{"id":825,"date":"2024-06-24T10:50:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T02:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/22\/tween-boy-closet-makeover\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T14:42:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T06:42:15","slug":"tween-boy-closet-makeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/?p=825","title":{"rendered":"Tween Boy Closet Makeover"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This tween boy closet makeover took this space from a dysfunctional mess to an organized and functional storage space for clothes, toys, and more! \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Tween<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a minute since I posted anything new with my youngest son\u2019s bedroom, but today I\u2019m sharing how I turned his dysfunctional mess of a closet into something where everything has a place! \u00a0I\u2019m partnering with DAP Products<\/strong><\/span> today to show you how I transformed this closet into something that is both functional and organized.<\/p>\n

Download The Printable Plans<\/h2>\n

While every closet is different, I did put together<\/span> some printable plans<\/strong> that you can use either as a reference, or follow them exactly to design your own custom closet. \u00a0You can download the printable plans HERE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

How to Organize A Closet<\/h2>\n

\"closet<\/p>\n

I wish I had taken a photo of my youngest\u2019s closet before I started tearing his room apart, but I can tell you it looked almost identical to my oldest son\u2019s closet before I got it organized<\/span><\/strong>. \u00a0The only difference is that my younger son\u2019s closet doesn\u2019t have so much space on each end of it behind the opening.<\/p>\n

When putting together the plan for this closet, I needed to look at the whole picture. \u00a0What did I need to accomplish with this? \u00a0What are some major organization issues in his room? \u00a0What can we get rid of? \u00a0How can this grow with him as he gets older? \u00a0I then drew out the design and got to work.<\/p>\n

\"tween<\/p>\n

Here is how it looked midway through the whole process. \u00a0With his bedroom having a sports theme, I ordered lockers on Amazon<\/strong><\/span> for his clothes to hang, as well as storage for hats and shoes.<\/p>\n

Preparing The Wood For The Closet<\/h2>\n

\"ripping<\/p>\n

I used 3\/4\u2033 veneer plywood for all of the closet components. \u00a0I cut all of the pieces down to size before beginning assembly.<\/p>\n

How to Apply Veneer Banding<\/h2>\n

\"applying<\/p>\n

Because several edges of the plywood would be exposed, I used veneer edge banding to cover those edges. \u00a0I used a hot iron to melt the glue to attach it. \u00a0Once the glue was dry, I trimmed the excess of with an edge banding trimmer.<\/p>\n

How To Assemble The Cabinet<\/h2>\n

\"building<\/p>\n

When all of the pieces were prepped, I built the cabinet box. \u00a0I drilled 3\/4\u2033 pocket holes into the sides on the bottom piece and vertical pieces. \u00a0I attached everything with 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws and wood glue.<\/p>\n

When the bottom was attached to the sides, I moved on to the top. \u00a0I again used wood glue and 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws to attach it.<\/p>\n

\"installing<\/p>\n

Once the cabinet box was assembled, I installed the center divider. \u00a0I cut scrap wood down to size to use as blocks to help me align the divider into place. \u00a0The divider was attached with 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws, which I positioned so that they would be on the drawer side of the cabinet and not exposed.<\/p>\n

Building The Hamper Drawer<\/h2>\n

\"building<\/p>\n

The cabinet will function as both storage and a clothes hamper. \u00a0I built a tall drawer that a clothes hamper would fit into to keep his laundry out of sight. \u00a0The drawer is made of 3\/4\u2033 veneer plywood. \u00a0I glued and attached all of the pieces with 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws.<\/p>\n

Attaching The Apron Pieces<\/h2>\n

\"attaching<\/h2>\n

To give the cabinet support in the middle, I ripped down plywood to make up the front and back apron pieces. \u00a0I drilled 3\/4\u2033 pocket holes into the top and sides of the pieces, then attached them with wood glue and 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With the aprons in place, I used Plastic Wood-X wood filler<\/span><\/strong> on the exposed edge of the plywood to fill in any voids. \u00a0I let it dry, then sanded it smooth.<\/p>\n

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Adding An Adjustable Shelf<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The cabinet will have an adjustable shelf for customizable storage. \u00a0I drilled shelf pin holes with my shelf pin jig in the front and back edges on each side of the cabinet carcass.<\/p>\n

I measured the interior dimensions of the cabinet and cut a plywood shelf to size, leaving approximately 1\/8\u2033 on all sides for the shelf to easily be adjusted.<\/p>\n

Painting The Cabinet<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I painted the cabinet white to match the walls in my son\u2019s closet. \u00a0The paint is Swiss Coffee in semi-gloss. \u00a0I rolled on three coats, lightly sanding in between coats.<\/p>\n

How To Install The Cabinet and Shelf<\/h2>\n

\"installing<\/p>\n

The cabinet fits just behind the opening of the closet. \u00a0I pushed it into place, then set the lockers where they would go. \u00a0The upper shelf sits partially on the top of the lockers, which helped me to determine where the supporting cleats would be attached.<\/p>\n

\"installing<\/p>\n

I bought a 1\u00d73 pre-primed pine board for the supporting cleats. \u00a0The lengths were measured and cut to size to support the closet shelf. \u00a0I used a stud finder to locate the studs, and drove 2 1\/2\u2033 screws into them to secure the cleats. \u00a0Make sure to check that the cleats and shelf are level throughout this process.<\/p>\n

Sealing The Closet<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To give the closet a seamless look, I used DAP Alex Flex<\/span><\/strong> premium molding and trim sealant. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I applied a bead of the caulk to all areas where there was a seam or corner. \u00a0To smooth the bead, I use old gift cards. \u00a0I have found that they work really well to get a smooth seam.<\/p>\n

When the caulk was dry, I touched up all of the seams and cleats with more paint. \u00a0I did not fill the screw holes as I wanted to be able to have the option to locate and remove them if and when that time comes.<\/p>\n

Installing The Drawer<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lastly, I installed the hamper drawer. \u00a0I first added the drawer hardware, which matches the hardware on my son\u2019s dresser and his bed. \u00a0I then installed the drawer slides. \u00a0With the drawer installed, I added the clothes hamper to it.<\/p>\n

Organized Tween Closet Makeover<\/h2>\n

\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The end result of this makeover is a functional, organized closet space that my son loves. \u00a0There\u2019s a place for everything and everything is in its place. \u00a0The hamper drawer might be my favorite part, because it hides dirty laundry in plain sight. \u00a0The baskets I bought are big enough to store away his stuffed animal collection that he refuses to let go of, and they are a fairly smooth design, so they won\u2019t scuff up the paint on the shelf or cabinet. \u00a0He loves the lockers being organized so that his school uniforms are in one, sports jerseys in another, and jackets in the third. \u00a0<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE PLANS<\/span><\/h2>\n

What Size Lockers Do I Buy?<\/h2>\n

One question I get asked a lot by friends is about the locker sizing. \u00a0Given that my son is 11 and still growing, I made sure to buy lockers that were 18\u2033 deep. \u00a0They\u2019re big enough to hold full size hangers and shirts so that he can continue to use them as he grows. \u00a0The lockers are also 12\u2033 wide, so we can get a good number of shirts in each of them. \u00a0They have a shelf at the top where he stores his hats, and the lower shelf\/bottom is a great place for him to stash away his shoes.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

DISCLOSURE: \u00a0I was provided product and\/or compensation for this post. \u00a0All opinions and ideas are 100% my own. \u00a0This post contains affiliate links. \u00a0Should you purchase an item from one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.<\/p>\n

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This tween boy closet makeover took this space from a dysfunctional mess to an organized and functional storage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=825"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1087,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825\/revisions\/1087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}