (a) taking pics or (b) organizing them in such a way that I can find them again. I really do want to improve on that. Here's TN post about it with a few other pics: community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/61792787.aspx?MsdVisit=1

DH does not have a dovetail jig. He's an insane person and cuts them all by hand, because "that's they way they would have done it." I believe he cut the notches in the side using a saw and chisel, then he marked the notches on the front and used a chisel to make matching grooves for the notches. They are not evenly spaced, and there are only two per drawer side, so they are large, but evidently that's "authentic." I did mention obsessed, right?

He did use plywood and a Kreig jig to make the drawer boxes and used a fir face frame, but I guess he thinks that's OK becuase you'll never see the boxes. We're currently arguing over whether the top of the drawer boxes, under the hanging clothes, will be covered with anything to hide the fact that it's non-matching plywood. I'm in favor of covering, though I don't know with what or exactly how.

I can't wait to see it finished too; it's been in progress for about a year now.

Hm, painting/staining is a toughie inside a closet. In the bedroom I'd definitely want to match the trim, but you're right it could be kind of dreary in there. Any windows in there by any chance? You can always stain and then paint if you don't like it...

[FoxInFiji]

May 17, 2012 16:36:34 GMT -5 @juno said:

DH does not have a dovetail jig. He's an insane person and cuts them all by hand, because "that's they way they would have done it."

I seriously just busted out laughing at this! I mean he's right but most people opt for the modern conveniences because it makes the same exact joint. LOL I can picture Mr.Juno saying this too.

A whole year?! Well you should be excited if you waited that long. It sounds like such a long time but in the same regards we're on month 11 and we finally have a second working bathroom (most of that was demo and broad construction for half of the house but still it's a long time).

DH really wants cherry stain of course and I think I will like the look of it but it's also my dressing room while DH sleeps so I don't want it to feel like a tiny cave. I'm hoping to get better at Sketchup and draw out my plan in 3D to make a better decision on which looks better. DH is a visual person so he would be easier to convince with a model as well.