Project Cost Estimator

Materials Description 19mm MDF sheet (or other suitable sheet material) 42 x 19mm Pine Battens PVA Glue Wire basket drawers (optional) Clothes rack & brackets Wood screws Paint or Clear Finish Equipment Carpenters Square Power or hand saw Power drill & bits Hammer Tape measure Spirit Level Electronic Stud Finder Pencil & graph paper Screwdriver Total
All these materials you need for this job are available at Magnet Mart, your home improvement warehouse.

Quantity Cost

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Organise Your Wardrobe

Note: Due to the general nature of this advice and its individual application, neither the publisher nor the retailer assumes any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury or expense which may be incurred or suffered as a result of the use of this pamphlet.
Magnet Mart 2004

Phillip Hindmarsh Dr Ph 6281 1744 Fax 6285 2493 Belconnen Lathlain St Ph 6251 4622 Fax 6253 1087 Mitchell Vicars St Ph 6241 7311 Fax 6241 7545 Gungahlin Crinigan Cir Ph 6228 9300 Fax 6228 9311 Queanbeyan Yass Rd Ph 6297 8711 Fax 6299 2226 Goulburn Sloane St Ph 4821 3533 Fax 4821 7347 Bowral Bong Bong St Ph 4861 2355 Fax 4862 1066

Easy to follow step-by-step guide Important and handy tips Materials check list Project Cost Estimator

Before you start, please read through this pamphlet carefully and estimate and assemble all the materials you will need for the project and gather your tools and equipment together. Refer to the checklist and estimating form on the back panel of the pamphlet to assist in this preparation.

You Can Organise Your Wardrobe Create Space and Order

Wardrobes can easily get out of hand, before you know it what was once an orderly and spacious wardrobe can turn into a cluttered mess where everything you need seems permanently lost. Thankfully, with a little assistance from Magnet Mart and some basic DIY skills, you can create order from chaos and re-claim the space in your wardrobe.

Measure Up and Fitting Shelves

Measure the internal dimensions of the wardrobe and make a sketch to aid in designing your new layout (see Fig 1).

Fig 1 Make a sketch of the design.

When you have a layout drawing, think about how you want the finished wardrobe to function. How much hanging space is required for clothing? Do you want to store smaller items separately? What about shoes? Think about how you access the wardrobe is there a hinged or sliding door(s) this may dictate what you can design. There are off-the-shelf solutions available to fix wardrobes and some work extremely well. However, many home owners seek a cheaper solution to their storage problems and this brochure provides just that. With some basic tools and materials you can achieve a customised wardrobe system tuned to your individual needs. Shelves for your wardrobe can be easily made from plywood, medium density fibreboard (MDF) or melamine. If you use plywood or MDF, take the time to either paint or lacquer the shelf before final fixing a smooth painted or clear lacquered surface is very easy to clean. In an enclosed space like a wardrobe, shelves are easy to fit using 42mm x 19mm timber battens as shelf supports as in Figure 2.
Fig 2 Timber battens as shelf support.

Clean Out
Before you start this project, clear out your wardrobe and remove any existing fittings that you will no longer use. Vacuum so that you have a clean work area. It may be helpful to remove the door(s) to your wardrobe to make it easier to work on the project. Sliding doors usually lift off their track while hinged doors require you to remove the screws from one leaf of the hinges.

Fig 3 Use a stud finder to locate the wall studs.

To fix the shelf supports first locate the wall studs using an electronic stud finder (see Fig 3), mark the position of the studs in pencil on the wall surface.

 Measure the side and rear walls of the wardrobe and cut the timber battens to length to form the support as shown in figure 4. Measure up the walls to 2100mm for the top shelf and mark in pencil (see Fig 5).

Fitting Clothes Rack

Depending on your design, you may need to fit more than one clothes rack. Screw a suitable bracket to one side wall of your wardrobe and temporarily fit one end of the rack in place (see Fig 8). Using a spirit level, hold the rack in place and mark the point on the opposite wall for the other end bracket (see Fig 9). Fit the rack into the second bracket then screw into place.

Fig 4 Cut batten support to fit onto side and rear walls accordingly.

Fig 8 Screw one end of the bracket to one side of the wardrobe wall.

Fig 5 Mark the top shelf.

Using a spirit level, fix the supports to the walls using self drilling screws direct into the wall studs (see Fig 6). Measure an appropriate height for the remaining shelves in your design and fix supports using the above method. Cut the shelf material to size and screw or nail to the shelf supports (see Fig 7).
Fig 6 Use a spirit level when fixing the supports. Fig 9 With a spirit level, mark out the position for the other bracket on the opposite wall.

Fitting Wire Storage Drawers

Most types of wire storage drawers simply sit on a shelf or on the floor or can be screwed to the wall for a more permanent fixing. If you have planned for wire storage drawers in your wardrobe design, ensure that shelves and other fixtures allow sufficient space and that the drawers will be easily accessible. Follow the manufacturers instructions when assembling and fixing the drawer unit in place.

Fig 7 Nail or screw shelf to the supports.

Making Small Shelf Units

Part of your wardrobe design may include small shelf units that can be easily made from 16mm plywood, MDF or melamine. Refer to your sketch for an idea on how small shelf units may be incorporated into your design.

The assembled unit may be fixed to the lower shelf in the wardrobe by screwing through the top of the shelf into the sides of the unit (see Fig 13).

Fig 13 Fix the assembled unit to the lower shelf.

Fig 10 Make a sketch of the small shelf unit.

Essentially these units consist of two sides and a number of shelves spaced according to your storage needs. After deciding on the overall dimensions of the unit, sketch a rough diagram to help you visualise the project and dimension the parts (see Fig 10). Cut the sides to the desired length and the shelves all to an identical size. Measure and mark a notch in the sides to fit around the lower shelf support (see Fig 11), cut out the notch using a hand saw.

Alternatively, fix two short supports to the rear of the shelf unit (see Fig 14) and screw through these supports direct into the wall studs.

Fig 14 Fix the assembled unit directly to the wall studs.

Finishing Touches
Take a look around the storage section in your local Magnet Mart store to see the many different storage solutions we have to offer. From shoe racks to plastic storage bins and boxes, we have the answers to just about every storage need. Many of your wardrobe storage problems can be solved by using off-the-shelf drawer units available from your local Magnet Mart store. This can save you time as you re-design your wardrobe. The great thing about being your own wardrobe organiser is that you can add or modify your design as your needs change over time. Not only that, you now have the skills to tackle a lot more than just a wardrobe.

Fig 11 Cut notches as marked in the sides.

Assemble the unit by glueing and screwing the shelves in place, ensuring that the shelves are fixed at 900 to the sides (see Fig 12).
Fig 12 Fix shelves in place.