Easy Pantry Remodel

Trying to find something in a mess is a nightmare!! It's ALWAYS time consuming, and sometimes you can't even find what you were looking for. Studies have shown that de-cluttering and reorganizing has great health benefits including reducing stress, being more focused, and raising self-esteem. Let’s start de-cluttering with remodeling the pantry!

• Drill
• Leveler
• Tape Measure
• Shelves**
• Brackets**
• Screws
• Construction Pencil
• All-Purpose Cleaner
• Towel
• Vacuum
• A Helping Hand*
• Food Storage Containers*
• Labels*

*Not Required

**Before buying these items, take measurements of the pantry to ensure that you have the correct size shelving and brackets that support that shelving.

The next step is to completely clear out the pantry. Start by removing all the items in the pantry. This would be a good time to be going through these items. Toss things that are past the best-by-date or give away food items that aren't going to be used. Once the shelves are clear, move on to the next step.

Now it is time to take down the shelves. To do this, unscrew the brackets from the wall using a drill. You can use a screwdriver, but it would take far longer. The brackets and shelves are most likely different, but the process is generally the same. If the shelves just sit on top of the brackets, remove those first before removing the brackets. This particular shelving unit was screwed together so the shelves came down with the brackets.

Now that the supplies are bought and the pantry is empty, start mapping out how the pantry should be set up. Think about what makes the most sense and will be the most efficient. Keep like things together. Cans all on one shelf, snacks on another shelf, etc. When it’s clear how the set up should be, start marking where the brackets will go with a construction pencil. To do this, hold the bracket against the wall a little bit below where the shelf will go and mark the nail holes with the pencil. Make sure to hold the shelves up to the marked spots while using a leveler to ensure that it’s the proper placement. For this renovation, there will be three brackets per shelf which would make six spots marked for each shelf. Depending on the type of shelves and brackets bought, this number may differ.

Let’s move on to the installation of the shelves. This is where a second person is very handy. The first step of the installation is to install the brackets. Line up the holes in the bracket with the markings and make a pilot hole. A pilot hole is smaller than the screws being used, and its’ purpose is guide and provide clearance for a self-threading screw in wood or plastic to prevent damaging the material or cracking the stud. Once the pilot hole has been made for each hole in one bracket, the bracket can be mounted. Line up the bracket with the holes and drill a screw into each hole. Do this for every bracket. After all the brackets have been mounted, the shelves can be installed.

After all the brackets have been mounted, the shelves can be installed. To install the shelves, place the shelf on top of the brackets. We skipped this step; however, for extra stability, there is a preexisting hole on the top part of the bracket. That is where another pilot hole will be drilled underneath the shelf to prevent the shelf from cracking. Then, drill a screw into the hole to secure the shelf to the bracket.

Now that installing is finished, clean up the area. Vacuum or sweep up the debris from drilling holes, wipe off the walls, and wipe the shelves off as well. It’s always good to start clean.

The final step in this process is to organize and put away. Things can be left in their original boxes or food storage containers can be bought from the store. While buying containers is more expensive, it looks more polished and organized in the end. To go above and beyond, grab some labels from the store and label where each product should go or label the containers that were bought. Any extra finishing touches can be completed at this point as well. Decoration could be added, battery operated lights could be installed, or the pantry door could be replaced. The possibilities are endless!

Video 1: https://youtu.be/siNCpvh764w

Video 2: https://youtu.be/GddV9WOIUaM