Attic Storage Shelf Plans

Free woodworking plans to build 2-tier attic shelving system.

I was browsing online for something unrelated for my attic when I came across this AtticMaxx Shelving System. It's a pretty ingenious system for attics that can't have wide shelves because they either use engineered roof trusses or include purlin bracing in the framing which can get in the way of regular shelves. The problem though with the AtticMaxx is the price. For 8 shelves it's currently $169. Yikes! And it doesn't include the totes.

Below you'll find plans to build an attic shelving system that solves some of the same problems the AtticMax does but at a fraction of the cost. I also made the bottom shelves a little longer which will allow you to slide out the bottom tote so you can access the contents after you spin it sideways.
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Office Organization: What You Need To Know

A disorganized office can hurt your productivity and cause you to miss opportunities and waste time. Lots of people tell you what to buy or how to make things look cute. Today I'm going to discuss processes more than products to help keep your work space neat and productive whether it be an office or a home office. How paper should flow through your office, how to create an effective filing system and how to keep files your working on organized plus more.
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Organizing Cable Clutter

Some helpful tips on how to organize cables around your computer desk, entertainment system and other parts of your home.

Sadly, that's an actual picture of what's lurking under my desk. What's even sadder is that's just one small portion of the mess and it repeats itself in other parts of my home. (I won't mention the peanut I had to crop out so you don't think I'm a complete slob!)

I need a lot of different peripherals and even though I have good WiFi equipment as more people in the area use WiFi it's difficult to maintain speeds good enough to stream full HD video to other computers and TVs. I've bought new access points, built antenna boosters and still have to scan and switch channels from time to time. Wired ain't tired! (fake TM)

It's one of the big reasons I'm trying to plan a structured home wiring project. It would get a lot of the cables I have by my computer, and other areas, moved to a central location.

Probably the worst part of the photo is all the dust and pet hair. It's dark down there so I normally can't even tell. I try and vacuum but it's just so hard with that mess. There is definitely no 5-second rule if I drop a snack while at the computer! Partly because it just disappears into the void.

When I have to replace a cord, upgrade a device or try to plug something new in it takes me more time than it should. Over the years I've tried improving my cable management by using different things I had laying around but now it's time to do things right and this is how I'm going about it.
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How To Build Frameless Wall Cabinets

European style frameless upper cabinets are easy to build with the right tools, are affordable and are used for a variety of projects from kitchens, to bathrooms, offices and more. When I first tried to find information on how to build my own cabinets I found it a bit confusing. In case it helps others I'm going to go over what I've learned over the years. In this post you'll find information on frameless upper cabinet construction and instructions on how to build them.

These basic wall cabinets have a very clean, contemporary look but frameless cabinets are versatile. By using nicer doors, adding some crown molding and light rail trim you can achieve a more traditional look.

You can save a lot of money if you build your own frameless cabinets. While building frameless cabinets isn't very difficult it is important that the cuts are accurate and the pieces as well as the assembly is square. Before you go crazy in your kitchen with a sledgehammer and order a large pile of plywood Try to build one small cabinet to make sure you're happy with your results.

What You'll Need

Tools

• Table saw or circular saw and guide for making accurate and square cuts in plywood.
• Combination square
• Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
• Kreg Shelf Pin Drilling Jig
• Rockler Concealed Hinge JIG IT System
• Power drill and 35mm Forstner Bit

Materials

You'll need 2 sides, one top, one bottom, one back, one or more shelves and one or more doors. 

Unlike my other posts, there is no cut list or cut plan because these are general instructions and the size of the cabinet will vary based on your needs. Instead I'll provide information on how to calculate the dimensions of the components you'll need to build your own cabinets to your specifications.

The type of material you choose will depend on where you will be installing the cabinets. In your kitchen you'll want to use nicer material than in your garage.

Material for Cabinet Carcasses

The cabinet box is also called the carcass. The thicker the material you use, the stronger the cabinet will be and the longer you can make your cabinets. 3/4" material is recommended but in some situations 5/8" or 1/2" can also work. Some woodworkers use different thicknesses for different parts of the carcass such as 1/4" backs inserted into a groove with 1/2" nailing strips, or 1/2" for the back and sides and 3/4" for the top and bottom. This is mainly done to save money. If you're only building a few cabinets for yourself you can simplify the process and wind up with stronger cabinets if you just use the same thickness material (3/4") for all the components.

Plywood is better than MDF is better than particle board. If you're using plywood it's important to note that plywood comes in different grades. One grade for the good side and one grade for the back side. A1 is the best appearance grade of plywood you can get. If you want to save some money you can choose to build the carcasses out of a lower appearance grade plywood such as B2 and use the A1 plywood for exposed ends and doors. Some even like to use melamine coated particle board for the carcasses with better plywood for doors and end panels. If you plan on painting your cabinets the grade of the plywood isn't as important. 

For shop cabinets in the basement or garage you might be able to find "shop grade" plywood at your local lumber mill. This plywood would have more defects in the veneer but still have a strong core. Many people even build shop cabinets out of CDX plywood. It's not very pretty but the X in the name indicates the glues used can handle a bit of exposure to weather which could be good in a garage.

If you're going through the trouble of building your own cabinets you're already saving a considerable amount of money and it makes sense to go with plywood in most instances. For the purpose of these instructions I'm going to assume the cabinet will be built with 3/4" plywood.

Material for Cabinet Doors

You can make plain slab doors out of the same material you use for your cabinet carcasses. In our case plywood. This will be the cheapest option and the one I'll be using in this guide because there are too many options and methods to construct cabinet doors to discuss here.

If you're not happy with a plain slab cabinet door a number of companies will make custom doors for you in a variety of styles at reasonable costs.

Step 1: Calculate Cabinet Component Dimensions

Before we begin cutting and assembling our cabinet we first need to determine what size cabinet we need. If you've ever gone to a kitchen showroom you've probably noticed that the semi-custom cabinets they offer come in some standard sizes. Since we're building our cabinets we can choose any custom dimensions we want to suit our needs. There are some limitations however. The material and thickness chosen will decide how wide a cabinet we can build. In most cases with 3/4" plywood about 42" should be the maximum width but narrower cabinets will have more stability.

Standard upper cabinet depth is 12" (including door) when over a counter. Deeper when over a refrigerator and has more support. The 12" upper cabinet depth leaves a 10-1/2" interior depth. Dinner plates are usually 10" in diameter but can up to 12". If you have larger plates, or want to leave room for larger plates in the future, make your cabinets deeper. In our tutorial we'll build a frameless upper cabinet that is 18" W x 30" H x 12-1/2" D. This will leave an 11" interior cabinet depth.

Our cabinet will be made up of 6 pieces of plywood. 2 Sides, a top and bottom, a back and a door. All will be cut from 3/4" plywood. To determine the size of each component we'll use the following formulas.

(For consistency the "height" is also the direction of the grain.)

Cabinet Side Dimensions

There are 2 sides and in most case the dimension runs vertically. The height of the side is the same as our desired cabinet height. Because we're using overlay* doors the width of the side is our desired cabinet depth minus the thickness of the door.  In our case we have:

Side height = 30" (height of cabinet)

Side width = 12-1/2" - 3/4" (depth of cabinet - width of door) = 11-3/4"

We'll need 2 11-3/4" x 30" pieces of 3/4" plywood.

(Overlay doors sit in front of the cabinet. Inset doors sit within the cabinet. For inset doors the width of the sides will be the same as the width of the cabinet.

Cabinet Top/Bottom Dimensions

The top and bottom pieces have the same dimensions. The width of the top/bottom is equal to the depth of the cabinet minus the thickness of the door. The height of the top/bottom is the width of the cabinet minus the thickness of each side.

Top/Bottom height = 18" (cab width) - 2 x 3/4" (side thickness) = 16-1/2"

Top/Bottom width = 12-1/2" (cab depth) - 3/4" (door thickness) = 11-3/4"

We'll need 2 16-1/2" x 11-3/4" pieces of 3/4" plywood.

Cabinet Back Dimensions

The back of our frameless cabinet fits in between both sides and the top and the bottom. To determine the width of the back we need to subtract the thickness of each side piece. To calculate the height we subtract the thickness of the top and bottom pieces.

Back height = 30" (cab height) - 3/4" (top thickness) - 3/4" (bottom thickness) = 28-1/2"

Back width = 18" (cab width) - 2 x 3/4" (side thickness) = 16-1/2"

We'll need 1 28-1/2" x 16-1/2" piece of 3/4" plywood.

Adjustable Shelves Dimensions

Depending on the height and purpose of the wall cabinet you may want to have one or more adjustable shelves. These are peices of 3/4" plywood that rest on shelf pins which are inserted in a series of shelf pin holes inside the cabinet.

The shelf is the width of the inside of the cabinet and extends from the back of the inside to 1/4 inch from the front.

Shelf height = 18" (cab width) - 2 x 3/4" (side thickness) = 16-1/2"

Shelf width = 12-1/2" (cab depth) - 3/4" (door) - 3/4" (back) - 1/4" (space) = 10-3/4"

Cabinet Door Dimensions

Our cabinet only has one door and we are designing the cabinets to be full-overlay. This means that the door sits in front of the cabinet and covers almost all of the cabinet. In reality the door needs a little bit of space around it to prevent it from rubbing against adjacent doors or walls. 

The minimum space with most hinges is 1/16" so we need to subtract 1/8" (2 x 1/8") from each dimension. That will also give us a nice 1/8" spacing between doors from other cabinets too. 

Door height = 30" (cab height) - 1/8" = 29-7/8"

Door width = 18" (cab width) - 1/8" = 17-7/8"

If we were building a wider cabinet that required 2 doors we would still subtract 1/8" for the height but the width of each door would be (CabHeight - 1/4")/2. There would be a 1/8" space between the two doors and 1/16" space around the perimeter.

Now that we know what size pieces of plywood we need we can begin assembly.

Step 2: Assemble Sides, Top and Bottom

Should you use glue? Pocket hole joinery is pretty strong but glueing the joints in addition to screwing will give you a stronger more rigid cabinet. If you do decide to use glue, first assemble the cabinet without glue to make sure everything fits and lines up well. Then disassemble and reassemble with glue.

Edgebanding: Apply edgebanding to the edge of each of the 4 pieces that will be on the front of the cabinet.

Start by drilling pocket holes in the Top and Bottom pieces as shown and attach the Top to one of the side pieces.

Now attach the bottom to the side. Make sure the pocket holes are on the outside of the cabinet.

Attach the last remaining side, making sure everything is aligned properly and square.

Step 3: Cabinet Back

Double check to make sure the back of the cabinet is square and make sure it fits inside the back of the cabinet. If not, make adjustments to the back.

If everything fits together properly, is the right size and is square, disassemble the cabinet and repeat Step 2 above, this time with glue before inserting the back.

Drill pocket hole screws around the perimeter of the back and attach it to the rest of the cabinet as shown using glue.

Because we're using pocket screws we've built this entire cabinet without a single clamp. Normally a lot of long, expensive bar clamps are used when building cabinets or other furniture to keep the cabinet in place while the glue dries. One of the benefits of using pocket hole joinery is the screws act like clamps to hold everything together while the glue dries.

Step 4: Drill Shelf Pin Holes

Remove the fences from your Kreg Shelf Pin Jig and place it at the bottom of the cabinet as shown. The short side should be flush with the front of the cabinet. This will position the holes 37mm away from the front.

Use the second and third holes from the bottom to drill pilot holes for the hinge mounting plate.

Slide the shelf pin jig up to the top of the cabinet, keeping it flush with the front of the cabinet and drill holes for the top hinge mounting plate in the 2nd and 3rd holes from the top as shown. 

Now place the indexing pin in the bottom hole of the jig, slide the jig down to insert the indexing pin in the 1st Shelf Pin Hole drilled previously and continue your way up the side of the cabinet drilling shelf pin holes. Stop before you get to the pilot holes for the top hinge mounting plate.

Flip the shelf pin jig around and place it in the back corner of the cabinet so the short end of the jig is closest to the back as shown. Drill the 1st shelf pin hole in the last hole from the bottom. (We don't need pilot holes for the hinge in the back.)Then continue drilling the remaining shelf pin holes along the back using the indexing pin.

Repeat this step on the other side of the cabinet.

Step 5: Mark Hinge Bore Locations

On the back, hinge side of the door, mark 2 lines 3-3/16" from the top and bottom of the door. This is the center-line for the hinge bore.

Follow the instructions that came with your hinge boring jig (such as the Rockler Jig It Concealed Hinge Jig) to drill the 35mm bores for the cup end of the hinge. 

Finally attach and adjust your hinges so the door has an even overlay all the way around the cabinet.

Insert some shelf pins, and your shelf and the cabinet is done. Paint and prime, or stain and finish.

Easy Small Closet Organizer Plans

Free woodworking plans for a reach in closet organizer that provides double hang, long hang, shoe and sweater shelves for a small closet.

My previous small closet organizer design provided a lot of storage for a narrow closet but it may be a little too complex for some to build. This new design is easier and cheaper to build. If you use MDF you can organize your closet for around $50. It doesn't provide as much shelf storage but it still has plenty of double hang as well as long hanging space and shelves for shoes and sweaters. With a closet this small you're going to need a dresser to store folded clothes anyway so that much shelving isn't as important.

If your current closet only has a typical single rod and single shelf you can see how much space gets wasted. With a little bit of wood and a few hours of time you can dramatically increase the space utilization of your closet. If you've been dealing with a small  3'-4' closet you know how important it is to squeeze as much extra storage as possible.

Good shoes are expensive and just tossing them on your closet floor increases the likelihood they get damaged. Shoe shelves help protect the investment you've made in your shoes.

Providing space for long garments is also important and this organizer allows you room to hang up some of those long dresses or coats so you don't have to run to another room for them.

The Right Hangers Save Space

I've designed the storage unit so that the interior shelves are 14" wide. That will hold folded clothing comfortably as well as 2 pairs of womens shoes side by side or one pair of mens shoes on each shelf. If you want less shelving space and more hanging space you can choose to make the shelving unit narrower (or wider for more shelvnig less hanging).

You can customize the dimensions of these plans to better suit your needs just keep in mind these general guidelines. The shelving unit needs to be 42" tall to be able to hold the double hanging rod. Women's shoes generally need about 7" of width, mens shoes 9" and sweaters and other folded clothing 12". Every body is different so measure how much space your clothes take and see if you need to customize the plan to get more efficient use.

What You'll Need

Materials

• (2) 2' x 4' Sheets of 3/4" MDF or better yet Formaldehyde free PureBond Maple Plywood
• (1) 6' 1x4 board
• (1) 6' 1x2 Board
• 1/4" Nickel Shelf Pins
• Screws
• Primer and Paint

Tools

• Circular saw with guide or table saw
• Jig Saw
• Kreg Pocket Hole Jig
• Kreg Shelf Pin Drilling Jig (Optional but recommended)
• Drill
• Hammer
• Prybar
• Level
• Measuring Tape
• Pencil

Cut List

• (5) ~12" x 14" Shelves 3/4" Plywood
• (2) ~12" x 9" Shoe Shelves 3/4" Plywood
• (2) ~12" x 42" Shelving Unit Sides 3/4" Plywood (See Cut Plan for exact shape)
• (1) 24" Rod Support 1x4 Board (or whatever the depth of your closet is)
• (2) 14" Stretchers  1x4 Board
• (2) 18" Shoe Shelf Supports 1x2 Board 

Cut Plan

3/4" Plywood

The first quarter sheet of 3/4" plywood will be for the shelves. You may want to alter the number and width of the shoe shelves depending on your design. The depth will be slightly less than 12" because of the kerf of the saw. Do your best to cut it as evenly down the middle as possible.

The second sheet is where we'll cut the sides for the shelving unit. To be able to limit the amount of plywood necessary the cuts aren't simple straight cuts. Again, the depth at the middle will be a little less than 12" due to the saw kerf. It's probably best to cut this out with a jig saw.

Boards

1x4: Two lengths of 1x4 need to be cut to the same width as the shelves, in our case 14" and one length that is determined by the depth of your closet for the lower rod support on the side wall.

1x2: One shoe support needs to be cut from 1x2 material for each side shoe shelf. The support needs to be long enough to reach from the back corner of the closet to at least the first side wall stud so that it is screwed securely at each end.

Step 1: Cut Lumber and Finishing

To minimize the time that the closet is out of service we're going to build much of the closet organizer before installing it. This includes finishing the wood so that it's dry when it's installation time. If you don't have a lot of space to lay all the plywood out flat to paint, you might find it easier to paint after you've assembled the shelving unit or just paint everything after installing but you'll have to wait until it dries before using the closet.

Double check your closet measurements and make any modification you need to the cut plan if you choose to customize the size based on your needs.

So that we can get 2 sides out of one 2' x 4' sheet of plywood they're not cut straight. Start off by cutting the board down to 42" in length. If you're comfortable making plunge cuts with a circular saw it's the best way to cut the horizontal cuts. The vertical cuts and rounded corners are best cut with a jig saw. You can also use a jig saw to make the entire cut just take your time and use a straightedge to get the cuts as straight as possible on the long stretches.

You may also want to increase the 4" to 6" or so for a little extra flexibility in positioning the lower rod.

Once you have the 2 sides cut out, a notch will need to be cut out at the back bottom of each side to fit around your baseboards.

Once everything is cut, prime and apply two coats of water based paint. Let everything dry at least 2 days before continuing. Let the paint cure for at least a week (more if weather is humid) before placing items on the painted surfaces.

Step 2: Attach Top to Side

The shelving unit consists of 2 sides, 2 stretchers and 2 fixed shelves. We're going to begin constructing it by attaching the fixed top to one side using pocket hole screws from underneath.

Note that the back of the top is flush with the back of the side and the notch cut out in the back/bottom of the side for the baseboard so it will fit close up against the wall. The front of the top does not extend all the way to the front of the shelving side.

Step 3: Attach Bottom Shelf To Side

Next we'll attach the bottom to the side. The shelving unit needs 2 fixed shelves to make it sturdy. The location of the top shelf needs to be at the top but you have some flexibility when positioning the bottom shelf.

I've planned for the bottom of the bottom shelf to be 12-1/2" from the bottom of the side but depending how big the items you plan to store in that area are, you might want to increase or decrease it. For example, if you want to store boots you may want to increase it.

Make sure the side is square to the front of the side and attach it using pocket hole screws as you did the top.

Step 4: Attach Stretchers To Side

Two stretchers cut from 1x4 boards are used to provide a way to attach the shelving unit to the wall as well as provide extra strength. Using pocket screws attach them to the side and fixed shelves as shown.

The bottom stretcher needs to clear the baseboard notch. If you want the shelf lower, mount the stretcher above the bottom shelf instead of below it.

Step 6: Attach Other Side

Finally we'll attach the other side of the shelving unit using the previously drilled pocket holes in the fixed shelves and stretchers. It's important that everything gets screwed together square.

Step 7: Drill Shelf Pin Holes

With the shelving unit completed we can now drill 2 rows of shelf pin holes on each side of the shelving unit. This is much easier to do with a jig like the Kreg Shelf Pin Drilling Jig.

For each set of holes use the same reference point. For example start all sets of holes by resting the bottom of the jig against the bottom shelf.

If you don't have a pocket hole jig you can either screw the shelves in directly using pocket hole scres or you can manually mark and drill the holes for the shelf pins. 1-1/4" spacing 2" from the front and back should do it.

Step 8: Move Existing Rod and Shelf

With the shelving unit complete and the rest of the components primed and painted it's time to start preparing the closet. To save some money we're going to reuse the existing rod and shelf. A typical closet has it's shelf installed at around 66" above the floor. 

To accommodate a double hang space the shelf and rod are going to need to be moved further up so that the bottom of the top shelf is at 84" above the floor.

Typically the closet will have 1x4 boards installed at the 66" mark on three walls that will support the shelf and rod. Try and determine how the boards are attached to the wall. They're probably just nailed in but sometimes they'll be screwed in.

Start by trying to remove the top shelf. Run a utility knife around the edges where the shelf meets the walls and 1x4s to break any paint that might be helping keep them together. Use a prybar to lift the top shelf off. If it's not coming up easily check for any screws and unscrew them.

Next the closet rod should be easy to lift off. 

Finally start removing the 1x4 support boards. We want to reuse all these pieces so take your time and try to avoid breaking them.

Use a level to draw a line as a guide to reinstall the existing closet rod and shelf. The tops of the support boards need to be at 84". To make installing easier draw your level reference line at 84" minus the width of board. Your boards may vary but if they're 1x4's they'll be 3-1/2" wide. So draw a line at 80-1/2" above the highest point on the floor.

Now reinstall the support boards into the closet lining up the bottom of the boards with the reference line. That should put the top of the boards at 84".

Place the rod back in and then attach the shelf.

There will be some holes in your walls and mismatched paint so fill in any holes with spackle, and sand any paint edges. When the spackle dries, sand it smooth then prime and paint the entire closet. For a closet, water based low VOC paint like Benjamin Moore's Aura is a good idea so that your clothes don't wind up smelling like paint.

Step 9: Install Shoe Shelf Supports

Before installing the shelving unit it's a good idea to install the wall supports for the side shoe shelves now that there's plenty of room to work. Typically, shoe shelves are installed 7" apart but you can change that to suit your needs. Keep in mind that the shoe shelves will reduce the height of the long hang area. If you have especially long garments to hang you might want to limit the number of shelves you're installing. If you use special pants hangers on the lower bar of the double hang section there should be sufficient room for shoes underneath your pants if extra shoe storage is important.

The shoe shelf supports are cut from the 1x2 boards. Make sure you cut them long enough so that they can be attached to at least 2 studs near the ends of the support.

Draw two level lines on the side wall, one 7" up and the other 14-3/4" up from the floor. (Or more or less depending on how high your shoes are.) Use these lines as a guide to align the tops of the 1x2 boards and drill or nail them into the studs on the side wall.

Step 10: Install Shelving Unit

Position the completed shelving unit against the back wall. It's position in relation to the sidewalls will determine how much extra hanging space you get via the double hang section as well as how much long hanging section you have. In this design I chose to put the shelving unit 9" from the left side wall. That will provide 9" of long hang which is enough to hold 4-6 long hanging items. If you need more or less you can position the unit as you see fit. I think it's a good idea for all closets to have at least some long hang area.

The position of the shelving unit will also determine the length of the extra shoe shelves on the left. Since you should have cut out the shoe shelves before this point you can rest one of the shoe shelves on the shoe shelf support and use it to determine where to position the shelving unit.

Once you have the shelving unit where you want it, make sure it's level and plumb then secure it to the wall by screwing it into studs through the back stretchers. 

Step 11: Install Lower Rod Support

The lower rod support is a 1x4 board that is cut to be as long as the depth of the closet. Screw or nail it into studs on the right wall so that the top of the support is 42" above the floor. You can also draw a level line from the top of the shelving unit to determine where to position the support. Make sure it is installed level.

With the rod support in place you can now install the closet rod. Directions will depend on what rod you use but it's important that the top-center of the rod is about 12" away from the back wall and about 1-1/2" down from the top of the shelving unit top and that the rod is installed level.

Step 12: Install Shoe Shelves

To install the shoe shelves, pocket holes will be drilled on the underside of the right side to attach to the shelving unit. On the wall side screws will be drilled from the top down into the wall supports. Drill pilot holes and countersinks so the screws are flush with the top or you can simply nail the shelves in place. Pilot holes are a good idea to prevent splitting the wood.

Step 13: Install Adjustable Shelves

Push the shelf pins into the appropriate holes depending on how you'd like to space the shelves in the shelving unit. Then place the shelves on top of the pins. Once the paint dries you can fill up your closet again.

If you'd like to add a drawer or two see my instructions on how to build drawer boxes.

Clothes Hangers: What You Need To Know

Closet still looks messy after installing a closet organizer? Does it not look as nice as the promotional pictures you've seen? What's the difference? The right hangers can give your closet a neater appearance. Let me show you why and some other tips.

When I was looking around for ideas to design a closet organizer for my coat closet it struck me how my closets didn't look as nice as the product photos even though I have closet organizers installed. I knew my closets wouldn't look as good as those product photos. I mean, my clothes are things I wear, not props I add to make my closet look nicer. But there was one simple and relatively inexpensive thing I could borrow from those staged photos to make my closet more visually appealing. Get new matching hangers!

Your closet is one of the first things you see every day. Having a neat, organized closet that's visually appealing which allows you to quickly find the clothes you want can really help you start off your day on a positive note. At the very least it will be one less frustration in your hectic day.

Imagine you walked into a shop and they had a rack of shirts using a mix of a dozen different types of hangers and the display looked messy. How would it make you feel about the clothes you were buying? When you open up your closet door do you want to feel like you're in a thrift store or a high end retailer where the clothes probably came from?

I have to admit that the aesthetic aspect was one of the driving factors in choosing to replace my clothes hangers but there are other benefits as well such as:

1. Save space.
2. Keep clothes from getting wrinkled, crushed or misshaped.
3. Make it easier to find what you're looking for.
4. Make it easier to put your clothes away so you don't wind up with your shirts on your footboard and your jeans pilled up in a corner.

Hanger Materials

From a visual perspective, it would be nice to have all the same hangers, but there are some hangers that are better suited to certain types of garments than others while still keeping costs down. My goal is going to be to get all the same type of material for particular types of clothes and have all the hangers at least have a chrome hook for uniformity.

Wire Hangers

Wire hangers are great for all sorts of things. They can help you unclog a sink, fish wire through walls, unlock your car door if you locked yourself out, you can even make an HDTV antenna out of them, and they're a cheap way to transport your clothes from the dry cleaners. They're not so great for your clothes. 

Over the years wire hangers have been getting thinner and weaker. They don't distribute the weight of the garment over a large surface area and aren't always wide enough which can cause indentations in the clothing. Apparently the metal can even discolor some fabrics, which is why when you get your clothes from the dry cleaners, there's sometimes a paper sleeve over the hanger or some cleaners use coated hangers.

Keep some wire hangers around because they can come in handy for different things, but once you get your clothes home from the cleaners, put them on better hangers. On your next trip to the cleaners, bring back your last set of wire hangers and see if they'll take them back so they don't wind up in a landfill. From what I understand many cleaners will accept them.

If for some reason you must have wire hangers (packing in a travel garment bag for instance) these Organize It All Chrome Hangers look nicer and stronger than the ones you get from the dry cleaner.

Plastic Tubular Hangers

These are better for your clothes than wire hangers and most of my closets were filled with them. They're not horrible but over the years you pick up some from the drugstore, the supermarket, and other locations and you wind up with a bunch of slightly different hangers in a rainbow of colors. It destroys the uniformity I'm looking to achieve. 

Getting all new plastic hangers that are the same size and color is an option but it seems like a waste. If I'm going to replace my hangers I want to replace them with something better.

Another problem with plastic hangers is some hangers wind up becoming different sizes and shapes, over time some of the hanger hooks have deformed resulting in an uneven appearance that makes the closets look cluttered. Hanging heavy items, such as jeans, on the bar of the hanger can also cause them to deform as can be seen in the photo above.

Velvet Hangers

These new types of hangers appear to be very popular. They have a chrome hook, which fits with my design goal, and the body of the hanger is a thin plastic that has a flocked surface. Think of the inside of a jewelry box. This velvet like surface provides friction to prevent clothes from slipping. They also have little indentations to hold on to clothes with thin straps so your tanks and spaghetti strap dresses don't wind up on the floor every time you look at them funny. 

They're reasonably priced and have a lot of good reviews. The only big downside is that if you put wet clothing on them it can cause the color of the "velvet" to transfer to your clothing, or otherwise damage the textured coating. I usually hand wash my workout clothes when I'm done with them then throw them on hangers and allow them to air dry. I'm going to need to keep a few plastic hangers around for that.

I purchased some velvet hangers to see what all the rage was about and I have to admit I'm pretty happy with them. I think they will make a good general purpose hanger for shirts and other tops. I replaced some of my plastic hangers with these velvet hangers and there's a big difference in the before and after photos.

You can see that the shirts line up better when they're all on the same type of hanger. The collars and shoulders are more in alignment. The shirts also sit better on the hanger and don't move around when I hang them on the rod thanks to the non-slip velvet texture. It makes it easier to find the shirt I'm looking for and the shirt doesn't slide around as I put it back on the rod.

If you look closely on the back wall of the photo there are CedarSafe Aromatic Eastern Red Cedar Flakeboard Closet Liner Panels. I had just installed these about a week ago. Not so much because I had a moth issue, but because I like the smell of cedar. Every time I open the closet door I'm greeted by the fresh cedar scent which reminds me of being out working in the yard. Something I can't do in the dead of winter. Anyway....

While I had the closet cleared out I had washed and ironed these particular shirts and hung them up carefully (I didn't mess them up for the photo) yet they still look like a mess compared to how they look when transferred to the velvet hangers which I didn't take much care in hanging up.

Velvet hangers claim to save space but I didn't see much in the way of space saving compared to the plastic hangers when the shirts hang naturally. If I compress them they probably take up less space than tubular hangers but I like to give my clothes room so that air can circulate and they don't wrinkle. Even without the space savings the shirts hang much nicer and make the closet look more tidy.

For button down shirts, polos, other tops and light dresses I think I'm going to stick with the velvet hangers. I was so happy with the few hangers I purchased I decided to order another 50 Velvet Hangers because they look and work well and are affordable. Especially when bought in packs of 50. They are available in different colors and in the following different styles:

Velvet Suit Hangers	Velvet Shirt/Dress Hangers	Velvet Suit Hanger with Metal Clips
General purpose hanger can be used for shirts, jackets, suits, folded pants, etc.	Costs less than suit hangers. No cross bar for pants. Good for shirts and other tops and dresses.	If you hang your pants or long dresses without folding them to avoid creases, these come with clips.

You can also get Finger Clips separately to add to your velvet hangers that enable you to hang pants and long skirts without folding them.

Wooden Hangers

If you want to feel like you're looking through the racks of a high end clothing store when you're selecting your outfit for the day there's nothing better than real wood hangers. They add a touch of elegance to your closet. People who market closet organizers seem to understand this because every single product photo I've seen for closet organizers used wooden hangers.

They are available available in a number of different colors to match your closets decor as well as unfinished aromatic cedar.

For shirts and other tops these Honey-Can-Do Wood Hangers with Non-Slip Grooved Bar seem like an attractive option. They are available in maple and cherry and are one of the most affordable wooden hanger options I've seen.

They come with a bar for pants and are labeled as suit hangers but some reviewers claimed that the bar wasn't sturdy and just stapled on. Honey-Can-Do offers a limited lifetime warranty on these hangers which does give me some piece of mind. These are very affordable wooden hangers and you're going to have to expect certain things. The finish on them doesn't seem to be applied very well. The finish on the top of the hanger appears to be smooth but on the front and back there are some rough spots. For the price though, they're a very good value.

If you want to purchase a lot of wooden hangers these The Great American Hanger Company 200202-100 Wooden Suit Hangers come in sets of 100 and appear to be good quality at a great price.

The Best Wooden Hangers

The quality of the wooden hangers I mentioned above are adequate and about what you can expect for hangers in that price range. If money is no object and you want the best hand made, hand finished that money can buy visit Butler Luxury. What's surprising about these hangers is how affordable they are. Okay, they're not cheap compared to the wooden hangers above that can go for less than $1 each but compared to other high end hangers from The Hanger Project or Beverly Hangers, they're in the same ball park. That's quite a feat considering the Hanger Project and Beverly Hangers are machine manufactured in China while the Butler Luxury hangers are hand made here in the good 'ol US of A. Check out Gentleman's Gazette for a full review of Butler Luxury Hangers.

I previously made the mistake of thinking that Butler Luxury Hangers were made in the USA but received this information from the Mike Cregan, owner of Butler Luxury.

Our hangers are made in a facility in China.  However, what is true is that our facility is like no other China. Nearly all hanger factories are all in the same area and feed off each other.  Our shop is about 1500 miles from the others, uses highly skilled craftsmen and has  better conditions.  It is the same place where the shop makes hangers  for Prada and Zegna.  It is highly specialized for only cutting edge  quality hangers.  No others.

Hangers Types For Different Clothes

Your standard triangle shaped "suit hanger" can serve most purposes but there are benefits to getting specialty hangers for different types of clothes.

Pant and Skirt Hangers

There are three basic types of pant hangers, an open ended bar hanger, a clip top hanger as well as using clips on a standard suit hanger. You my need more than one type depending on your wardrobe and how you like to hang your pants.

One tip that can be used for all pants hangers though is to hang your pants with the crotch facing the back wall. It helps make everything look more uniform.

Open Ended Pants Hangers

If like me, you fold your pants on hangers, these open ended hangers both look nice and are very functional. 

I ordered a couple dozen of the Jobar Slacks Easy Slide Hangers to hang my slacks and jeans. I was a little concerned by some of the negative reviews on them but the other brands were much more expensive. These are far and away the hangers that made the most difference in my closet and their quality seems very good.

I used to hang my jeans on the bar of plastic hangers and my dress pants usually stayed on the hangers that came from the dry cleaners. The wire hanger with the cardboard tube over the bar seemed to do well to keep the pants from sliding off the bar and onto the floor when I was shuffling through them looking for something to wear.

As you can see though, they looked sloppy and the weight of the jeans would distort them.

The Jobar slacks hangers have a few great benefits.

• There is a ribbed plastic or rubber sleeve over the bar that provides friction to keep the pants from sliding off the hanger. 
• The hangers are chrome plated so they match up well with the chrome plated tops of the Velvet Hangers I purchased. 
• They seem very durable and have no problem holding up heavy jeans. I even put 4 pairs of jeans on one hanger and the hanger could handle it.
• They can even be used to hang folded sweaters or shirts on the bar better than suit hangers.
• It's easier to take pants off the hanger and put them back on compared to standard suit hangers. You don't even need to take the hanger off the closet rod.
• It's easier to see which pants are which because the view isn't obstructed. This is especially helpful for me as I have my pants hanging on the lower half of a double hang rod section.
• The pants sit up higher off the floor compared to suit hangers which makes a much nicer space below the pants for additional shoe storage. There is enough clearance to easily see the shoes. This alone makes the purchase of the hangers worth the cost in my opinion.

One of the major complaints in the reviews were that they weren't long enough. The Jobar pant hangers I received have no problems holding the size 34 waist pants that I have hanging on them and there's room to spare. The bar is 12" long (13" if you count the bent up end portion) so if you have any concerns fold your pants over a hanger you already own, take a tape measure and measure the width of the pants at the hanger bar. If your pants are too wide to fit on the hangers and you didn't get a small size by mistake, think about exercising more or get rid of the MC Hammer pants.

The specifications for the other hangers (like these Whitmor Chrome and Foam Collection Slack Hangers which have a foam instead of plastic cover) don't seem to be substantially wider than the ones I purchased except for maybe these Closet Complete Foam-Coated Chrome Non-Slip Pants Hangers which might be a little bit bigger. 

Clip Top Pant and Skirt Hangers

If you have at least a  medium hang section of your closet (about 54" of vertical hanging space) you can hang your jeans and slacks without folding them. Simply clip them upside down by the cuffs to a clip top hanger and you're set. Makes it easy to not forget things in your pockets too :)

Skirts and Shorts can also be hung using these types of hangers in double hang sections. Some of my cargo shorts and bike shorts are especially hard to fold and I'm planning on getting clip top hangers for these. I still haven't decided which ones. Either chrome and black ones that match the slacks hangers or wooden ones because the wood will be visible and provide a more pleasing appearance. These are the ones I'm considering.

Suit Hangers 

The main reason I wouldn't use the wooden hangers above for suits is I prefer the curved, wide shoulder suit hangers like these Whitmor Natural Wood Collection Deluxe Suit Hanger. These are the types of hangers that my suits came with. They help preserve the shape of the suit. These are not to be confused with the cheaper contoured wood hangers which have a curved shape but not the wide shoulder pads.

They're not cheap but $15 for a hanger doesn't seem so bad when you're considering you're putting a suit or jacket on it that you paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for. If you have a few suits and jacks I did see these Proman Products Libra Wide Shoulder Suit Hanger w/PVC Ribbed Bar that are less than $6 each when you purchase a set of 12.

The Honey-Can-Do Wood Wide Shoulder Suit Hangers comes in a 2 pack for around $12 but I could only find them in black. The Whitmor Cherry Wood Collection Suit Hanger is less than $7 each currently but I was hoping for a light colored wood. I guess I'd have to spend a little more to get the cherry flat hangers to match.

If the wood hangers seem too expensive, there's always the plastic broad shoulder suit hangers which are a fraction of the cost.

Your suits and jackets should last you a long time if you take care of them and you should invest in decent hangers for them if yours didn't come with proper hangers.

Padded Hangers For Delicates

For delicate fabrics like silk, satin and lace, padded hangers are recommended. They help protect delicate and expensive blouse, lingerie and other items such as sleepwear. They all have similar designs, a hook and a padded arm with a bow in the middle. Some are covered in canvas, others in linen but most seem to be in satin.

They're all very feminine looking but you know what. Us guys can have silk shirts, silk and satin pajamas too. A black set or canvas covered padded hanger might be a little more masculine looking. You can even clip the bow off if you want.