How to cover wire shelves- the FAQ • Avenue Laurel

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So I took an extended break from blogging, and came back to find tons of questions about this post on how to cover wire shelves super cheap. So many, in fact, that I just couldn’t answer all of them. And I also realized that I need to do a better job of writing more descriptive blog posts.

I completely made over my disorganized master bedroom closet for less than $50! I covered wire shelving, added beautiful colors, and made over a plain bookcase into a beautiful shoe cabinet. Click through to see the before and after, and learn how you can too! #closet #mastercloset #masterclosetmakeover #diy

I am going to answer your questions here, but want to say up front that we’ve since moved from this house. I’m glad we got to enjoy it for a few months before we moved, but this closet upgrade made such a huge difference- I really wish we had done it sooner!

Here are your top questions, and answers, about this super easy- and cheap- project!

Does the shelf cover slip forward and off the wire shelf? Or does the weight of the cover stay put on the wire shelves?

The shelf cover stays put on the wire shelves! It doesn’t budge at all, even when there isn’t anything on the shelves. You can see in this picture below, I even attached the shelf front while the shelf cover was sitting on the wire shelf, and it is plenty secure!

Need ideas for how to cover those ugly white wire shelves? I've got a terrific hack for a wire shelf makeover, and it's super easy and cheap! I used these for a master closet makeover, but these would be fabulous for bathrooms, laundry rooms, the office, even the kitchen pantry! These have added so much organization and a beautiful decorative element. #wireshelves #wireshelving — My DIY drug of choice- donuts.

How do you hang your clothes now?

This is such a great question, and I can’t believe I didn’t anticipate it! You can see in this picture, below, that the bottom set of wire shelves had a lower bar that is meant for hanging clothes on. This bar isn’t covered at all by the wire shelf cover, and it is still very easy to hang clothes on.

This is obviously a before picture, but hopefully this helps:

The same shelves, after, from a different angle, and obviously after a lot of cleaning and purging:

Did you actually attach the shelf cover to the wire shelves?

No, they are just sitting on the wire shelves. They just cover the wire shelves and can be easily removed if needed!

So how did you attach the front of the shelf cover (the 1X4) to the bottom of the shelf (the paneling) again?

I got this question a lot, which means I didn’t do a great job explaining this before- sorry about that!

After cutting the paneling to the depth and width of the wire shelf, I simply screwed the top of shelf cover (the paneling part) to the top of the 1X4.

Take a peek at this graphic, below, which I think may make it a bit easier to understand:

Pay no attention to the hammer in the picture above. I honestly can’t remember why I was using it that day. But it wasn’t for this project.

Why didn’t you paint the bottom of the shelf covers?

Honestly, I just didn’t think about it until they were already on and had stuff on them. By then, I was already at my deadline for the $100 Room Challenge, and plus I was already at my saturation point for this project. I wish I had thought about it though! It would have made for a seamless look.

By the way, I think these shelves would look AMAZING in black, or a fun color!

I hope this was helpful!