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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.

Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. That means I receive a small commission if you click on them and buy. This is at no additional cost to you and helps me to continue publishing free content.

Tools required

Required Materials

Step #1 – Cut the shelves and shelf supports

Cut mdf shelvesOnce 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

Sand mdf shelvesSince 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

Paint mdf shelvesThe 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

draw horizontal linesWhile 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

Nail shelf supportsNow 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

hang closet shelvesNow 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)

caulk closet shelvesTake 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

Draw closet diagramTo 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. Custom closest shelf dimensions

Here are the dimensions for mounting the closet rods below.

Closet rod dimensions

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.

custom closet kids room

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.

  • Curt Hawes January 14, 2022

    Hi Dan,
    Awesome video, thanks! I can’t wait to build these. The braces you put up to hold the MDF boards, look thicker than the MDF 3/4 inch. What are the dimensions?

    What do you think about the MDF Shelf boards already painted? I know they cost a little more. Then I could use a 2 x 2 or 2 x 4 under them for support right? Thanks

    Could I use a 2×2 or something

    • Dan Perry February 4, 2022

      Hey Curt,

      All of the MDF is the same thickness, so that is just an illusion. The painted ones? Not sure what you mean.

      -Dan

      • joe March 11, 2022

        I think Curt is referrin g to Melamine!

  • John March 10, 2022

    What kind of chalk did you use to seal the cracks between the wood?

    • Dan Perry March 23, 2022

      Anything will work, but I think I used acrylic latex plus silicone since it’s so easy to work with.

  • Will May 1, 2022

    Hi there,

    I am designing a similar walk-in closet for my first time and am wondering about one of your dimensions. In the back left corner, you have shelves butting up to where you have hanging space on the back wall. How much space did you leave from the hanging rod to make sure you could still hang clothes on that rod without hitting the shelves?

    • Dan Perry May 25, 2022

      I just measured it, and it is 20.25″. So about 20″ will work just fine.

  • Tara Beth June 26, 2022

    I couldn’t tell how you attached the vertical pieces between the hanging rods to the wall. I had done something similar with a furring strip to the stud then pocket holes in the vertical piece to the furring strip. But how did you do it?

    • Dan Perry June 27, 2022

      The verticle pieces are not nailed directly to the wall. They are nailed to the shelf supports, which are nailed to the wall. Then, caulking helps keep them in place.

  • Joe Macko June 30, 2022

    great DIY video!
    Thinking about redoing our grand daughter’s small closet. What size and gauge nails did you use in the brad nail gun? We have an older house that has plaster type walls approx 5/8″ thick. Wondering if a brad nailer will work on this type of wall material or would it be best to use screws for a solid attachment. many thanks
    -joe

    • Dan Perry July 3, 2022

      I used 18g nails that were 2″ long.

  • Carol July 1, 2022

    Hi there, planning on using your plans to install this type of closet on a wood floor, it seems the cutting around the carpet helps keep the vertical boards in place. What would you suggest if I don’t want to male holes on the floor?

    • Dan Perry July 3, 2022

      The shelves also work to hold the boards in place. If you don’t mind a little bit of movement on the bottom, you can just let it float on the floor and allow the shelves to keep it in place. Otherwise, you can tack it down with a couple of nails to the floor.

  • Jason Somers October 16, 2022

    How did you attach the support triangles under the shelves?

    • Dan Perry October 20, 2022

      I nailed them to the studs with the brad nailer, then nailed them down through the shelves into the triangles to connect them to the shelves.

  • Pat November 16, 2022

    should you do this after or before carpet instilation

    • Dan Perry November 16, 2022

      Before is easier, but either way will work. If you do it before you can install tack strip around the verticle walls which will lead to a more secure flooring installation.

  • Adolfo December 21, 2022

    I have the same exact closet with that corner in the right I don’t now what is the angle 📐, the long wood with the triangle ends how can I do it?

    • Dan Perry December 26, 2022

      It’s probably a 45-degree angle, but to be sure, you’ll have to get an angle finder.

  • ERIC J WEATHERS January 5, 2023

    Thank you! I appreciate your time and effort in making this video. It really does help. Leaving the “how to design” part at the end is Genius. Also, would like to give you 👍🏾👍🏾for replying to everyones comments. Keep on keeping on man.

    • Dan Perry January 10, 2023

      Thanks for commenting, and I’m glad you liked how I structured the video.

  • Diane January 13, 2023

    Great video and well thought out. What is the dimensions of your closet including ceiling height?
    Thank you,
    Diane

    • Dan Perry January 16, 2023

      Thank you. The ceiling height is 8′. I’m not sure about the rest, but approximately 5’x 7′.

  • Kelli February 15, 2023

    I am counting the minutes until the weekend starts so that I can start this project! Thank You so much, Dan! How did you attach the support triangles under the shelves? I read your response, but still feel a little confused as to how you nailed them to the studs?
    You had said you ‘nailed them to the studs’ with the brad nailer, but I’m not sure how to go about that.

    • Dan Perry February 27, 2023

      I nailed through the little backer plate that I attached to the triangle peice.

  • Jim February 23, 2023

    Dan, thank you so much for providing this direction to get started. I have a few questions if you will bear with me:
    1. I know you have 12″ shelves, but it looks like the vertical shelf ends and the triangular supports do not have the full 12″ depth from the wall – what is the length of those edges? That is, how far out from the wall to they go? (I’m guessing about 8″ or so)?
    2. That might also answer this question: How much did you cut off the front shelf corners (I’m guessing about 2 or 3″ to make the triangular corner)?
    3. In my closet design there is one corner where two rods meet. Should I have a vertical support at each end (in which case I will lose the corner space as that corner will be “boxed out”), or should I have just one vertical end, and then the other rod can go “behind” that one (to the wall and thus use that corner space)?
    4. Regarding verticals between rods: Do you sandwich the board between two vertical strips (on the wall) along each side of the board for the full length of the board to help keep the board from bending? and if so, how wide do those strips need to be?
    5. Similarly, do you need vertical support strips along the vertical shelf end pieces or is that not necessary?
    Thanks again for your help!
    Jim

  • Toni March 18, 2023

    Hi,
    1.) I have some leftover plywood. Could I use that instead? Thank you.

    • Dan Perry April 10, 2023

      Yes, but you’ll see holes in the side of the shelves where knots fall out of the plywood.

  • Rene April 30, 2023

    I saw the video and love all the helpful information. I’m only stuck on how you made those triangle supports. I saw you cut triangles from the mdf, but how do you attach that support to the mdf and then to the stud and shelf itself?

    • Dan Perry May 7, 2023

      Hi Rene,

      I used nails from the brad nailer from the back of the bracket into the triangle peice.

  • Stefano R. Baldari August 7, 2023

    Dan;
    Your video was superlative! All the planning, writing things down, drawing a diagram of the closet, your Tips, having a cut list, are all the essentials needed to construct closet shelving. Also, and very important, is the fact that you have to take your time when installing closet shelving to make sure it is done correctly. And to mention that certain matters could go awry was great advice. I am now planning to install wood closet shelving in our apartment. This is the very first time that I will be attempting to install closet shelving. Finally, there was no extraneous talk to distract from you very informative video. Thank you.
    Stefano

    • Dan Perry August 9, 2023

      Happy to hear that you enjoyed the video!

  • Brian September 13, 2023

    Great video. Any thoughts on installing shelfs/rods in a closet with sloped back wall (knee wall)?

  • Sandra Herrera November 26, 2023

    Thanks so much for this information! I have had handyman who started helping me with my new home this year and never can come back. So I have had to teach myself how to do EVERYTHING. This is gold.

  • Sam Sharp December 27, 2023

    Really wonderful video! You obviously spent a lot of time planning the presentation, and it was very helpful to me that you told what needed to be done only once, with no attempt to add humorous comments. This was the first DIY video I have watched where i did not speed up the playback speed due to the presentation containing rambling comments.

    I do have one question: Is it OK to use an oil based primer and then use a water based paint? I had believed that you could not mix them, but maybe that was just a assumption that was false.

  • Mark January 23, 2024

    If my corner is 90 degrees, how to you support the joint where the back and side shelf meet?

    • Dan Perry January 23, 2024

      You may need a bracket there depending on how close it is to another support.

  • Carl Obert January 26, 2024

    I’ve a Dewalt 18G brad nailer. It will shoot 18 Gauge brad nails from 5/8 in. to 2-1/8 in.. Are 18G nails ok, or should I consider screws instead?

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