DIY - Custom Shoe Shelf - Renter Friendly

Build a custom shoe shelf that maximizes your closet space! This DIY project is a perfect rental solution for utilizing the often-wasted space under your clothing racks.

Building shoe shelves has been a frequent occurrence for me this year. It all started when organizing my daughter's new apartment. She found herself with a mountain of shoes and nowhere to store them. 

That first picture is the shoe rack I built to maximize the weird shape of her closet. 

Customization is one of the greatest benefits of building your own shelves. You end up with a shelf that fits the space and, most importantly, is built to fit your shoe collection requirements.

Let's get to the building details of these shoe shelves!

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Closet spaces in rental properties are often equipped with a lonely clothing rack across the length of the closet. Tenants are supposed to organize their belongings as best they can, and frequently, shoes and other items are stored in a pile on the floor below the clothing rack.

The shelf in my daughter's closet was built differently because I wanted to use material from the scrap pile. Ha, that's one more reason to make your own shelves.

However, for most shelves covering the entire length of the closet, I like to use 1 x 12 x 8 primed pine for their construction. 

This is a two-part or sometimes three-part shelf. The lower and top parts can be taken apart for easy transport. 

The entire shelf is assembled with the pocket hole system. The lower part of both outer supports is installed 3/4" in, clearing the space between the baseboards. Wooden dowels keep both shelf pieces together.

Materials Needed:

• Wood: Choose a sturdy wood like pine or plywood for the shelves and sides. I used: 1 x 12 x 8 primed pine
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Saw (circular or miter saw)
• Drill
• Screws and drill bits
• Wood glue
• 1/4" wooden dowels
• Sandpaper
• Stain or paint (optional)
• Kreg Jig and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws

Instructions:

1. Measure your closet

Accurately measure the space between your walls and the height under your clothing racks. This will determine the dimensions and the number of shelves you can stack together.

2. Cut the wood

Based on your measurements, cut the pieces for the shelves and supports (my supports' height was 5-1/4"). However, you can make them any size to accommodate any type of shoe.

3. Drill pocket holes

I use the Kreg Jig to drill three pocket holes on each support. A 5-foot closet shelf usually sports three lower supports.

4. Assemble the shelf structure

Create the basic structure by joining the long top piece with the lower supports using wood glue and 1-1/4" pocket hole screws. 

The main intention of creating this type of customized shoe shelf for rental properties is to make it easy to install, provide an organized area for your shoes, and allow you to take the system once you move to a new place.

As mentioned above, the basic shelf + supports can be stacked to form two or three-layer shelves.

Remember to assemble the lower shelf, installing the outer supports 3/4" in from the outer to accommodate the baseboard. If shoe molding is also installed, the gap should be at least 1 1/4".

Hey, if you don't want to patch those pocket holes, you can hide some of them by assembling the supports in a less showy way. The end support holes are hidden right next to the walls.

5. Connect the shelves

Simple wooden dowels keep each shelf on top of each other.

Mark the center on each lower support and its corresponding position on the top of the lower shelf.

|  Kreg - Multi-Mark Measuring Tool  |

Use a 1/4" drill bit to make a 1/4" deep hole in the center of both supports and in the corresponding location on the top of the lower shelf.

Insert the dowels in the lower supports and then onto the top of the lower shelf.

Here, supervisor Louie gave his paw-proval to this shoe shelf assembly.

This long shelf with four lower supports was my latest build. I made sure everything was perfectly aligned before bringing it to my client. 

Its two sections make it easy to fit in a car and transport and not too heavy to move around. For these reasons, the wooden dowels are free of glue. 

6. Sand and finish

Sand the entire shelf to smooth out any rough edges. Apply wood stain or paint to give your shelf a finished look.

7. Install

Carefully place the shelf in your closet. If it is too tall, secure it to the walls with L brackets.

The picture below was the shelf installed in my sister-in-law Fanny's closet. 

You can read about her closet makeover right HERE.

I hope this project gives you ideas for tackling shoe organization in your closet!

Thanks for stopping by!

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