Convenient and properly planned filling of the cabinet, made by hand, allows you to keep things in order, rationally use the free space. The division of a piece of furniture into conventional zones for long clothes, shoes, linen, cosmetics makes the use practical and comfortable. That is why the main details that make up the structure of the cabinet are shelves, hangers, baskets, drawers, which have many types and features. And in order for them to be strong, serve for a long time, reliably, you should take design seriously and choose high-quality materials.
Making a wardrobe with your own hands gives a lot of advantages. So, this is not only a significant saving in the family budget, but also an opportunity for imagination, experiments. And in order for the finished product to be comfortable and practical, at the design stage you should be guided by the following tips:
- The number of compartments inside the cabinet must match the number of doors. But this rule does not apply to wide doors, behind which you can install 2 compartments with shelves at once.
- It is convenient to store linen in cells with a height of 35-40 cm, books - 20-35 cm.
- The optimal opening for long clothes is 150-160 cm, short - up to 100 cm.
- Oversized items, suitcases, travel bags are best placed on the top shelf. The opening height must be at least 45 cm.
- According to generally accepted standards, the depth of the wardrobe is 60 cm, this is the size of the factory model. If the wardrobe is made independently, it is better to make at least 65 cm. The fact is that the door mechanism “eats up” 10 cm, so only 50 cm is left for clothes with hangers.
- If you plan to install a volumetric handle on the box, then it must be slightly drowned so that the protruding part does not touch the door. Finger grooves on the front of the drawer are a great alternative to these handles.
- When making boxes with your own hands, it is better to use full extension ball bearing guides. They are distinguished by their durability, strength and convenience.
- Large cells over 80 cm in size must be reinforced with a partition, otherwise they will bend under the weight of things.
- It is also recommended to additionally strengthen the bars for clothes longer than 100 cm with a vertical bar, the lower end of which rests against the floor, and the upper end against the upper shelf. Thanks to this, you can not be afraid of the large weight of clothing.
- It is better to mount the lighting in the cabinet in the remote roof visor, and not inside the structure, otherwise the light will only fall on the upper shelf.
When making a wardrobe with your own hands, one must not forget that the arrangement of things in it must have a certain sequence. For example, the most unnecessary things are placed on top that need to be taken out least of all - hats, bags. In the middle, those that are used most often are outerwear. Below are boxes with shoes, bags, backpacks.
The internal design of the wardrobe directly depends on what exactly is planned to be stored in it. This means that when designing a piece of furniture for a hallway, bedroom or living room, you need to clearly know what things will be located there.
Most often, the dimensions of the hallway do not allow placing a wardrobe with a depth of more than 40 cm.
Taking into account the fact that about 10 cm is spent on the sliding system, there is very little room left for placing outerwear - jackets, coats, raincoats. And standard hangers simply do not fit in such a narrow cabinet. End rods, which are mounted instead of standard ones, will help to make the internal structure more functional. They are both retractable and stationary. It is unlikely that it will be possible to fit the entire upper wardrobe of the family in them, but the main things can be.
For storing shoes, wire niches are mounted, where 2-3 pairs of shoes or boots can be placed. The rest will have to be stored in boxes. Small pull-out elements will help make the closet convenient, where you can put brushes for shoes and clothes, creams, spare keys, and other little things.
The closet in the hallway is a place where umbrellas, packages, bags are stored, so you need to take care of the right number of hooks where you can hang everything you need. Using a mirror on the doors will not only visually expand the room, but also allow you to see yourself before leaving the house in full growth.
A sliding wardrobe for a bedroom is a place for storing everyday, work clothes, sleeping clothes. Therefore, before you start making furniture with your own hands, you need to carefully consider all the options for filling it. The most popular are:
- Baskets. They can be made of metal, plastic and are versatile for storing things. They can fit both socks and shirts.
- Pantograph. This is a clothes bar equipped with a handle and a down mechanism. This option is suitable for those who want to use the upper space as efficiently as possible.
- Iron holder and built-in ironing board.
- Hangers for ties, belts, trousers.
- Drawers for underwear.
- Mounts for storing shoes.
As for the built-in wardrobes, many people prefer to make niches in them for TVs and computers. This allows you to unload the room, free up more space.
What to make the shelves from so that they turn out to be strong, durable, and the wardrobe itself lasts a long time? Consider the advantages and disadvantages of popular materials:
- Solid wood. The naturalness of this material is beyond doubt, it is perfect when you need to make a shelf strong and rich. A bookcase or dressing room with long shelves, made in wood, will last a long time and will not bend under the weight. Such furniture is renowned for its strength and durability. The disadvantage of the solution may be too large a weight of the finished product, as well as a high price compared to budget options.
- Typesetting array. Unlike solid wood, the price of such niches is much lower, but the advantages are the same. The material consists of wood pieces glued together and varnished.
- Joiner's stove. The material is a timber frame, covered with plywood on both sides. Great for heavy items like books.
- MDF, chipboard. The most common materials available to a wide range of consumers. Used for the manufacture of shelves in cabinet furniture, suitable for DIY installation. They are made up of tiny pieces of wood pressed together and glued together. The standard thickness of the shelves is 16-18 mm, but if you plan to use them for storing heavy items, it is recommended to opt for thicker plates up to 25 mm.
- Glass. This material is used less often than others in the manufacture of shelves in a wardrobe. Although it has its advantages: they look light, but they are quite durable. Cells can be made of glass in open areas of the cabinet in the living room.
- Metal. The perfect solution for making racks for storing shoes, baskets from metal rods. The necessary fittings can be found in online stores, after which you can carry out the installation yourself.
Mount options
Fastening shelves with your own hands is an important element in the manufacture of a wardrobe. The strength of the structure depends on how securely they are fixed.
Installation is not very difficult and does not require special skills. The main thing is to make the right calculations and arm yourself with a set of tools. When marking, it is important to strictly observe the horizontal levels, otherwise the weight on the shelf will be incorrectly distributed, exerting an increased load on one of the mountings. As a result, such an oversight will lead to the breakage of the part.
- Furniture corner. The simplest, strongest type of fastener that does not require additional holes in the panels. Corners are of 2 types - plastic, metal. But they have a drawback: such fasteners are too visible.
- Euro screw. It is screwed into the end of the shelf with a previously made hole. As with the screw tie, the Euro screw heads are visible on the front side of the panel. The most commonly used products are 7 mm in diameter and 50-70 mm in length. To install them, 2 holes are drilled, into the end of the shelf and into the face of the part. The disadvantages include the fact that such furniture cannot be assembled and disassembled more than 3 times, since the fastening is destroyed. Also, on the side parts of the furniture, you can see the caps or caps of the euro screws.
- Eccentric coupler. One of the most popular and reliable types of fasteners. The advantage is obvious: furniture with an eccentric screed can be assembled and disassembled many times without fear of consequences. How does the fastener work: the eccentric rod is screwed into the face of the part, to which the end is attached to another part, the eccentric rod is screwed in, in turn, the eccentric itself is screwed into it through the end of the other shelf, and then the eccentric tightens the rod into itself by turning.
Installation step by step
It is not difficult to make cells for things with your own hands, the main thing is to properly prepare the necessary materials, details for installation. The list of tools that will be required for work:
- drill and drills of the required diameter;
- screwdriver;
- jigsaw for cutting materials (if necessary);
- iron for gluing edges;
- stationery knife;
- level;
- square;
- iron ruler (it is not recommended to use Chinese-made rulers, errors are possible in them);
- simple pencil;
- mDF sheets for shelves;
- edge for MDF finishing;
- fasteners.
After the frame of the sliding wardrobe is assembled and the internal marking is carried out, you can proceed directly to the installation of the shelves. Make sure that the sides of the cabinet are at right angles to the back of the structure using a test square. The required shelf size can be cut with your own hands using a hand or electric saw. After cutting, an unsightly edge is formed, it can be hidden with adhesive tape, for this you need to attach it to the edge and iron it with a hot iron. The finished shelf is placed on a pre-selected type of fastener.
It often happens that there is enough space in wardrobes and other closets for all things, but their internal organization is not very convenient. By installing an extra shelf in a new or long-standing closet, you can create organized storage space. If you want to change something in your pantry, just add additional shelves and there will be more space.
It is important
First of all, take a look at which shelves are installed in your closet. Typically used chipboard shelves with a thickness of 16 mm or 18 mm, veneered or laminated. The shelves can be attached in a variety of ways, but most often they are attached to the side walls.
Depth of shelves and distance between them
It is not necessary that all shelves are of the same depth and spaced at the same distance from each other. You can vary the contents of the cabinet according to your needs, for example by changing the depth of the shelves or by installing one or more narrower shelves.
Shelf material
The most widely used material for bookcases, wardrobes and cupboards is chipboard. The shelves are often covered with veneer or laminate on both sides. Chipboard flexes even under light loads. It is enough to glue or screw a wooden strip to the top surface of the shelf along the front and rear edges to make the shelf stronger and more rigid.
Saw cutting to size
First, make sure that the sides of the cabinet are at right angles to the back wall and that the surface of the back wall is flat using a test square. Measure the size of the top or bottom shelf that the new shelf should fit. After that, you can order a shelf in the workshop or cut the required size yourself using a hand or electric saw.
Veneer edge tape
If you use veneer-faced chipboard, then the edge obtained after sawing does not look very attractive. You can refine it with hot-melt edging tape. Apply the tape to the edge and iron it with a hot iron to adhere to the edge of the shelf. The shelf can be covered with self-adhesive plastic wrap or pasted over with magazine pages, or decorated as you like.
Shelf supports
The next step is to install the shelf supports. They come in many different types, so check out which ones are used in your closet. The most common types are:
Wooden support bars that are screwed to the side walls. The length of the block should correspond to the depth of the shelf.
Adjustable shelf supports. In the holes (not very deep) drilled in the side walls, sleeves are inserted into which pins are inserted, which serve as a support for the shelf. Shelf supports or wooden pins can be inserted directly into the holes in the walls.
The corners or brackets are fastened with screws or nails to the side wall and bottom of the shelf.Determining the location of the shelf
Be careful when marking the side panels for the shelf supports. Simply by measuring from the top or bottom of the cabinet, there is no guarantee that the shelf will be level. It is best to put a level on the shelf and, holding the shelf between the walls, make the markings in place. Or, you can use the distance between two adjacent shelves as a basis, measured from the top of the top shelf.
Installation of shelf supports fixed with screws
Screw the holders to the side walls. Place the shelf on the supports and use an awl to make holes on the bottom of the shelf. Screw the shelf to the holders using short self-tapping screws.
Reinforcing elements
You can reinforce the structure of the shelf with additional bars of the same material as the shelf. If you attach a block along the leading edge of the shelf, it will look more massive. Glue the block with wood glue and secure with a clamp in one or two places or with several screws.
HINT!
It is very convenient to arrange the shelves in such a way that you can store tall and low items next to each other. With this organization, you will always have the necessary shelf space. A short shelf with additional vertical divider is a good solution.
The main part of any cabinet is undoubtedly the shelves. The shelves in it are designed for neat storage of things put on them. The quality of the things put on them will depend on how reliably they are fixed and correctly installed. Shelves keep your wardrobe tidy.
Installing shelves in the closet
Fastening hanging shelves in a cabinet is not a big deal if the markings are done correctly.
When marking, horizontal levels must be strictly observed - this will help in the future to avoid displacement of things located on them. Incorrect weight distribution on the surface of the shelf will lead to increased loads on one of the mountings. This will further lead to the breakage of this attachment and the fall of the shelf.
There are 2 main types of arrangement of shelves in the closet. This is an arrangement along different axes and along one axis. The first type is the simplest. It, as a rule, does not cause great difficulties, it is enough only to maintain parallelism and an even distance between the planes. In the second case, you have to tinker a little. Here it is necessary to ensure reliable fastening at the junction of two surfaces with a common bulkhead between them.
Modern furniture art masters have come up with many ways to solve this issue. But there is no need to "invent a bicycle", it is enough to use the two most common methods that have been used for years in the manufacture of furniture. With the help of them it is possible to achieve sufficient reliability of fastening of shelves of any structure.
Back to the table of contents
Two mounting options
In the first option, you need to use ordinary furniture corners (furniture corner screed). Corner brace is a widespread furniture fittings. It will provide a fairly reliable connection and will avoid resorting to "clever" methods.
Using them is easy enough. It is necessary at the junctions of two planes located on the same axis, to install ties on both sides. This will allow you to achieve a sufficiently strong and confident connection. With a heavy load on the surface, such a connection will be the most reliable.
Furniture corners have their own minus - they cannot be hidden. They do not look very nice and are always in sight. Moreover, things located in the closet can catch on them and tear when they are removed. To avoid this aesthetic drawback, you can use the second option - "helicopter" mount.
The helicopter connection is a non-standard solution. Its essence lies in the use of "Euro screws", which will require 3 pieces. The first screw must be screwed into the center of the first surface, attaching it to the partition, but not tightening it tightly. After that, it must be rotated 180 degrees around its longitudinal axis. This will open up a place for attaching an adjacent structure. It needs to be fixed with 2 screws to the partition. These Euro screws need to be stretched well. Then return the first surface to its normal position. Then, fully tighten the shelves from the outside of the cabinet. This connection method is less reliable, but more aesthetic.
How to choose the type of connection of shelves, everyone decides independently. The choice should only depend on the type of load that you plan to use on the shelf.
The main parts that make up the structure of any wardrobe are the shelves. It is they who carefully store the things that have been placed on them, and it is on the reliability of the shelves that the storage quality of heavy gold bars or five hundred silicate bricks successfully borrowed from the nearest construction site depends. Although, most often, the shelves in the wardrobe are used for their intended purpose - to store things from the home wardrobe.
In fact, the installation of shelves in wardrobes does not present any difficulties in the case when the shelves in the sections are located at different levels. By the way, this is exactly how they are located in our wardrobe. But there are situations when it is necessary to install shelves on the same axis, and here beginners have questions: “What is the best way to do this? How to ensure that the shelves are installed securely? And how should this be done according to the furniture manufacturing technology? "
I will not talk about GOSTs and the technology of mounting shelves in wardrobes. For the shelves to be installed technologically, it is necessary to use special equipment and a drilling and filler machine. Actually, that's why this question is not interesting to us. But I will tell you about how shelves are installed in garage-level furniture shops. After all, it is this "popular" technology that is the cheapest and most valuable for you and me.
So, first, let's take a look at what this is all about - what the shelves look like when they are on the same line. So that there are no questions, I have prepared for you, my friends, this picture:
As you can see, there is nothing abstruse and incomprehensible here. The shelves in one and the second section of the wardrobe are located on the same axis. And if we do not have any questions about fixing the shelves at the edges of the sections, then at the junction of two shelves and a common bulkhead, a completely natural question arises: "How to ensure reliable fastening of the shelves of the sliding wardrobe, located on the same axis, at their junction?"
Furniture makers from the CIS have come up with many different ways to address this issue. They used ingenuity, tools and intuition in their technologies. We will not consider with you all the brilliant ideas that were born in the minds of custom-made furniture manufacturers. I think that two options for fixing shelves in wardrobes will be enough for us to understand that life is beautiful and shelves on the same centerline are a stage already passed for us.
Option 1. Fastening the shelves with furniture corners.
Everything ingenious is simple. If we are accustomed to connecting all the pieces of furniture using confirmations, this does not mean that there is no alternative to them. Where it is impossible to screw the confirmation, you can put it. It is she who will adequately fulfill the function of connecting fittings in our wardrobe and replace the one so beloved by all of us. We look at the pictures:
As you can see, corner braces are installed at the junction of the two shelves on both sides. For symmetry, we have added corner braces and on opposite sides of the shelves. Although in those places the shelves are held on confirmations, the corner braces will only strengthen the attachment points. In general, corner braces are excellent fittings for fixing parts in places where you need to improve the reliability of the structure.
For example, you plan to load the shelves with heavy items. In this case, in spite of the fact that all the shelves are securely tightened by confirmations, it is better to additionally put corner ties. And then a sound, healthy sleep is guaranteed to you.
There is only now, furniture corner ties have the only aesthetic drawback - they are visible if you look inside the wardrobe. To be honest, I would not call this a disadvantage. In particular, plastic furniture corners are produced in different decors. So, you can choose corner ties to match the color of the chipboard of your cabinet. However, some clients do not want the corner braces to be visible from the outside, and that's when furniture makers use the second technology - fixing shelves by "helicopter".
Option 2. Fastening the shelves of the sliding wardrobe by "helicopter"
The trick of this method lies in the non-standard creative approach to solving the problem. It is believed that the person who came up with this method led a healthy lifestyle and played sports. As a result, his brain received a powerful impetus to generate this idea.
So, what is the essence of this method. Actually, the whole principle of fastening the stream by a "helicopter" is based on the use of a confirmation screwed into the center for fastening one of the shelves. This is what needs to be done, first of all. We look at the picture:
Then we return the shelf to its original state and fix both shelves on opposite sides with confirmations.
That, in fact, is the whole secret of this method of mounting shelves by "helicopter". As you understand, despite the aesthetics and the absence of furniture corners sticking out from the outside, this mount is not reliable, especially in the place where one single confirmation is screwed in. However, if ordinary light household items are stored on this shelf, then practice has shown that this connection can effectively withstand such loads.
Here we are with you and figured out the technology of fastening shelves in wardrobes. In the next post we will talk about.
Shelves are often used not only to complement and decorate the overall interior of a room, but also to organize the space more clearly and effectively. Thanks to their use, the apartment owner gets the opportunity to conveniently arrange a huge number of small things that will simply get lost in the closets.
Today on the market there are a lot of different models that are made of different materials. They also differ in design.
You can choose not only products with a classic design, but also ultra-modern designs.
But more and more often people prefer to make such interior details on their own. Asking the question of how to make a shelf with their own hands, they re-read a lot of literature and look through many catalogs.
However, this does not mean that the independent manufacture of the shelf is difficult and beyond the power of a person who does not have special skills. No, this is not at all true.
Familiarization with the literature in this case is necessary in order to create a product with a beautiful design that will fit into the overall interior. Let's consider in more detail what kind of shelves there are.
Varieties of shelves
Any specialist will tell you that before you start creating a product, you need to decide for yourself what kind of design you want to get and whether it will be combined with the interior. And only after that you can start creating the product.
Indeed, for a home decorated in a classically consistent style, it is completely unacceptable to use ultra-fashionable and modern shelves. They will look extremely ridiculous.
The most popular and well-known shelf type is the classic shelf. This is due to the fact that it is quite simple to install, and the appearance, due to its simplicity, seems refined and sophisticated.
Open, closed shelves are also used with success. Closed products are most often used for decoration and installation in rooms decorated in more modern styles. Glass and sometimes plastic are used to design them.
Open structures can be used both in modernly decorated houses and in apartments with a classic design. Over the past few years, this particular type of shelves has gained immense popularity and therefore is gradually replacing the classic options.
In small rooms, you can often see corner shelves that have a special mounting method. They are mounted on adjacent walls that are adjacent to each other. They are most commonly used in bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms.
In addition to the above types of shelves that are mounted on the wall, there are suspended and floor structures. Hanging shelves are mounted in an unusual way.
They are installed with cables and uprights, and fixed directly to the ceiling. This mount looks quite unusual and original.
Floor structures are most often used in hallways. After all, it is the hand-made floor shelves for shoes that not only look beautiful, but also help you organize the space of a small hallway. At the same time, making them is quite simple.
How to make a simple shelf?
To create the claimed product, you should purchase or prepare some tools and materials in advance. You can use whichever suits you best as connecting elements. But the most popular are ordinary screws, brackets and dowels.
Note!
For example, let's take a photo of the shelves with our own hands, which is presented below. It shows a product with the following parameters: width 250 mm, height 300 mm, length 1100 mm. For convenience, the manufacturing process will be divided into stages.
Stages of work
In the first step, you need to do the markup. To do this, you should lay the boards on a table or any other flat surface and transfer measurements from the drawings. The side walls must be exactly 268 mm high.
This marking is optimal because the side walls will be located between the two parts.
At the second stage, it is required to cut the boards. To get even and neat cuts, you must use a jigsaw. After cutting, you will have 2 fairly long pieces and 2 shorter ones.
At the third stage, you can start processing the resulting blanks. The resulting sections should be covered with a special protective varnish or stain, after having polished them.
Note!
In the event that you only plan to paint the shelf, you can get by with a conventional antiseptic primer. This will not only increase the service life, but also achieve a more even paint distribution.
At the fourth stage of making a wooden shelf with your own hands, you proceed to its direct assembly. Place the bottom board on a flat surface. Depart 8 mm from the ends of the workpiece and draw two lines parallel to the cuts.
On them, 2 points should be marked with a distance of 5 cm from the edge. At the marked points, it is necessary to drill holes for self-tapping screws. The same manipulations must be done with the second workpiece.
After that, you should install the side blanks on the lower section of the board and secure them. Once you are done attaching the side panels, proceed with installing the top panel and securing it.
At the fifth stage, you should fix the brackets at the ends of the side panels, and make several holes in the wall for the dowels. After that, screw in the screws so that they protrude 5 mm. And now your shelf is ready.
In the same way, you can make acoustic shelves, but you need to take into account the dimensions of the equipment itself. Measurements should be done carefully, because if you are wrong, the work will have to start over.
Note!
Photos of shelves with your own hands
