Back on track! After a few weeks of travel, holiday time, and overall exhaustion, I finally got back on the project train. First stop, nursery closet. I ripped all the stuff down from inside the closet months ago thinking I would have it completed in no time. Shocker… it wasn’t.
Our original closet wasn’t going to make the cut. It didn’t have enough storage space or curb appeal for a nursery. First thing I did was remove the doors. In fact, I did that before I even took any pictures. So, the before photo isn’t accurate, but there was no way I was putting 18 screws back in just for a picture.
Instead, I took some pictures of the doors after they were removed. Use your imagination.
My next step was to tear down the existing shelving in the closet. Luckily it was only one shelf. Unfortunately, it was much harder to remove than I’d anticipated. That thing was in there pretty good. I probably could’ve hung from it and done pull ups.
I ended up having to use a number of tools to get the hardware out. Hardest of all were the clips that were hammered into the wall. I had to use pliers to pry them out and I took quite a bit of drywall with me. I’m sure there’s an easier method, but I don’t know it.
After I had everything removed, and all that remained were giant holes in my drywall, I filled them. I used some lightweight spackle to fill the gaps. Then I let them dry and sanded them down.
Once the holes were filled, I felt a little better. I decided to paint the inside of the closet white. The same color as the trim so I didn’t even bother with too much painter’s tape. The trim needed touching up anyway. I covered the carpet with a drop cloth.
Once the paint dried, I assembled the inside of the closet. I purchased two pieces of furniture for storage. One was a dresser and the other was a cube organizer.
The cube organizer required assembly, but the dresser did not. I sized them up in the closet to make sure my measurements were correct. Once I knew their exact placement, I did some additional measurements for shelves and hanging racks. The idea was to stack the cube organizer on top of the dresser and put one shelf in between them and one on top of them. Then I would attach hanging rods below the shelves for the clothing.
Once I had my measurements, I went to the hardware store for the rest of my supplies.
Additional Supplies:
2 White Composite Boards (Shelves)
2 Wooden Circular Rods (Closet Poles)
8 Closet Pole Sockets (4 Sets of 2)
Obviously, with a closet project, measurements are going to be different for everyone, so I won’t bore you with mine.
First, I installed the dresser. I cut a piece of scrap wood out to secure to the back of the dresser so it would be even with the trim at the bottom of the closet. I don’t have a picture of this step, but I hope it’s self-explanatory. I didn’t want the dresser to wobble and I didn’t want to cut out a piece of the trim at the bottom either. So I secured that scrap wood to the wall, then secured the dresser to it.
Then I cut the white boards down to size. I wanted them to stretch all the way across the length of the closet and settle on top of my two pieces of furniture.
I used a jig saw to cut them.
It isn’t the most accurate tool for the job, but it was the safest and easiest to use as a very pregnant woman.
Once I had them cut, I installed one on top of the dresser. Then I placed the cube organizer on top of that. Finally, I added the top shelf above the cube organizer. The end result was shelves that were supported in the middle.
In order to further secure the shelves, I cut out some pieces of wood and screwed them into the corners of the closet under the shelves. This step is important. It keeps the shelves from bending.
Once I added some screws to the mix and secured everything in place, I added the closet rods. I installed the pole sockets first. I used the wood in the corners of the closet, under the shelves, to drill the sockets into the walls. As for the inside, I drilled the sockets directly into the dresser and cube organizer. I left enough room below the shelves to add and remove hangers from the rods.
I forgot to include a picture of the socket installation, but you can see the placement of the rods in the big picture.
And that’s it! I screwed the knobs onto the dresser and started hanging all the adorable baby clothes. It was very satisfying to have a place to put everything. I cleared up the nursery floor in no time and felt a huge sense of accomplishment.
I added some curtains and made a valance for the outside of the closet as well. Love!
Other Nursery Posts:
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