Wood Choice for Closet Shelves/Organizer

Hey David
Let me start with material If you want to stain it dark walnut you can use pine or poplar. With a presealer you can make ether work. what is more typical of closets is MDO , MDF, or melamine it is stable and easy to work with but The MDO and MDF are paint grade materials. As far as putting up typical shelves in closets is that you nail or screw cleats to the wall making sure there level,then putting your shelving on top of that then you use a support bracket If you just installing on shelf or out side supports that go all the way to the floor. This is the old style type of shelving . The newer systems are cleaner and faster.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

If you decide to go with solid wood I can help you with several types of pine , oak , alder , cedar etc . They all work well in our high desert location . I can also “kit up ” your shelves .Let us know as we are pretty close to you .

I built this as a “floating” shoe cubbie. I pre-built it on some saw horses in two sections, thats why the 2 plywoods in the middle. Then outlined it with poplar, and one vertical on the double plywood part, and sreen moulding on all the rest… Just a cleat on the bottom to help hold it up…. I wish I had pics of the rest of the closet. I typically use all 3/4” birch or maple paint grade @ $40 a sheet, but just found some at Menards one side sanded other side not great but $23 a sheet!!

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt325/tjbier/RusticBar001-1.jpg

-- Tom.

I like to build shelves out of birch plywood with a piece of 3/4” x 1 1/4” wide maple, alder or birch( which ever is available) glued and nailed to the front to give the shelf some additional strength and to hide the plywood edge. These materials are reasonably priced, take a stain very well , and easy to figure how much you need with little waste.
-Rabbet