How to Build a Closet

In this segment of HouseCalls we found Ron Hazelton on the road in Chappaqua, New York. Here he met Yuki Saegusa who moved with her family into their new home in the early summer. As the weather began to get colder, and coats began to get bigger, Yuki realized that they were rapidly running out of closet space.

Click Here For a list of what you will need in order to complete this project.

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Yuki and Ron found a logical location where three walls were already in the perfect place. All that needed to be done was to put up a short wall in the front and attach some doors. The Saegusa family would then have the additional closet space they needed.

1. Remove carpet in closet:

• Begin by measuring the area needed for the closet and then transfer that measurement to the floor.
• Once the depth of the closet has been measured on both sides, lay a piece of masking tape between the lines, stretch a chalk line over it, snap it and then use the utility knife and a straight edge to cut through the carpet.

• Pull up the carpet and remove the molding. Once the baseboards are off you are ready to build the new walls.

2. Install bottom and top plates:

• Begin by installing a bottom plate. In Yuki's case this piece of 2 x 4 had to be attached onto concrete, which meant they had to drill holes into the concrete with a masonry bit.

• Drill a clearance hole through the wood block or bottom plate. This will also start the hole in the concrete. To prevent drilling too deeply, hold the lag shield up against the masonry bit and then wrap a piece of black tape around the drill bit at that depth. When the bottom edge of the tape reaches the concrete, stop drilling.

• With a hammer, tap the lag shield into the hole in the concrete. · Slip a lag screw through the 2 x 4 and into the lag shield and snug it tight with a socket wrench.
• Attach top plate, also a piece of 2 X 4, on the ceiling by screwing it into the header with #10 x 3" dry wall screws.
• Repeat the above steps on the opposite side of the new closet.

3. Wall studs:

• Measure the distance between the top and bottom plates, then cut the first wall stud.
• Slide the wall stud up against the existing wall between the top and bottom plates. Use a drill to counter sink a pilot hole and attach the wall studs with a couple of dry wall screws.

• Do the same thing with a second wall stud only this time you will attach it to the top and bottom plates instead of to the existing wall. For rigidity, add a small piece of 2 x 4 to the center of the new wall and attach this with screws as well.
• Repeat the above steps on the opposite side of the new closet.

4. Measure, cut and install wallboard:

• With the framing in place, it's time to measure for the wallboard.
• To cut wallboard, simply draw your dimensions on one side with a pencil. Using a straight edge and a very sharp utility knife, score along that line and then turn the board over. Fold it back along the score you just made then use the utility knife again, to cut along the fold. The wallboard piece should now easily snap off.

• Secure the wallboard with #8 X 1 5/8" dry wall screws, making sure the heads are below the surface, but not tearing through the paper.
• Repeat the above steps on the opposite side of the new closet.

5. Measure, cut and install door jamb:

• Using a level, check to be sure that the sides of your new structure are plumb and vertical and that the top is level. In Yuki's case the top was not level but rather low on one end. If something is not level and plumb, you will have to take this into consideration when you install the new doorjambs.
• Measure the distance between the two wall studs then cut a piece of doorjamb material.
• If necessary, insert shims above the doorjamb to level it. With two shims, one inserted from each side of the doorjamb, you will be able to adjust the slope of the jamb until it is level. Using a nail gun and 8-penny finish nails, install the top piece of the doorjamb to trim out this opening.
• If you needed to use the shims, score them with a utility knife, and snap them off.
• After the top jamb has been installed, measure and cut the pieces for the jamb on either side.

6. Measure, cut and install doorstop:

• Measure the new closet door thickness and then transfer that measurement to the jamb using a combination square. This is how you will know where to position the doorstop, which is a piece of molding that keeps the door from swinging into the closet. Install the doorstop with 6-penny finish nails.

7. Finish wall joints:

• Seal the joints between the old wall and the new wall using self-stick perforated joint tape. Press the tape into the corners, then use a putty knife to apply joint compound, which is a spackle-like material that when dry can be sanded smooth. Push the compound into the holes creating a seamless surface.
• To conceal the gap between the edge of the wallboard and the doorjamb, cut a special piece of molding called door casing. These moldings have to be cut with an angled miter cut. Before the casing is cut to length, measure the position about 1/8 inch to the edge of the jamb. Then cut the casing and nail it in place using a pneumatic nail gun and 6-penny finish nails.

8. Install new doors:

• Ron chose to hang the new doors using non-mortise hinges because they are much easier to install. · Measure down about seven inches from the top of the door and lay the first hinge on the edge of the door. Ron recommends using a self-centering drill bit, which makes it easier to find the exact center of the hole you are drilling into. After drilling pilot holes, drive in screws to secure the hinge in place. Position the second hinge about seven inches up from the bottom.
• Once the hinges are on the doors, you simply need to hold the doors in position and screw the hinges into the jamb.

9. Finishing touches:

• Apply spackling compound to nail holes in the molding using your finger.
• After allowing the joint compound and spackle to dry overnight, give it a light sanding, then prime and paint everything.
• Add some nice knobs or pulls to your door, and your closet conversion is complete.

RESULTS:

After using just about every power tool in his mobile shop, Ron and Yuki transformed this empty space into a really terrific closet in just one day! Now her family is ready for the cold months of winter. No matter how thick their winter coats are, they now have a place to hang them out of the way!