Built-in closet shelving the easy way (step by step tutorial)

Installing built-in closet shelving is an easy project that will make a big difference to your home.

However, I’ve seen many DIY closet tutorials out there, and most of them are building closet systems that are way too complicated or expensive. A well-organized and functional closet doesn’t need fancy racks or drawers. That stuff is expensive, complicated, and often breaks down the road.

Simply having the right layout with lots of rack space and some well-placed shelving is all most people need to get the best use of their closet. So that’s what I’m going to focus on in this tutorial.

Here’s how to build your custom closet the easy way – that also happens to be highly functional, low-cost, and great looking.

Tools required

• Circular saw
• Miter saw
• Tape measure
• Clamps (x2)
• Table saw (not required but will speed up the cutting process)
• Pencil
• Stud finder
• 4′ level or longer
• 2′ level
• 4″ Paint Roller
• Paintbrush
• Caulking gun
• Brad nailer or power drill (Brad nailer is faster)
• Respirator
• Multi-tool (optional)
• Square

Required Materials

• 3/4 inch thick MDF (comes in 4’x8′ sheets)
• 2-inch long brad nails or wood screws
• 180 or 220 grit sandpaper (doesn’t matter which)
• Oil-based primer (can substitute water-based)
• Water-based paint
• Caulking

Step #1 – Cut the shelves and shelf supports

Once you’ve planned your closet (which I talk about below), the first step is to get some 3/4″ MDF sheets and cut them down into shelves. The depth of those shelves is going to depend on your closet, but I recommend staying between 12″ and 16″.

The fastest way to cut the MDF is to use a table saw, but not everybody has one of those. Another good option is to use a circular saw and a straight edge.

To get straight cuts with your circular saw, use a straight edge (which needs to be at least 8′ long) or another straight piece of wood. Then clamp that to the table to use as a guide as you cut with the circular saw. The video above demonstrates this much better than I could explain.

You’ll want to cut shelves and shelf supports. You’ll also want to cut out any vertical dividers you may be building into your closet. The best way to do this efficiently is to plan and draw out your closet before making any cuts and then create a detailed cut list that tells you exactly what to cut.

Start by cutting the biggest pieces first (such as long shelves), and then use what you have leftover to cut the smaller pieces like shelf supports.

Step #2 – Sand the shelves

Since MDF is smooth and consistent, you only need to sand corners that you’d like to round off. I usually sand the front edge of the shelves on both the top and the bottom, so there are no sharp corners on the shelves. Sharp corners are more likely to chip and get damaged with use, so rounding the corners makes the shelves a bit more durable. Plus, it just looks better.

To sand the shelves, use 180 or 220 grit sandpaper. It doesn’t really matter what grit you use since you are just doing a quick pass on the edges of the shelves to take off the corner.

Step #3 – Paint the shelves

The fastest method for painting the shelves is installing the shelves first and then using a paint sprayer to paint them after installation. However, there are two downsides to this approach. First, it requires you have the appropriate paint sprayer. Second, the more you paint inside, the more fumes you and your family have to breathe in.

So, if you opt to paint the shelves by hand (like I did in the video above), now is the time to do that.

The best way to paint MDF is to use one coat of oil-based primer and then two coats of paint. It’s important to use an oil-based primer because the moisture in the water-based primer will cause the MDF fibers to rise and create a rough surface. Once you “seal” the surface of the MDF with a coat of oil-based primer, it’s OK to use water-based paint to finish it.

Also, if you don’t like working with oil-based paints (like me), you can use a water-based primer as well. You’ll need to lightly sand the surface of the MDF between coats of primer and paint to knock off the fibers that raise due to moisture getting into the MDF.

Step #4 – Prepare for built-in shelf installation

While the paint is drying on the shelves, now is a good time to get ready to install your closet shelves.

First, patch any holes in the wall that you may have from removing the old shelves. If you want to paint the closet walls, this is a good time to do that.

Once the walls are ready for shelves, take a 4′ level and draw horizontal lines where you want to put your shelves. You will use these lines as a guide while installing the shelves.

Next, take a stud finder and locate each stud location where you will be mounting your shelves. This is important because you want to be nailing or screwing into solid studs while mounting your shelves. So, find the center of each stud, then take your 4′ level and use it to draw vertical lines that cross the horizontal lines you drew earlier. This will indicate where to put the screws or nails for each stud.

If you have any vertical dividers of MDF to install, make sure to mark where those will be located as well.

For more details on how to locate studs, read this article on mounting a TV.

Step #5 – Nail or screw the shelf supports to the walls

Now that you know exactly where to put the shelves and the location of the studs, it’s now as simple as nailing the shelf supports that you cut earlier to the wall while using the horizontal lines you drew earlier as a guide. You’ll also want to install any vertical boards (used as separators) at this point as well.

If you’re using a brad nailer, nail two or three 2″ long brad nails per stud location to secure the shelf supports to the wall. If you’re using screws, use a single 2″ long screw per stud location.

The supports should run the entire length of the shelves and also support the sides of the shelves. If your shelves are longer than 36″, or if they don’t butt up against a wall or vertical board, then you’ll need to install shelf brackets as well to hold up the shelves. I recommend watching the video above to get a better idea of what I mean.

Step #6 – Hang the closet shelves

Now that you have the supports secured to the wall, now it’s just a matter of grabbing the pre-cut shelves and placing them on the supports. If you did a good job measuring, this will go quickly. But most likely, you’ll have to make a few small cuts to get everything fitting just right. Use a circular saw to make those small adjustments.

Once everything fits nicely, grab your brad nailer and tack the backs of the shelves down to the shelf supports, using one nail or screw every ten to twelve inches. All this is doing is holding the shelf in place so it doesn’t get pulled off.

If you want, you can call the project finished right here. But if you want your installation to look just a bit better, continue to the next step.

Step #7 – Caulk and paint the shelves (optional)

Take a caulking gun and some cheap caulking and caulk every gap and nail hole. Everywhere one board meets another or where a board meets the wall. Run your finger along each area you caulk (while wearing gloves, of course) to create a smooth caulked corner.

Once the caulking dries, go back and paint over the caulking. And that’s it!

Now you get to enjoy the extra storage and convenience of a neatly designed closet!

Tips for planning and designing your custom built-in closet shelving

The design of your closet will make a big difference in how functional your closet ends up being. Obviously, the last thing you want to do is go through all of this labor, only to regret where you put things. So here, I’ll talk about how to design your custom closet, so it fits your needs.

Tip #1 – Figure out how much rack space you need, then install shelving everywhere else.

Most closets will need some rack space to hang clothes in. So, before planning your closet, figure out how many linear feet of rack space you need or want. This will give you a good starting point to design the rest of your closet.

Stacking multiple levels of rack space tends to be the most efficient use of space but may not work for shorter people who can’t reach the top rack.

If you stack your rack space, make sure you can still hang your longer garments without them dragging on the floor or messing with your rack space below.

Once you figure out how much rack space you need, your next goal is to fit as much shelving and storage as possible with the remaining space.

Tip #2 – Leave space for larger items such as laundry hampers and shoe racks.

Not everything will fit neatly on a 12″ shelf, so it’s important to really think through what you will be storing. I recommend going into your existing closet and just sitting in there for a minute while evaluating everything. Ten or fifteen minutes just thinking and visualizing can make a huge difference to the usability of the final product.

It’s often best to leave some extra space between the floor and the bottom shelf on any wall for bigger items.

Tip #3 – Draw a diagram of your closet

To effectively design anything complicated, it’s always best to do it on paper first. If you have some software to design your closet with, great. But if not, a few pieces of paper, a straight edge, and a pencil will work just fine.

To create a diagram that is to scale, I recommend the following scale: 1inch:1mm. So, measure the walls and write down your measurements in inches. Then, while drawing your diagram, pretend that one inch = one millimeter. That means that an 8′ tall closet (which is 96″) will only be about 4 inches on your drawing (96mm) – the perfect size for a 11×8.5 piece of paper.

Tip #4 – Create a detailed cut list

Before going out to buy materials, you’ll want to figure out how much MDF you will need. The best way to do that is to create a detailed cut list from the diagram you drew so you know the size and quantity of MDF pieces.

To figure out how much MDF you need, calculate the total area of MDF for each piece on your cut list. The calculate the area, just multiple the height by the width. So a shelve that is 12″ deep and 60″ long would have an area of 12×60 = 720 square inches. You can then divide the number you get in square inches by 144 to get square feet, so 720 square inches = 5 square feet (720/144=5). A 4’x8′ sheet of MDF is 32 square feet. Calculating the area will give you a rough idea of how many sheets of MDF to buy, but it is not an exact science. How many sheets you need will also depend on how long your shelves are and how efficiently you cut them out of the MDF.

Key dimensions when designing your built-in closet shelves

You can build your closet however you want. That’s the benefit of a custom closet, after all. However, here are a few dimensions that will help you get started.

Here are the dimensions I used for this project. As you can see, I left a little more room on the bottom rack for taller garments.

Here are the dimensions for mounting the closet rods below.

Here’s a picture of a kid’s closet with 15″ deep shelving. However, the top shelf is only 9″ deep to allow room to squeeze stuff up there. 15″ deep shelves are great for most bins and larger items.

Comments and Questions

Have a question or want to share a tip for others about built-in closet shelving? Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you.