Hi:
I am about to insulate and drywall but would like to put up some blocking to help secure future shelves, clothes rods, closet organizer type applications. Anyone have any suggestions/dimensions/specifications as to i.e. common shelf width for linen closet, misc. heights for curtain rods, etc.. Blocking is cheap and I would like to have a solid backing for future installation of the aforementioned. Thanks and have a great day.
Lance
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Replies
the chart i got some years back lists the following=68" highest shelf(women), 72"highest shelf (man), 70" rail for evening dresses, 59"highshelf for reach to the back67"high shelf reach to front 75"dead storage above this point. These are for 9-12" shelf widhts. Curtain rods i try to block about6" past the trim, sides and top. Hope that helps, just remember to document or take pictures, so you remember.
Edited 5/26/2008 4:08 pm ET by spike999250
I put the shelf above rod at about 64" which lets most people see what is there and reach it without being an acrobat.
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Current issue of FHB has an article on just that.
It's in the library right now, so not handy.
left over scraps, or full sheets of ply cut to size on the side and back walls before drywall.
no one will ever know that they lost an inch side to side, or a half inch in depth but you will have backing everywhere you want to hang something.
if you go with the closet systems from rubbermaid, the wire rack things, you can just use the little half clamp things and screw them in, no brackets or fussing. or the slotted brackets that go floor to ceiling(or 1' up to 1' from the top), and the shelf supports slide in and hook. makes it totally custom adjustable and its easy if you have the backing.
Thanks for the advice and have a great day.
68" is about the right height for a closet shelf.
I make mine 16" because i like the shelf to ovehang the rod. I often add another 12" shelf 10" above the 16" shelf to add more storage in a typical bedroom closet.
Linen closets 16" bottom shelf 22" from floor, next shelf, 16" above that, all other shelves 14" spacing, top shelf is again only 12 " deep.
Toilet roll 24" from floor, 24" from center of bowl if hung on wall. Bathroom rods 48" from floor. "Perfect is the enemy of Good." Morrison
RE closets, for a coat closet we do 68" as mentioned above. For bedroom closets, what is very popular now is double rodding . I forget the dimensions but it's something like 42" and 80" - which sounds high but it works fine for most people. Turns out most people don't wear "long cloths" much anymore. Maybe it's different in cold climates???
Anyway, if I were having a master closet done - say 6'x11' with an entry door in the center of one of the 11' walls then the back 11' wall would be double rodded (and shelved) and the 6' wall at each end would get a single rod for any long stuff that the man or woman had. This greatly increases the hanging space in a closet. Then maybe throw in a shoe rack or 2....
Regarding blocking, instead of doing actual blocking just install some studs turned so the drywall is nailed to the 3.5" dimension. That will give you plenty of nailing for shelves at any height.
All of the above shelving is normally 12" (+-). Linen shelves and pantry shelves are normally 16" assuming the closet is deep enough.
What is the general estimated value of the finished home?
If you have some 1-1/8" ply, it's thick enough that deck screws can be angled into the framing for great holding power. A quick way to add blocking over a large area.
If you are doing the rock a fast way to add a lot of blocking is to hang the inside of the closet first, then place rips of 3/4 ply against the framing side of the sheetrock and have an assistant put some sheetrock screws in to hold it in place. You're essentially attaching the ply to the sheetrock instead of framing, but it's quick, holds great and did I mention it's quick?
Better is to simply preplan the darn thing in full scale so you know what you need.
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