Get matched with top closet pros in Browns Valley, MN

If you’re on a tight budget, the least expensive material you can buy for DIY closet shelves is chipboard, a.k.a. particle board. This inexpensive material is made from a pulp of sawdust, resin, and glue that’s pressed together under high temperature and pressure. As you can imagine, it’s not very sturdy and might buckle under your blue jean collection, so you should only use it if you’re storing very light items. 

Yes, 12-inch shelves are often considered the standard closet shelf depth for storing folded clothing, shoes, and small containers. However, if you plan to store bulky items such as blankets, baskets, or cleaning supplies, you may want to go deeper. For specialized layouts, an adjustable system can give you more flexibility.

How many days it takes to remodel a closet will also depend on the scale of the project. Small changes like installing a prefab kit will eat up an afternoon and no more, while a total renovation could require several days to a week. If you’re planning for the latter, plan to secure other sleeping arrangements while construction is ongoing.

Bump-out additions can add some space to a closet without requiring any significant structural work. This entails pushing back the existing rear or side of the closet, simply moving the wall into either an adjacent room or unused space. For ground-floor closets, this could even be extended to the exterior of the home, but that has its own complications. Bump-outs are a good discussion to have with your contractor if you’re just looking to increase the space a little—not renovate the entire closet space.