Building a closet step by step

Below you will the steps to follow to build a standard bedroom closet. The inside of a the closet measures 24 in. (61 cm) in depth by 48 in. (121 cm) in width.

Note: You can frame it using two-by-fours (38 mm × 89 mm). You could also use two-by-threes (38 mm × 64 mm).


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1. Choose the door
2. Trace the inside perimeter
3. Trace the outside perimeter
4. Attach the framework
5. Measure the length of the pieces
6. Install the studs
7. Blocking the the corners
8. Nail the studs
9. Run the wires
10. Fasten the drywall
11. Finish the doorjam and the mouldings
12. Install the door and frame
13. Finishing the joints and match the decor

1. Choose the door

Choose the door first in order to determine the size of the doorframe. Your choice of doors will affect the overall framing.

2. Trace the inside perimeter

Trace the inside perimeter of the closet structure on the floor and ceiling using a pencil, making sure you remove existing baseboards and mouldings that you can reuse later for exterior finishing. For a 24 in. (61 cm) by 48 in. (121 cm) closet, your pencil tracing should be 24 ½ in. (62,23 cm) by 48 ½ in. (123,19 cm) to allow for the thickness of drywall.

3. Trace the outside perimeter

Trace the outside perimeter of the closet four inches beyond the interior perimeter (3 ½ in. (89 mm) for the width of the two-by-four (38 mm x 89 mm) and ½ in. (1,27 cm) for the thickness of the drywall).

4. Attach the framework

The closet frame must be attached to a stud behind the existing wall, to a floor and ceiling joists.

The two-by-four (38 mm × 89 mm) frame - which must be squared - can be assembled on the floor and erected once built. Use the 3 - 4 - 5 method (measure 3' one side, 4' on the adjacent side - the diagonal measurement should be 5') to ensure the frame, the walls and the doorframe are square while you are assembling the closet frame.

5. Measure the length of the pieces

The two-by-fours (38 mm × 89 mm) sill plates (floor piece) and as cap (ceiling pieces) will be the same length as the inside width of the closet, plus four inches for the front wall while those for the side wall will be the same length as the inside depth of the closet, plus four inches, less the depth of a two-by-four (3½ in.). Seen from the outside, the front wall will completely cover the end of the lateral wall (3 ½ in.).

6. Install the studs

The studs (2 in. × 4 in.(38 mm × 89 mm)) will then be installed vertically between the sill plates and the truss beams, centred every 16 in. (40,64 cm) (centre to centre) starting from the wall and moving to the corner. The distance between the studs will also depend on the width of the doorframe. You may find it easier to build the entire framework on the floor by marking the correct location of the studs and nailing them through the sill plates and truss beams.

7. Blocking the the corners

To strengthen the corner, erect an additional stud inside the corner stud and separate it from the corner stud using three spacers (two-by-four cuts (38 mm × 89 mm)) which you will install perpendicular to the sill plate and the truss beam, between the corner stud and the additional stud.

8. Nail the studs

The positioning of the studs (king studs) on either side of the doorframe should take into account two shorter inside studs (jack studs) that support two horizontal two-by-fours (38 mm × 89 mm) nailed on the flat to form the upper structure of the doorframe. A short stud should then inserted at the centre of horizontal the two-by-fours (38 mm × 89 mm), extended to the sill plate and nailed to it.
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