I Tearing Out Old Closet Material

T
o prepare the area, you must first tear out existing
material. Wire shelving is the most common to
remove because it is the standard shelving added to
closets for new construction and for resale homes.
Other systems that you may want to remove are
wall-hung or floor-based units. There are a variety of
reasons for why you would remove an existing unit
and start over from scratch, namely for a customized
closet specific to your needs. All of the removals
follow the same basic procedures and require standard
tools. There are instructions in the floor-based system
removal that are relevant to removing a built-in, too.
Tip
Lay down a moving blanket just outside of the closet.
This will prevent your floors from getting dirty from the
removed closet materials. Set a bucket on the blanket
for collecting removed hardware and fasteners.
38 BUILD YOUR OWN CUSTOM CLOSET
Tools & Materials
Phillips screwdriver
Slotted screwdriver
Drill
Prybar
Utility knife
Hammer
Putty (or wallboard)
knife
Fast-drying spackle
ISO-grit sandpaper
(for sanding
spackle smooth)
Pliers
Vacuum
Wood strip or block
nail set
Sponge
PVAprimer
Paintbrush
Paint
Framing square
Wallboard saw or jigsaw
11/4" wallboard screws
1/ 2" wallboard (or metal
thickness of existing
wallboard)
Self-adhesive wallboard
tape
Wood putty