Jun 08 2010
Closet Materials – Cost, Look Or Functionality?
The choice of closet materials usually falls along the lines of cost versus utility & look. The vast majority of new homes have either white wire or ventilated wood. White wire is the cheapest, by far, and ventilated wood usually is the “upgrade” option (hint, hint…the installation and utility are the same as wire). Here’s a detailed breakdown of the differences and other options below.
White Wire
Builder love this ClosetMaid product because it is cheap and easy to install. Most clients don’t care about the utility of the closet and it always looks bigger when empty! Thus wire is set at 66″ off ground so most clothes fit, but is an extremely inefficient storage system. Over time, it also tend to have a mold grow over the entire surface which is nearly impossible to remove.
Ventilated Wood
This product is usually made of real wood and has a better look than white wire. Plus it has the advantage of some air flow around clothes and less grid pattern on folded items. That being said, it has the same lack of functionality. You may see two rows of hanging and some shelving, but rarely have I seen any drawers, clothes bin or other amenities. The cost is nearly the same, and sometime exceeds, melamine systems.
Melamine
Melamine is the industry term for a high density pressed board. Once the materials formed form mostly recycled wood by high pressure presses, it is effectively shrink-wrapped in any one of dozens of colors or wood grain patterns. After that, it is milled into various standard sizes and shapes that are joined to assemble a custom closet. Its advantages are many colors, versatility and efficient use of the space assuming you have a good design to start with. Melamine systems also have lots of options as they are based upon industry standard 32 mm hole pattern.
Real Wood
There are several suppliers (Mission Woodworking) that can cut and finish custom storage system parts in real wood (plywood core with veneer outer layer) with a good stain and finish. The design is key as it would be difficult to acquire parts for any last minute changes. These systems have only one drawback – cost. The cost is approximately 225% of a melamine or ventilated wood system. They do have a longer lead time as well.
So you do have to balance the functionality vs. look vs. cost when deciding on how best to upgrade or replace a system. A solid local custom storage firm, such as Closet Tailors, usually offers free design and can advise you on what fits your budget.
Chuck Hugan
Chuck is the owner of Closet Tailors in Southwest Florida. He has helped hundreds of clients maximize the use of their closet, garage, laundry, pantry and home office spaces. You can sign up for a complimentary consultation and design at: http://www.closettailors.com/capecoral.
He also maintains another site with useful storage information at: http://www.squidoo.com/closet_tailors_swflorida.