Tech Tips: How to Build Shelves in a Wardrobe

What is the best way to go about building a shelf in a wardrobe?

This article is in response to one of the comments we’ve received on this article here, asking how should one go about building a shelf within a wardrobe.

This is a good question but it all depends on your wardrobe. Remember  you have to allow for space for jackets or dresses to hang down and usually for shoe storage at the bottom.  The best position for shelving is usually above the hanging rail or as “a  ladder of shelves” at one end of the wardrobe, leaving the other free for long garments.

To create the ladder or stack of shelves, you will need  sections of pineboard for the side wall and the top section, assuming you use the wardrobe side wall and base for the other two sides. Alternatively you can build the complete frame from pineboard.

The shelf sections can be cut from pineboard as well, for a very solid shelf, or use stripwood lengths to create an ‘open shelf’ similar to that usually found in an airing cupboard. The latter design allows the air to circulate.

To create a shelf above the hanging rail, take two lengths of stripwood and screw them at exactly the same height on the right and left internal side walls of the wardrobe to form support battens.

The lengths of the stripwood should reach to the back of the wardrobe but be inset about an inch or two from the front edge to prevent door handle fixings catching on the shelf edge when  the doors are closed.

The shelf can then be formed from  a section of pineboard as above

The alternative is to make a lighter weight shelf with an outer framework of eased edge stripwood sections cut and screwed or pin nailed together,  with airing laths (from a smaller stripwood size) pinned or glued to the top of the outer frame edges.

If the shelf is going to carry heavy woollen jumpers or span across a double wardrobe space,  you may need to put a further stripwood batten on the rear wall of the wardrobe to add extra support and prevent the shelf “bowing” under the weight.

You could also…

An alternative option for an airing shelf is to use quadrant mouldings nailed (using pin nails) or glued to the outer shelf framework.

The final option, which is also ideal for a shoe rack at the base of the wardrobe,  is to drill evenly spaced holes in one of the side battens which are the same dimension as a dowel moulding ..the heavier the weight to carry, the larger the dowel moulding section …and then drill or cut channels in the opposite batten so that the dowel mouldings ‘drop” into place and are seated in the batten.

Whichever route you take, spend some time measuring and planning first, especially the height between shelves so you can put away and find clothes easily.

Hope you find my posts helpful, look forward to reading your comments!