how to remove built-in shoe racks from closets (PIC)

[Briolat21]

Most reuse centers take just about anything that is in good, or fairly good shape.

Toilets. Sinks. Fireplace grates. Radiators. Windows (if in their frames and not just loose panes of glass). Light fixtures. Electrical fixtures (wall boxes, wiring, switches, plugs) Left over tile, left over pavers, left over cinder blocks or lumber, left over shingles, bathroom fixtures (faucets, towel bars, etc..)

Seriously - until you've shopped at them, you have no idea how much stuff there is at them..

Some communities have their own, or sometimes they'll be a habitat for humanity restore in an area.. Personally I like the non-habitat ones (I think they take more). But - they're all generally charitable (so your donation is tax deductible)

and you get to know that your things have a potential at another life.

A lot of middle-income people forget that just because the general taste-trend has swung away from bright brass, doesn't mean that some family with a lot less wouldn't be thrilled to death to buy your light fixture from 1985 for $10 and brighten an area of their home that hasn't seen a new light fixture since 1960.

Always a good idea to stop by and get to know these places, they'll usually have a set list of what they will/won't take. Sometimes it depends on how much of an item they already have.

Good luck with grading papers and then working on the house. Sounds like a fun summer!

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Wanted to update everyone now that I've had a chance to (try to) demolish the shoe racks. This is what I found when I sawed/poked/prodded/pryed the shoe rack in the closet of bedroom #3, which I am using as an office (so I definitely don't need any shoe racks!):



So it's hollow underneath, but also seems to be original to the house, as there is no regular flooring underneath. I am going to have to have my handyman fix that. And unfortunately, this means I will not be able to remove the shoe racks in the bedrooms that have hardwood floors (the master bedroom and bedroom #2, which I am using as a guest room), as it seems likely that underneath the shoe racks in those rooms would be the same as I found in bedroom #3/office. Bedrooms #4 and #5 were added in the late '70s; I will be removing their shoe racks at some point, and luckily have leftover carpet from replacing the hideous red tartan plaid carpet just before I moved in.

I have emailed a local salvage place that I have donated to before to ask them if they've seen these before and have a better way to get them out (e.g., without demolishing them altogether). I really would like to be able to donate them.

[Briolat21]

Maybe some sort of heating ran under there at some point? I wonder if the closets themselves are original? A lot of really old homes didn't have closets in the rooms originally, as people used wooden wardrobes (Free standing closets).

Glad you're making progress, but sorry to hear that there's no flooring (just subfloor) underneath.

The joys of home ownership (and home improvement)

[Squirl]

if I recall, those old built in shoe racks sort of angled down so they were not a flat surface. However, if you were to install shelves, perhaps you can box them in to the base of your shelves. What to you want to use the space for?

[karen_in_nh_2012]

The house was built around 1960, so it's not ancient (as are a lot of New England houses). I guess back then they thought having lovely built-in shoe racks IN EVERY BEDROOM CLOSET was a good idea -- so much so that when the addition was done in '78, they put those %*#(%&() shoe racks in the 2 new bedrooms' closets too!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!! I hate them!!!

[karen_in_nh_2012]

Squirl, your reply popped up as I was writing my rant (post #15, lol). Yes, the racks are angled down. In the 2 bedrooms with hardwood floors, since I can't take the racks out as I don't have matching flooring (as opposed to the other 3 bedrooms, for which I have leftover matching carpet), I will be adding closet shelving inside to make it a little more efficient. Those closets will be used for clothes. In the office closet, which is the only one I've tried demolishing so far, I want to put shelving and a couple of file cabinets so those shoe racks are just plain in the way.

I wish whoever installed those shoe racks would have done it OVER the carpeting or hardwood.

[NY Annie]

My husband says: a crowbar and hammer.

Pry loose the shelves. He says there may be some support underneath. probably all put in with nails.

[karen_in_nh_2012]

NY Annie, alas, the shoe racks are REALLY tight all around -- i.e., there is nothing TO pry. That's why I took my saw to them -- I wanted to at least make a hole that I could try to pry. (Hammering made barely a dent after several minutes.) Just to get to the point shown in the photo took probably an hour. I hate the shoe racks but a part of me at least admires the handiwork/quality!!

There is nothing underneath -- just the subfloor as shown in the photo. I will be buying and cutting plywood to fit over it, then carpeting that. Was going to hire a handyman but it doesn't seem too complicated, just a pain in the butt.

I may try a hole saw bit in my drill ... that might work better than my saw!

[Briolat21]

Unless there is a major height difference between the floors, you shouldn't need to put down plywood (unless the subfloor is not intact). In new homes plywood is the subfloor (often) .. but since you already have a subfloor there, its an unnecessary step..

(again - unless you're doing it to account for some sort of height difference).


We pulled up the bathroom floor in my grandfather's old house (he died 30+ years ago, my parents kept the house) ... were hoping for anything decent underneath the 1960's red shag carpet tile (glued down of course).

What we found is 4 layers of linoleum under the carpet tile, followed at last by floor boards (subfloor) in very rough shape as the bathroom fixtures had been leaking a long time.

We WILL be putting down a piece of luan (sp??) before we put down a finish floor over that, but that is simply to even out the subfloor inconsistencies and issues.

I feel for you. The house we're working on is super tiny, and we're going to let a family member live there.. but there's nothing like knowing/thinking a job should be simple and then getting into it and finding out - "They did WHAT!?!"..

Ugh. 4 layers of linoleum. Seriously. Don't get me started on the peeling walls, which appear to have 2 layers of wall paper and about 5 layers of paint on them. Taking those back to the original (plaster!) should be awesome.