I decided this weekend to tackle a project I've been putting off...the redo of a 35" x 24" coat closet in my kitchen/breakfast room. The previous owner of my home had a shell niche installed in the foyer/entry (Click to visit entry), where others houses in my neighborhood frequently have a coat closet. Then they took a corner in the kitchen and installed the closet there. I've never used it for coats. Instead, it had become a storage area for all the cushions for my deck furniture. Here's a before pic...note the scuffed up walls from 25 years of wear and tear. This closet was just not working well for my needs.
Yesterday I cleared everything out, drove over to Lowe's and purchased huge wood shelves that they cut down to the size I requested. I also purchased some lumber and they cut it to the size we mutually decided I would need for the supports. I'm not sure how most closet shelving is done these days, but I just decided to copy the way the supports had been done in my other closets. I didn't want to use the wire shelving that is so readily available at Home Depot and Lowe's, because I wanted to take advantage of the full depth of the closet. The wire shelves at Lowe's and HD weren't very deep.
Here's the closet all cleaned out and ready for its redo. Note the stained trim At one time, all the doors and trim in my kitchen was stained. Long ago we had it all painted for a lighter, brighter look, all except for the closet. Time to fix that.
In this pic, I had just finished priming the existing shelf and baseboard with a stain-blocking primer and had finished "cutting in" with the yellow wall paint. I considered using the hanging rod for tablecloths, a la Bunny William's pantry in the book An Affair with a House, but ultimately I decided I didn't want to use the space that way.
Next, I painted the walls the same yellow as the kitchen walls: Duron Sugar Cookie. You'll find the formula for Sugar Cookie in THIS post. I painted the existing shelf and baseboard, white...to match the trim in the kitchen.
I wasn't able to use the supports Lowes had cut for me because once I started tapping along the walls, I realized there were no studs anywhere except at the far corners. So all the supports were about an inch too short. Waaaaa!
It was time to face the big, heavy, power saw that lives in my basement. Yikes! It is unbelievably loud and a little bit scary. Think of Kevin in the movie, Home Alone, when he goes downstairs to the basement and has to face their furnace. That's how I feel when I use that saw! (Pssst: You can take a tour of the house in the movie Home Alone, HERE.)
I cut all new supports using a piece of lumber left over from the screened-in porch addition. Here they are, all ready to be installed.
I had originally planned on using my drill to install the supports, with these long screws the Lowe's guy recommended. But, because I could only locate studs in the corners of the closet, I didn't think I could get the fat drill close enough up against the wall to use it. I probably could have angled them in, but I decided to just use good old nails....sure wish I had a nail gun! :-)
After LOTS of measuring, mathematics, agonizing and more measuring...here are the supports which were installed and freshly painted just this morning. Update: A few weeks later, when my handyman was by to give me an estimate for some work, I asked him to check for studs. He was able to find them and added some additional screws, although he kept telling me the shelves were just fine, as installed. I still felt better knowing there were some screws down into the studs, too.
I had primed and painted the shelving yesterday, so today I just did a little light sanding along the rough edges and placed them onto the supports.
After pressing down hard on the shelves to sort of test them out, it was with great fear and trepidation I began putting china onto the shelves. I didn't hear any creaking or groaning, all went well. I discovered I could store my spring wreath hanging on the inside of the door when not in use on the porch. Gotta find that storage where ever you can!
Here's where the 8 cushions and 2 pillows ended up...stacked on the top shelf, all the way up to the ceiling.
And here are the 3 shelves I added...all loaded down with goodies. These china sets and serving pieces had been stored in hard to reach cabinets and in my food pantry...much better having it all together here and easily accessible.
I started the lower shelf up just high enough to store some of the tall candle holders I sometimes use in tablescapes.
So, we went from this...
To this. Ahhh, much better!
And this? Well, that's the big glass of Merlot I poured my aching self once the last dish had been placed inside the new china closet.
Thanks so much for taking time to view my weekend's work! Let's go see what everyone else has been working on...lots of wonderful "Before and Afters" await!
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