John Louis Home JLH-522 Standard 12-Inch Depth Closet Shelving System, Honey Maple

First, the 16" model is available at Target for $479.99 (but we did have to pay a 5% sales tax)

The instructions are reasonably straight forward but should be read very carefully and:

(1) Make sure that you do not block any electrical outlets with the shelving by planning ahead and

(2) If you can find studs do so, plastic anchors they supply are OK, but the whole system is cantilevered (that is no support on the floor) so you have to be in solid to the wall, especially at the one bracket end.

(3) Finally when installing the tower brackets do make sure that they are the right distance apart AND in proper alignment to the top brackets that were the first step in installation, otherwise you might have the top shelf resting on only PART of the tower (it will work but not look "finished."

Also, you will need a 10 foot ceiling to hang two clothes racks in the same bay, on an eight foot ceiling you will be out of luck there is just not enough vertical space to do it.

It was easier than wire shelving. The supplied hollow wall anchors are so-so. Using a cordless drill, hammer, and miter saw speed things up. If you are lucky enough to have straight walls, you shouldn't need the hammer. If you don't want arms like Popeye, get a drill (all fasteners are screws). This system also gives you a perfect excuse to go buy a laser level. Once the tools are collected and the plan is FINALLY agreed upon, the closet can be installed and used in under a day.

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We bought one kit for a 7' reach-in closet and had to modify it a bit because the instruction book gives suggestions for 10' and 8' layouts. I'd recommend a circular saw for cutting shelves and rods if your closet is not exactly 8' or 10'. Also not on the "required tools" list were a stud-finder and a drill. We found drilling pilot holes to be appropriate in some cases, and the large numbers of screws made using our drill a must. The wood is soft and frayed slightly when cut. Because of that, and a few nicks during installation, the included touch-up stain came in handy. Also useful was a transparent grid which allowed us to play around with different layouts before we ever began. Installation took two handy people about 6 hours, partly because of the limited space in the closet. I'd recommend removing the closet doors if you're not installing in a walk-in. I'd also HIGHLY recommend reading the instructions all the way through before beginning, laying out all the materials and labeling the bags of screws by length, and taking your time. This is not a job that can be rushed. When complete the closet looked great and the system is very sturdy.

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When you open the packaging you will know you made the right call. Each piece meticulously wrapped so the wood doesn't get marred in transit, they give you plenty of good screws and good anchors (not those junky ones that come with most kits), it comes with a stain touch up marker for if you custom cut one of the shelves, the instruction book cames with many layouts and a clear sheet to transfer and alter for custom fits so that anyone with the tiniest bit of patience can install and that someone handy can install quickly without making a silly mistake on cutting.

How hard is it to install?

Two chicks with a drill and a saw installed a perfect closet in one day without a problem. This was with making it exactly how we wanted it and an hour of obsessing over whether we wanted the long hanging items on the left or the right. This is an easy as it could possibly be made.

It is also very forgiving to small errors (or crooked walls) because of the way the long pieces cover.

Any tricks?

one trick to mention: there are two sets of small screws that look almost identical they aren't. Each type comes in their own baggie, so really this is just for the people who do like I do, say "we need the 3/4 screws for this" and don't check to see if there are two types of 3.4 inch screws. I accidently used some of the ones with the larger heads to early because of that mistake and the small heads don't work for the later install items. It is a bone head mistake, just trying to help anyone else avoid. Manufacture can't prevent boneheads, but they do provide enough screws that it is okay to make quite a few mistakes of this nature.

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My husband and I are delighted with this solid wood closet organizing systerm. It's classy and beautiful--unlike the tacky particle board, plastic or wire systems in most stores. There's room for everything and more than one unit can be put together to fit any closet. Plus, shelves and towers can be purchased to fill any gaps. Would recommend this to anybody!