Have you ever walked into a closet and noticed cracking or bowing of the doors or walls?
Although these cracks may look harmless, they can be a sign of something more serious.
In fact, cracks in your closet can be a big problem, since they may lead to larger problems later, like the door falling on you.
Why does the closet crack? The reason why the closet will crack is because of storing excess clothing, shoes, and excess moisture.
Closets can be a great way to add additional space to your home and increase the overall value of your property.
However, cracks and unsightly blemishes in your walls and doors can cast a shadow over the true worth of your living space.
We’ll discuss why and how to prevent cracks in wooden closet doors.
Why does my closet crack?
Organizing your closet is important for more than just aesthetics.
Closet mishaps can also lead to all sorts of problems, like damage to your closet structure.
You may not have given your closet a second thought until you notice a small crack in one of its walls or doors.
You might be wondering what caused this long crack in the wall.
While it’s possible to fix cracks, the hard part is discovering the cause.
Here are a few mistakes you can make that can cost you a lot of money.
Causes of closet cracks
1. Overly placed items in the closet
A closet is supposed to be the most useful corner of your home, but with all those clothes, shoes and accessories, it can become a maze that is difficult to navigate.
Has the abundance of clothes in your closet caused cracks in the door or wall?
The reason for this might be as simple as the excess weight on your closet shelves.
A closet that is packed to the brim with clothes can put excess stress on the door or wall and even cause it to crack.
This is especially true if you have a walk-in closet.
2. Items placed on the wrong side of the closet
Everyone who has a walk-in closet knows how frustrating it can be to find the perfect pair of pants, only to find that it’s buried under a pile of shirts.
Most of us end up tossing the shirt aside and later on searching through all the other side of the closet for the pants.
The biggest mistake most people make while rumbling through misplaced items in the closet is not placing them in the right side of the closet.
Most of us think it doesn’t matter whether we place the items on the left side or the right side.
However, placing them in the wrong side of the closet can block the door leading to closet cracks each time you attempt to close, which are a nightmare to repair.
Those cracks can also lead to bigger problems: structural damage and costly repairs.
3. Poor closet construction
One of the most common problems homeowners encounter with their closets is cracks along the sides.
Like many things in life, a closet’s strength depends on its weakest link.
If a closet is poorly constructed, and not built with a solid frame, that closet will begin to crack over time as you hang more clothing in it.
The stresses created by hanging items on the closet rod and shelves can cause the wooden closet walls to lean away.
4. Wrong closet organizer
Another common cause of closet cracks is due to the wrong kind of closet organizers being used in the closet.
Closet organizers are available in different designs and have different functions i.e. storing, hanging and supporting the closet.
The closet organizer you use in your closet largely determines the function that the closet performs.
When you purchase a closet organizer system, the manufacturer will state the maximum load the system can hold.
This measurement is based on the weight of the items the system is holding within the closet.
If a heavier item is placed on the system, it might not be able to hold the total weight.
If this happens, the system will flex, and probably crack.
The cracks you see on your walls and doors are a result of these flexing closet organizers.
5. Excessive moisture
Moisture is the number one cause of cracks in closets.
The most obvious cause of mildew is rain, but even humidity from your own breath can cause damage.
Water vapor is the enemy of wood.
Once the moisture is gone, the wood is more likely to warp and split.
And the longer you put off repairs the more damage can occur.
When moisture is left unchecked, it can cause the wood in your closet to rot and develop mold, potentially compromising the structural integrity of your closet.
6. Storage of items other than clothes
The use of the closet has changed dramatically since the introduction of mechanized clothing storage.
While the closet has always been the place where you keep clothes and shoes, for some people it also serves as a place to house your household cleaning supplies, boxes of winter clothes, and other household items that are not needed every day.
As a result, closets are now often stuffed with items that require a little extra care when packing.
Spills that may result or things that release moisture like plants will add to overall humidity that will spoil the closet.
Remedies to repair cracks
If your closet isn’t spacious enough to hold all of your clothes, then there’s a good chance you’ll have to deal with cracks in the walls.
But don’t worry—they’re solutions.
Thankfully, we’ve got a few tips to help you get rid of them.
- Use a wood filler to hide cracks
- Use paint to fix the cracks
- Remove heat and humidity with fan, a.c or dehumidifier
- Replace the affected board
- If closet is too full, consider downsizing or putting away some items in another closet
- If your closet feels like a total mess, it could be time to declutter
Conclusion
A house is where the heart is, and while it might be the homey feel of the place that makes you happy, it could also be the decor.
Closets are often an afterthought when decorating a room, even though they are just as important as the furniture itself.
A new closet can really do wonders for your bedroom, but when it comes to closet organization, you’re in for a ride.
The most common closet problem is that it starts to crack.
To fix this, simply find a closet organizer that matches your needs, and use it to store all of your clothes.
Also, remember keep it free from moisture and excess items.
