Installing a customised storage system is a great way to deal with the ever-increasing amount of stuff that seems to build up around the house. It's also a great DIY project and the perfect excuse to get out your power drill.
Drawers, shelves, racks and other accessories can all be combined in a variety of ways to make the most out of your home. elfa® storage products provide everything you need to organise your cupboard, office, garage or storage area to make finding the things you need a whole lot easier.
Elfa® Storage systems are:
Durable - they consist of an epoxy-bonded finish on steel.
Easy to Install - needing minimal tools and falling well within the limits of home DIY.
Flexible - The many combinations allow your storage capabilities to grow as needed. Select the components you want and add or remove others as you need to. There are drawers, shelves, rails, hooks and other accessories to choose from.
Visible and Accessible - The steel racking allows you to see what you’ve packed into drawers and keeps the area well ventilated.
Getting Started
Planning Your Elfa Solution
Hanging Space. For both long and short garments. The majority of this area should be designed around short hanging space for jackets, pants, shirts but do also allow for hanging a few longer garments. Shelf Space. This space is determined by how many and what types of things you typically store on shelves.
Drawer Space. This area will be determined by how many folded clothes you have and the items you normally store in a chest of drawers, such as socks, underwear, t-shirts, shorts or sleepwear. Shoe Storage. How many pairs of shoes do you have? Are they in boxes? Do you prefer to have them visible?
Accessories. Remember to allow for space to store things like ties, belts, scarves or hats. They may be best stored in shallow drawers or on hooks.
Installation
Step 1
Fasten the top track to the wall. Start by positioning the top track where you want it. Use a level to make sure it's straight. The top track is usually placed at ceiling or door height. Drill holes and insert correct hardware. Screw the top track into place. The only holes that have to be made in the wall are for the top track. It is easy to make changes later if you need to without having to renovate the wall. The top track is available in lengths of 101.5cm and 200cm.
Step 2
Clip the hang standards onto the top track with a maximum of 90cm intervals (lengths 121cm, 201cm and 230cm). Snap the closet shelf brackets into the hang standards at the height you prefer.
Step 3
Snap the closet rods into the hang standards and the shelves into their brackets. All of this can be done without the use of tools. Wooden shelves are fastened with screws through the holes in the brackets or with shelf pins. Brackets are available for wooden shelves in various lengths.
Step 4
Drawer frames. Slide in the combination of drawers that you require. Drawer frames, side panels and crossbars are bought separately. The lengths of the crossbars determines the width of the elfa® frame: 25, 35, 45 or 55cm. The side panels determine the height: 44, 74 or 104cm. Any combination of these heights is possible since the frames can be connected to form a higher unit. The side panels come in two depths: 54 or 44cm.
Assembling drawer frames. Use a rubber or plastic hammer. Protect the floor with a wood block. If using a metal hammer, protect the metal with a wood block.
Place the side panels so that the runners face inward. The top of the unit is where the runners are closest to the top of the frame. Tap the "L" shaped connectors into the top of the frame.
Turn the frame upside down and tap the "T" shaped connectors into the bottom of the frame.
Connecting frames of the same width and depth to create a tower.
Assemble, as described above, the frame that will be the top of your tower.
Assemble the lower frame/s by tapping the "T" shaped connectors into the bottom of the frame/s first. Do not install the top, 'L' shaped connectors to this frame. Instead, place the bottom of the frame that you just assembled into the top of the lower frame and tap them together. When connecting frames in this manner, you will have left over "L" shaped connectors. Save them in case you ever want to disassemble the towers and make individual units again.