Closet Built-in Shelves Installation--For Under $100!

[@MrJohnnyboyrebel]

This is a wonderful storage idea! In my experience, when shooting brad nails, they will tend to wander to the left or right as they encounter wood grain, so to avoid “shiners” exiting the plywood supports, I hold the nail gun so that deflecting brads will remain inside the supports.

[@edover50]

Extremely well done video thank you. The voice over and instructions are very clear and precise. Always looking forward to your next one.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you Ed! These voiceovers have made everything much smoother. I’ve never known much about tech stuff, but I’m learning every day 😅

[@chrisjenkins688]

This is a great channel. I've been hooked on Chrisfix and Scotty Kilmer channel for a few years and have been doing a ton of DIY auto work. Over the past few weeks, I've been doing some organization projects in the garage and in the process found you. Now I've got hours of homework ahead of me and you have inspired me to tackle a few inside projects that had seemed really intimidating. Thanks for the great content!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you, Chris! I’m really glad this stuff is helpful. Good luck with the projects, and work safe!

[@chrisharris5244]

Thanks for this! I was preparing to start my first closet project in my home and I was definitely going to do more work and spend more money than I needed to. I really appreciate all of these videos.

[@hiker64]

This couldn't be more clear and methodical. Plenty of confidence now to fill in my closet with some new shelving. Thanks again!

[@philk9357]

Yep, nicely filmed and explained. Simple but thorough. I can replicate what you’ve made from watching. Well done. Thank you.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

You’re welcome, Philip! Thanks for watching, and work safe 🙂

[@shashankrao8098]

I just came across this video. But the interesting thing is that just about 3 months ago, I had made 2 sets of closet shelves using EXACTLY this process, including the cleats and the shoes on the vertical members. It was like literally someone was taping my steps, down even to the exact measurements! Freaky how similar our steps were!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

👍😆

[@franciscocruzjr5721]

I use lightweight spackle and an old credit card as a purdy knife. It forces the spackle into the hole and leaves a nice flush finish. Whit a little sanding, the hole is barely visiable.

[@rontorres4018]

Great video. Perfect DIY for home. I must compliment your narration. Simple. No cut aways. Thank you.

[@christophercollins868]

Thanks for the inspiration! Now I have an idea on something to do for the wife for Christmas. Im a novice at best with woodwork and carpentry but that seems pretty straight forward.

[@KP-rh5qz]

I learned something new about a foam roller. Thank you.

[@Patriot4TheTree]

Was kind of surprised you didn't just roll the whole thing again after install. Sometimes, patch painting is a bigger pain in the ass, than just doing the whole thing. They turned out great looking though and nice video. I always like voice over in projects. It saves a lot of ummms and dumb talk. More people should do that.

[@grizzlygrizzle]

I would have just put an extra coat on the tops and front edges of the shelves, where most of the wear occurs, and touched up the rest. They're in a closet. Appearance isn't all that high of a priority.

[@vana2292]

Nice video. I would like to add that the bottom vertical support can be made removable, so that if your client needs to change the carpet in the near future, all they need to do is slide out the bottom vertical support.

[@MrA1b2c3b4]

Thank you so much, just what I am looking for

[@JoRocket77]

Well done, sir. I love carpentry. My dad was a "super" (superintendent) in NYC when I was a kid. I am a Banker that wants to develop my carpentry skills.

[@solidstatenasty]

oh, my goodness! look at baby Ethan doing a project video from three years back! Those sheet good prices made me chuckle a little bit, $55 for a 3/4" 4x8 sande, I miss those days. Your videos have come a long way since this one.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks Mike! 😆 No kidding-this was pre knee surgery and pre $100 sheet lumber!

[@johnraeder4635]

Hey, great show. I assume you were doing this as inexpensive as possible, but I think I might have cut those shelves in a U shape, added cleats to the front wall, and just given the added couple square feel of shelf space. This would also hide the cleats on the side walls. Really liked the addition of the feet on the center supports.

[@Mr.Meme01]

Good idea, but I also think that eliminates the ability to hide stuff around the corner in between the wall and the shelves which I think is very useful. Anything from vacuums to shotguns, it can be really convenient for tall items

[@Nello353]

You make everything look so easy!

[@samanthamorris8368]

I'm looking to buy my first brad nailer to add to my tool collection. I mostly want it for making built-ins, cabinets & cabinet doors. I have several projects I am wanting to do in the coming months and I highly trust your opinion and how-to videos. I come to your channel anytime I'm looking for ideas or need some directions so I wanted to say thank you for your content and opinions!

[@NivBetsalel]

Shelves in the closet? Happy thought indeed!

[@elipsis6700]

Well said! We must be the only two Jane Austin fans on this channel😊

[@tonywilliamson1474]

Very good explained very well one thing I don’t like is you nail almost everything Tony

[@mortyverto]

Nice clean job , i will be able to get rid of my old brackets in closet and do this :-

[@Cookefan59]

Outstanding! Great video, narration and direction.

[@oldguy1030]

I'm no pro but if I were doing the measurements from a carpeted floor I'd consider using the folding wooden ruler like Lufkin makes. It should be a little easier to get some compression of the carpet. And yup, I like the video. Nicely done.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Good point, Old guy! Thanks 😄

[@markoldendorf5393]

Thanks, This answers the Q, "OK, the wood is in place, what happens next ? "

[@marthaleone584]

Thank u 🙂👍👋; question ⁉️ wen people who have very high ceilings do a upper bed, upper flooring ( not sure wha's called); they'll put an art studio, a craft rm, extra bed etc. Som x's they only use 2post..(?) On an upper flooring shouldn't it have many post in middle?

[@CroHawkM1]

Could this be replicated with screws instead of nails? If yes, would the hole indents from the screws Also be caulked or wood filler filled instead?

[@juha2031]

I hate using measure tape on wall to wall-measuring. I always get the measuring wrong because the tape is bended . Any tips on measuring wall-to wall other than laser?

[@timj5367]

Very cool! Keep the great videos coming.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you Tim!

[@vicl5706]

Nice, you build this with 1 hand.

[@gamewithprez]

Super helpful, thank you so much!

[@OffRoad-jh1do]

You can get 3/4 Birch cabinet grade plywood for $30 per sheet. Home Depot plywood is almost double then if you went to a Cabinet Supply wholesaler. Just a little tip for the viewers.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

ball boy jones Can you order from a cabinet supplier? I’ve only got one in my area, and it’s far away 😕

[@OffRoad-jh1do]

@@TheHonestCarpenter We have several suppliers our area.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

ball boy jones I’m going to go looking for more locally then. Hard to find 3/4 birch for under $50 per sheet in my area. Sandeply is a little better. About $40

[@Kourosmenis]

Fantastic! Hey, how much weight do you think those shelves could hold? I've got three 3D Printers that I would to set up in my closet... Love this build/solution!

[@vonvetur]

Thanks for the video! I'm currently designing something similar, but with more shelves and 2 vertical dividers (closet for clothes). As it's my first project I'm overthinking the best way to do it: 1) long vertical dividers with notches 1.1) long vertical dividers, but leave a gap in the back (to not deal with making notches) 2) long shelves and small vertical dividers + notches (just like you did) 3) build everything with pocket screws/dowels and then just attach to walls Any tips how to make these choices and stop overthinking? Thanks!

[@KP-rh5qz]

Thank you for these videos.

[@WisdomInTheWoods]

That looks clean bro

[@deetee1763]

Every time he says “Shelves Themselves”, drink!

[@DanielKE7UUM]

Triple the price of wood to, do this today !!

[@PeterB_California]

Great job as usual

[@mikeperry5598]

If I may ask, how much did you charge for these custom closet shelves?

[@Rlprime]

Thanks for the tutorial. It takes a lot of effort to do these video and I appreciate it. I'm curious, was it just client preference or is there a disadvantage to make full depth shelves? I noticed your cleat extends fully. Might as well utilize it?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thank you, iluvmysh! You're right, there's still a good amount of space to utilize here, and making the shelves deeper is definitely an option. My client requested them at this depth, which is request a get quite a lot because it makes the closet rod and especially upper shelf a little more accessible without having to reach really far. :)

Nice video, thank you!

[@husseinhashim1973]

Good job brother. Please keep going…. Peace

[@fmandds]

I'll preface this with my knowledge of carpentry is next to nothing, but I'm surprised to see it is just brad nails on the whole project. What is the estimated weight limit of that fastener? Would using a screw increase the weight limit?

[@rubatoguy]

Why don't you cut the carpet and padding where the center support will be and have it rest on the subfloor? What happens if they ever replace the carpet?

[@OffRoad-jh1do]

I roll the cleats also even fast then a brush.

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

ball boy jones Do you stack them together? Does it produce drips? I always seem to get drips when I roll narrow things

[@OffRoad-jh1do]

@@TheHonestCarpenter I roll the edges to clean up the drips and it seals the edges at the same time.

[@LUISCARLOS-vl9kr]

Great video. What kind of wood is used?

[@jakef259]

Hey, thanks for the great video. Suggestions if you’re doing this in a basement closet with cement flooring instead of subfloor? Instead of shooting brads into the floor to hold dividers. Thanks in advance!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Thanks Jake! Honestly, I would just let the weight pin the lower leg down. Or, you could add perpendicular triangular gusset pieces, hidden at the back, to stabilize the bottom leg.

[@geoffiida3315]

Use a wood-to-cement adhesive along the bottom of the divider. Install the divider first (plumb and square; don’t cut out a notch at the top of the divider). Then, install the back-wall cleat as two separate pieces, one on each side of the top of the divider where it meets the back wall to add left-right stability. Then, install the lower shelf on top of the divider and cleats. (I’m no pro; do you guys see any issues with this suggestion?)

[@grizzlygrizzle]

@@geoffiida3315 -- The only problem I see is having the inner ends of the back-wall cleats without a stud behind them for nailing. You could position the divider to butt up to the wall so it's centered on a stud, or you could just angle-nail the ends of the cleats into the divider. It's not all that critical, since the divider is weight-bearing, and besides, it's not like a residential closet shelf is likely to be used for storing heavy stuff like automotive parts or gold bars.

[@lamartya.4042]

Wondering if there was s reason did not make the shelving as wide as the available space from back wall to just behind the closet opening? To give more shelving space.

[@kellym3610]

Makes it a farther reach to the closet rod and top shelf as you are forced to stand further back.

[@cherylspringtime]

Are you saying "sand apply"?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

“Sandeply” Cheryl. It’s an affordable type of high grade plywood at Home Depot.

[@cherylspringtime]

@@TheHonestCarpenter Thanks!!!!

[@winstonian88]

You don’t recommend filling the crack between the top of the face frame and shelf with spackle?

[@dangriffin8135]

This could work for you

[@MihaZ]

I miss those wood prices lol

[@jasonlam8945]

how long are our 18G nails? Wouldn't you want to use screws for more weight like climbing kids?

[@johnly7688]

I’m surprised the 18g will hold up. I thought at minimum you’d use is 16 or 15 if no screws

[@seandodd6777]

Nice work. The painting allows you to really clean it all up. Can I ask what you would have done if the client wanted a natural finish in a light colored wood? Rather than brads would you use screws in counterbores (at least where brads would be too visible)? When you do work with light woods, what is your preferred finish for shelving?

[@kellym3610]

Since he hasn’t answered I will attempt to. You have several options. I would avoid brads. If you feel you must shoot it on you can use a 23 gauge pin nailer instead. This will leave much smaller holes while still holding your face frame in place until your glue dries. Once the glue is dried the nails aren’t doing much anyways. Second option is to glue and clamp the face piece to the shelf before installing the shelf in the closet. To make this easier you can use biscuits to help with alignment. This method requires no nails and looks the best. But it would be a bit harder. Truthfully , installing the face frame would not be the hard part if you were doing these out of wood panels. The hard part would be hiding all the gaps he had when meeting the wall. Calk would not look very good in this situation so instead you would be forced to scribe all your pieces in. Hope this helps.

[@seandodd6777]

@@kellym3610 Thanks, Kelly. I’ve not worked with biscuits so will take a look into that.

[@KBQuick81]

Nice!

[@thefrankperspective4247]

Now adjust for 2022 inflation lol (great job btw)

[@tallswede80]

but, shouldn't you remove the carpet?

[@joejr9653]

Not sure if I missed it in video. How long did it take to complete?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

@Joe Jr filming always slows me down a bit, but I think anybody with the tools could knock this same project out in 4-6 hours 🙂

[@SKraus-pb1ii]

thanks!

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

You’re welcome, S. Kraus! 🙂

[@andrear7886]

This was helpful! Do you think a 55” shelf with a 16” depth would need a center support or would cleats running along the back and sides be sufficient? Are brad nails equal to screws in terms of strength?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

I would throw in one center support, Andrea! Also, brads PLUS glue will give you strength close to a screw 🙂

[@andrear7886]

Thanks for your help!

[@richieruss5742]

how long did this take from start to finish?

[@markGibby]

Would the nails hold the shelf up if I were to make a shelf for holding caned goods, or would screws be better?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

Screws are always stronger mark. But it’s really the wall cleats and supports that hold these things up!

[@johnzenger7880]

What’s the reasoning behind not having your saw blade that high? It cuts correctly so why worry?

[@johnly7688]

Safety issue. Less exposed blade,less risk

[@ReaperXC]

Is your sanded ply AC graded and what species is it?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

I can’t exactly remember, reaper. This might be sandeply, but any AC will work. I often use radiata pine sheets.

[@ReaperXC]

@@TheHonestCarpenter thanks mate.

[@bermudezeg]

Does anyone just throw away the brush after they paint.

[@travcurt]

You can scrap the excess off then wash them clean before the paint dries.

[@uup116]

Most paint is water based today...buy a good brush and it will last you 10 years with weekly use and decent care.

[@grn9209]

15 1/2 in closet boards, can I use MDF?

[@TheHonestCarpenter]

I'd say that's fine, grn. I'm usually more worried about the span than the depth. That's about a 16" deep shelf. As long as it's not spanned much more than a couple feet, the deeper shelf shouldn't make too much of a difference. I would put a cleat at the back (beneath the shelf) if possible, and possibly run a 1x2 screen trim across the front to stiffen it up. For longer spans I would try to work in a center support

[@kbenk108]

nice, but it would be nice to not have those thin pieces of trim in the middle of the shelf. It means you can't place items flush with the center wall of the shelf - like if you were to use it as a book shelf for example

[@ryanalexander984]

2:15 I didn’t know a tape measure could hold its structure like that.

[@carlospacheco7361]

Under a $100 in 2019 Under $2,000 in 2021

[@travcurt]

Yeah, exactly. >_< Rip all these budget builds and forget about anything beyond "budget". =(

[@uup116]

What happened...? It's almost as if an idiot was elected to run the country.

[@george5120]

It costs a lot more than $100. You've got to own all those carpentry tools and a workbench, in addition to the wood, and those are costly.

[@anthonyphung6717]

The wide prose accordingly lock because raft immunohistologically kneel against a capricious sparrow. threatening, maniacal rooster