My Closet Project

Well, I've done it again.  What started out as just a simple 'clean out the closet' project, ended up with a complete make-over.  I don't know what gets in to me, but once I start a project, different ideas start popping in to my head and then one thing leads to another.  My closet is very, very small, and what's worse is I have to share it with Douglas.  I'm somewhat embarrassed to show you the 'before' photo, but I must to give you an idea of how cramped it was, and there were no shelves to put my shoes. As I stood there staring at the mess, I just decided to pull EVERYTHING out and really make it a functional closet. Here goes...

Don't judge me from this photo,,I really am a tidy housekeeper.  :)

This is my side of the L-shaped closet..(I get the longest part of course)

This is Douglas's side of the closet.  As you can see he has no shelves to put things.

The first thing I did after I took everything out, is scrape the popcorn off the ceilings.  I hate popcorn ceilings!!

Next, I painted the entire closet to match the master bath area.

 

Our whole downstairs is hardwood flooring and I was tired of this dusty ugly carpeting, so I just ripped it all out and threw it out to the curb.

 

I already had a few shelves that Douglas built for me a couple of years ago, but obviously I needed more, so I just extended them around the corner.

 

I think I did a pretty good job.  I have an application on my IPhone 4 that is a level.  It sure came in handy when I was trying to align the shelving.

Next in line was the bare concrete floor to deal with.  Sadly, I think this is where the original builders kept spare paint, and when they sprayed the closet, they got paint all over the concrete.  There was also glue from the carpet padding I had to deal with.  I scrubbed and scrubbed and even used muriatic acid to get the stains off, but some of it was deeply set.  I decided to just live with it and make the most of the staining part of my project.

Here's the concrete during the cleaning process.

 

The next step was to spray on the stain with a garden sprayer.  I had to wear my rubber boots because the stain has acid in it as well.

I had to let this set for 24 hours before I could put the sealer on.  The concrete had a rather dull finish until I started putting the sealer on, and then it just started popping out color.  I was amazed at the difference.

Here's a shot of the finished floor.  You can see all the blemishes from where the paint overspray and glue was, but it still looks good and certainly much better than it did before.

 

Next, I started putting all our things back in the closet.  I actually did take some stuff to Goodwill during the process.

 

I've had these little bins forever.  Since I don't have a lot of storage space, I opted for these to store lingerie and other sundry items.  I even labeled each bin with the item that's in each one.

Here's a closeup of some of the tags I made.  I went to Google images to find the photo I wanted, then laminated them and used little clips to hang them on the handle of each bin. (click on each image to get a closer look)

I found that just having the extra shelves and adding extra bins, just made the whole look and feel of the closet a lot more organized.  Everything has a place now.

 

I purchased the laundry hampers, and throw rugs at Bed, Bath, and Beyond - one for each of us.

 

I love the baskets on each shelf for loose items like scarves and socks.  I even have my favorite perfumes displayed for easy access.

On Douglas's side of the closet, I installed the overhead shelves for luggage and ski wear, and a hook rack for towels and bathrobes.  I even built the wall shelf for shoes, books and other items.

 

I absolutely love my closet now.  It's so easy to find my things and I'm more inclined to keep it tidy now that there is a place for everything.  At some point I need to work on my upstairs bedroom where I have all my clothes. I'll have to look through some magazine ideas and come up with something creative.  I'm sure it will come to me on a moment's notice.

Have a great week wherever you are.