These nightstands were painted in ASCP and they only have one coat. I wanted to show how this
paint is perfect for creating a time warn finish, easily. All the furniture finishes so many of us
covet are very European and this paint just so happens to be European along with its creator.
I painted both cabinets with one coat of grey (custom mix) from top to bottom using a
2 inch brush. I took extra care to get a nice coat on the drawer faces but that is easy
because I always take my drawers out and paint them standing off to the side.
In many areas you get spots where your brush has left "see through marks", thats what Ill call them
for the purpose of this review. They are rough once dry and of course look like you missed a spot
but once you sand these smooth with a 220 grit paper they look to be original wear from years gone by.
The white accents are painted over the grey with a small artist brush. I like to take my time when
doing this and enjoy it. If you have a ball and claw foot to paint turn the piece upside down and get
a crisp line painted between the ball and claw to define it well.
If I were to add dark wax to these they would look like they
sailed across the ocean right from a French villa.
Heres the BEFORE and AFTER shot below.
Free woodworking plans for a deep coat closet. Includes ample shoe storage and a bench seat.
The current amount of hanging space is sufficient so the new design will have about the same amount of hanging space for coats with both double hang and single hang poles for larger coats. Shoe storage will be greatly increased by adding 5 18"shoe shelves which should be able to hold 2 pairs of mens shoes or 3 pairs of womens shoes each. Additionally, taller shoe storage is provided under the bench and shelves for boots and other items. The shoe shelves are only 12" deep (instead of the full 16" depth of the shelving unit) to provide a little extra elbow room when seated.
The 2 12" shelves that were installed above the closet rod will be replaced with the 16" deep top shelf, which runs along the entire back wall, and 3 18x16" shelves. This will provide enough storage for the miscellaneous items that wind up in the coat closet because they cant seem to fit in other places. The deeper top shelf will make it easier to store some of the large Rubbermaid totes that are a little too deep for the current closet shelf.
I would have liked to make the shelves adjustable but that would have meant buying a second full sheet of plywood and losing about 3/4" of space for either shelving or hanging which would have been a problem for me.
An upright vacuum cleaner can be stored in the long hanging section or possibly in the corner in front of the double hang section.
The most important change however is the inclusion of a small padded bench. Its a little narrow but big enough to provide a space to sit and take off or put on your shoes.
What Youll Need
Materials
My plan is to use maple for all the lumber. The full sheet of plywood will likely be pre-finished 3/4" maple PureBond.
- (1) 4 x 8 sheet 3/4" Prefinished PureBond Maple plywood
- (1) 2 x 4 sheet of 1/2" in. PureBond Maple Plywood
- (1) 51-1/4" x 16" 3/4" Plywood Top Shelf
- (1) 42" x 16" 3/4" Plywood Double Hang Side
- (1) 17-1/4" x 16" 3/4" Plywood Double Hang Top
- (1) 19" x 10-3/4" 3/4" Plywood Bench Bottom
- (4) 18" x ~15-7/8" 3/4" Plywood Shelves/Shelving Bottom
- (4) 18" x ~11-7/8" 1/2" Plywood Shoe Shelves
- (1) 49-3/4" 1x4 Top Shelf Support
- (1) 34-1/4" 1x4 Seat Wall Support
- (1) 33-1/2" 1x4 Seat Front Support
- (1) 33-1/4" 1x4 Back Wall Support
- (2) 16" 1x4 Top Side Supports
- (1) 15-1/4" 1x4 Double Hang Side Support
- (1) 10-3/4" 1x4 Seat Front Wall Support
- (2) 9-1/4" 1x4 Seat middle Supports
- (4) 11-7/8" 1x2 Shoe Shelf Supports
Cut Plan
3/4" Plywood
The main component will be cut out of 3/4" Plywood. You can save a lot of time if you purchase pre-finished plywood. Youll need to make appropriate changes for your particular closet dimensions.
Two rip cuts will be made to produce two strips 16" wide and what ever is left over will be used for the shelves. The actual dimension will be 16" - (2 * saw kerf).
1/2" Plywood
The shoe shelves dont need to be very strong. 1/2" plywood will be sufficient given the span and weight they will hold. So to save money and space Im using 1/2" plywood for the shoe shelves. Cut in center of 2x4 sheet to make 2 equal sized pieces accounting for saw kerf.
1x4 Boards
The 1x4 boards will be used for the main supports to hold the closet organizer. The can be prefinished whole and then when cut to size the ends sanded and finished in place where exposed.
1x2 Boards
1x2 is used to support the wall end of the shoe shelves.
Step 1: Cut and Finish
Double check the closet dimensions and cut all plywood to size and apply. Apply 3-4 coats of Polycrylic and edgeband where necessary. Some of the boards Ill cut to length and finish with 3-4 coats of Polycrylic. Avoid using oil based finishes because they can out gas for many months and make your clothes smell. Before cutting the boards to length Ill double check the stud locations and make any of the short boards that dont extend the whole wall longer than necessary so that I can attach them into at least 2 studs.
Step 2: Assemble Double Hang Cabinet
The lower section of the double hang can be assembled beforehand and installed in the closet as one unit.
Start by attaching the top, wall and back using pocket hole screws as shown below. The illustration shows the components upside down and backwards for ease of assembly.
Then attach the long side using pocket screws as shown. There are also two pocket holes for screws on the back of the back piece. Youll need to cut a notch on the back of the long side so it can fit around baseboards. (not pictured)
Step 3: Install Double Hang Cabinet
Place the double hang cabinet in the desired location making sure its plumb and level. Attach it to the wall by driving 3 to 3-1/2" wood screws through the back and side components into wall studs.
Step 4: Mark Guide Lines
Determine the high point in the floor if any using a level. From the high point, mark 2 distances on the back wall at 17-1/4" and 80-1/2" up from the floor and draw level lines at the marks.
The bottom line indicates where the top of the bottom supports will be located. The top line indicates where the bottom of the top supports will go. Since we want the top of the top support to be at 84" and were using 1x4s as supports, we subtract 3-1/2" from 84". That way the top of the support will be where we want it but we can see the bottom of the line without having to stand on a latter when installing the top support.
Step 5: Attach 1x4 Supports
Starting with the short pieces, attach the 1x4 supports to the walls by drilling 3 to 3-1/2" wood screws through the face of the 1x4. Use 2 screws to secure to each stud for maximum strength. Do not use drywall screws.
Step 6: Complete Bench Frame
Attach the front and center components of the bench frame using pocket holes as shown. The center supports should be no more than 12" apart.
Step 7: Attach Shelf Bottom To Shelf Side
Cut a notch at the top of the side panel to fit around the 1x4 top shelf support (3/4" x 3-1/2") and drill 2 pocket holes that will be used to attach the side to the top shelf support.
Attach the bottom of the shelving unit to the side using pocket screws as shown.
Place the flanges in the holes and secure with a 1/2" screw. Cut the closet rod to length and place it in the flanges.
