DIY DVD Storage Closet
How we packed tons of media and DVD storage into a small under-stairs closet using just a few pieces of lumber in one weekend.
Our kids and grandkids will never know the joys of strolling through a Blockbuster on Friday night…
Bee-lining it to the new release wall only to discover that every single one of the 30 copies of Titanic are sold out…
Meandering through the “old school” movie aisles, which to you was any movie older than 5 years because you were a whopping 12 years old…
Begging your mom for just one little sleeve of Sour Punch Straws if you pinky promised with a cherry on top that you would clean your disgusting room the second you got home…
And cursing the guy who rented the VHS tape before you because he did not “be kind and rewind”.
Yeah… all that. I never knew I’d miss it.
We did the best we could though and created our own miniature Blockbuster in the closet under our stairs.
And it’s mainly because we refuse to part with our DVD hard copies since we’re still rockin’ the “old school” title here too.
Robert had this idea to make use of this oddly shaped, dingy little closet, since we had no decent organization to our movie collection, and this little space was not being used to its potential. Aren’t those mouse traps great decor? Welcome to living in an old house. Bleck!
So he and Olivia made a day of it for a daddy/daughter weekend project to transform it into something more functional. Win/win/win!
Supplies Used:
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- 2 2″x4″x8′ boards
- 1/4 plywood
- 1 1″x4″x8′ boards
- Circular saw
- Finishing nail gun
- 1 3/4″ finishing nails
- Power drill
- Wood screws
- Caulk & caulk gun
- Primer and/or paint & paint brush
- 1-1/2″ L brackets
The Steps:
1. Because the closet extended underneath an unusable part of our stairs (next to our air return vent), we decided to close it off. So we built a frame using 2″x4″ boards and wood screws to create “studs”.
2. Then for our wall, we decided to use plywood since we already had a scrap piece we could use. (If you prefer sheetrock, that works too.) We cut the plywood to the measurements of the 2″x4″ frame and nailed it in place with the finishing nail gun.
3. Once our wall was up, we caulked the edges. This cutie is a PRO at caulking now. 😉
4. To create the DVD shelves, we planned to space them 10 inches apart and measured the width of the wall every 10 inches.
5. Then, we cut 1″x4″ boards to the width measurements we needed for our angled wall in the closet.
6. We screwed each 1″x4″ board to the wall using L brackets to make the shelves.
7. Once they were all up, we caulked the shelves like crazy, primed, painted, and we had SOOO much DVD storage, we didn’t even know what to do with it all.
So now we’re off to buy more DVDs. Juuuuust kidding. Well, maybe.
It’s nothing pretty to look at really, but a good tidy up is a beautiful thing.
Curious minds want to know… how do you store your movies? Do you kick it old school too? Keep them all neatly lined up on shelves? Or have you gone 100% digital?
I don’t know if we’ll ever get with the times, but obviously, we’re not that worried about it. 😉
We still have DVDs that we brought into our marriage, we’ll probably keep those as long as we can still play them. But I am trying to buy digital whenever we get something new, purely because of the storage space! It does feel harder to browse through and get inspired digitally though. 🙂
Love this idea. Our DVD’s are in bins that go on the bottom shelf of our TV Armoir. This idea looks much better! Olivia is a doll, what a great little helper. Thank you for sharing!
I transferred all mine plus the artwork into a zippered notebook with sleeves like for CDS. Very convenient to just grab the case when traveling and takes up a lot less room.
Love your closet remodel and a great, tidy way to store and organize your DVD collection.
No extra closet space for me in my small house so I use a bookcase in my some-what finished basement.
First off – brilliant use of that space! I still have – and actually still buy- dvd’s because I am obsessed with my favorites, the end.
We use a buffet cabinet as our tv “stand” that has so much drawer and cabinet space half of them are empty. Perhaps you and I should go DVD shopping, haha.
Saving the best to last: your little princess Olivia is soooo cute! I squealed out loud seeing her proudly sporting her tool belt. Daddy must’ve been so proud of her that day! (Not to mention you are both teaching great life skills.)
So what dvd is the family watching tonight? : – )