49°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Cedar planks make lining closets simple

If you enjoy cedar-lined closets, there are a lot of places to find them. Cedar-lined closets are in George W. Vanderbilt's Biltmore House in Asheville, N.C., the largest home in the United States; the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so; quaint New England inns; not to mention many other multimillion-dollar homes and even yachts.

"Cedar-lined closets provide an upscale look without the upscale price," says Pat Simpson, host of the long-running HGTV show "Fix it Up!" and a CedarSafe home-improvement expert.

According to Simpson, you can line the walls of your master bedroom closet for just a few hundred dollars using 100 percent aromatic Eastern Red Cedar planks. The planks naturally repel and resist moths, roaches, silverfish and mildew, so there's no need for mothballs. Plus, the cedar scent really makes your clothes smell great.

"Cedar planks are also very versatile," Simpson said. "You can position the planks horizontally, vertically or even diagonally to create a great look."

They also work well with any kind of closet-organizing system because the planks line the walls and don't interfere with the system's shelving and drawers.

CedarSafe 4-foot-by-8-foot pressed panels are an economical alternative to the planks and are ideal for attic or other off-season storage areas.

The cedar closet liner project requires a hammer, tri-square, saw, nails or adhesive, and a few hours of time to install. All items are available in home centers.

Visit www.cedarsafe closets.com for more information and instructional videos.

Information courtesy North American Precis Syndicate

THE LATEST
Gaining control over this annual weed is not easy to do

To make sure it doesn’t return you have to interrupt the seed-to-flowering-plant cycle at least for a couple of years and fill the voids with something competitive.

Why did my bird of paradise plants quit blooming?

They were in bloom when we planted them five or six years ago, and they bloomed the following year as well. But they have not bloomed again.