Cedar Closet

Do you remember the smell of mothballs that were often used in the past to keep clothing from being attacked by moths and other insects? While mothballs certainly do the trick, they can also have a foul and noticeable smell.

Cedar lined closets provide a naturally fresh scent to your storaged items and has been used for hundreds of years to repel moths, roaches and mildew that can ruin costly garments and fabrics.  Perhaps your grandmother had a cedar chest where she stored her heirloom quilts.  The concept is the same for the cedar closet.

Lining for cedar closets is not that expensive (usually around or under $3 per square foot).  Most of the cedar closet lining on the market features tongue and groove boards that offer easy installation that nearly everyone can accomplish.  Most closets can easily be lined with cedar in less than a day.

Choosing Cedar Lining For Your Cedar Closet

There are various types of cedar, but only wood from the Eastern Red Cedar tree gives off the familiar cedar odor that is beneficial for the purposes of deterring moth and insect infestation and mildew prevention.  While you can purchase Eastern Red Cedar in pressed board panels, they tend to have a texture that is rough and can snag delicate fabrics.  The best solution is to go with the aforementioned tongue and groove boards that provide a much smoother finish and a customized feel.

While lining the entire closet is possible, you don’t necessarily need to line each and every inch.  In fact, many people choose to line the three interior walls of the closet only, although it might be more effective to line the back of the door and the ceiling of the closet, especially if your budget permits.

For closets with baseboard molding, you can leave the molding in place if it is thicker than the cedar lining.  If your baseboard is thicker than the cedar closet lining, then you will need to remove the baseboard with a pry bar (carefully) and reinstall the molding when you are done with the cedar lining installation.

If you don’t have baseboard molding, you might consider installing it after your cedar is up on the closet’s walls to hide any flaws in installation.  Baseboard molding is quite inexpensive and makes any project look finished.

To install the cedar closet lining, you can use small nails to attach it to the studs in the wall, or use an adhesive.  Some people find they have better results using both methods; use adhesive to hold the cedar closet lining in place until you nail it to make it more secure.

The cedar smell of cedar closet lining will last for years.  When you notice a decline in the intensity of the cedar aroma, simply sand lightly to bring the fragrance back to the surface.

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