Customer Reviews

John Louis Home Standard Closet Shelving System, Red Mahogany

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought 2 of these systems for our master bedroom closet about a year ago and I must say they have really made a big diffence. Several different categories of satisfaction so I'll list them to make it easy as possible:

Aesthetics: The wood,finish and hardware are of considerable quality and look great. I chose the Red Mahogany finish and it truly makes a difference in our closet (we had those regular white wire organizing systems). The edges are soft yet masculine enough to appeal to any husband/significant other and the shelves are reminiscent of a spa-type atmosphere.

Options: The kits include design ideas for numerous closet sizes and configurations and have everything you need. Hardware, drywall reinforcements, touch-up stain, diagrams.

Ease of installation: Although capable of being a 1-person installation - the job would be much simpler with 2. Simple enough for the novice handyman, tools required are limted and basic - if you have a hammer, power drill/screwdriver and a saw of some type, you're in business. Obviously, the right tool for the right job makes any task easier, but if your toolchest is limited, the above mentioned items will easily get you thru this project. Instructions are easy to follow and installation time isn't long and drawn out; it took me working by myself to completely install one kit approx. 2.5hrs (for our closet, 1 kit outfits one side with some remaining pieces). Be sure to install into as many studs as possible for strength. I hit 90% of the studs in our closet and the shelving is strong enough to hold the weight of my 3-year-old who decided to sit on one of the lower shelves (shoe shelf/rack) to help daddy work:-)

Modifications: If you're really handy and like a challenge, take any remaining pieces to really go all out. Since i needed 2 kits for our closet, the pieces remaining from both kits gave me enough shelving and hardware to place a shelf above the entrance to our walk-in, plus 2 extra stringers and 1 shelf to outfit the back wall of our closet (I then matched the wood and built cabinet doors, drawers and 2 more shelves to give my wife a built-in jewelry drawer).

Pricing/Cost: For the price of the 2 kits (and the extra work/modifications I added) I saved literally thousands of dollars doing the job myself and we got exactly want we wanted in our closet!!

Delivery: I opted for standard delivery and the kits arrived well packaged and by UPS. Each kit weighed approx. 80Lbs. And surprisingly, delivery only took about 10 days

I purchased this system a few months back to upgrade our average "rubbermaid" type closet shelving. The kit is very simple to follow and even possible for a 1-man installation; although two would make it easier. The finish is top-notch and the flexibility of the install is very accommodating. I would suggest wherever possible attach the supports to pre-existing studs for strength and durability. My wife and I are extremely happy with the results and we are now purchasing our second kit to finish the remainder of the closet. I dabble in carpentry so I've added our own touches like a jewelry drawer for my wife, some elegant doors to conceal two of the shelves and even with the modifications, both kits are still well under the estimates we received from closet-specialist type companies. If u have the time, patience and a little experience with a hammer and saw - this is definitely worth the price and I'm sure you'll be extremely happy with the results.

We live in a 30 year old manufactured home. (Trailer to most of you young folks). It is a large mobile and we have just the one large double reach in closet and little storage. We shopped the home improvement stores for closet organizers and were disappointed that all we found were laminated or metal wire organizers. We decided to go home and look at Amazon before we made a purchase. We were really surprised by the John Louis organizer. The price (at the time we purchased) beat any local home improvement store by at least 30%. I have Prime and the shipping was free. It arrived within 3 days. It was packaged safely and we assembled and installed it in one day. It is beautiful. We are planning a move in the next couple of years. I will look for this product again if the need arises.

Before buying this product, I recommend first that you measure your closet horizontally and vertically. Then determine your storage needs - shirts, pants, dresses, shoes, underwear, socks, etc. Afterwards, get some paper and design the closet the way you want it to be. The system is very versatile.

I did a walk in closet and needed 2 basic kits, 1 12" tower with 2 door sets, 1 16" tower with 1 door set plus 5 drawers, 2 8' shelves, and 6 2' shelves. (Yes, you can mix 16" with 12", but you'll need the curved support brackets where shelves would normally screw into the towers.) I did not use the manufacturer designs at all, but I did use the assembly instructions, stating which screws to use where.

If you're doing a large closet as I did, don't expect to be done in a weekend. Mine took 2 months, because I took 6' pieces and created either 2 3' pieces or 1 4' piece with 1 2' piece. You'll need at least a rotary saw with a wood finishing blade; otherwise, the wood splinters. Don't expect your cuts to be perfect unless you have access to a factory that can cut the pieces for you. The shelves that are not inside towers can be off measurement by 1/2" and still work well, since the hardware allows for imperfection. I bought 3 2' shelf kits (and metal dowels - sold separately on another web site), which come with 2 shelves for inside the tower. Holes needed to be drilled to fit the dowels, so I made a template for equal spacing before drilling.

Caveats:

1. The tower kits only come with the 2 side pieces, 1 top piece, and 1 bottom piece - no shelves, so unless you're using the tower for hanging dresses, you'll need to buy shelves.

2. The wood is made of soft pine, so it dents easily. Any sharp objects will scratch the finish. The kits come with finishing markers to cover up dings. I don't even notice the dings now.

If you want better wood, be prepared to pay 3 times as much from another manufacturer. I figured it's a closet not fine dining furniture, so I preferred thisJohn Louis Home Standard Closet Shelving System, Red Mahogany less expensive option for a custom closet.

3. IMPORTANT: If you're installing a tower, make sure the TOP wall brackets, the MIDDLE wall brackets, and the BOTTOM wall brackets are EQUALLY spaced at the manufacturer's recommended distance; otherwise, your drawers and shelves will NOT fit into the tower. This part of installation must be absolutely correct. I learned this one the hard way, by only measuring the top and assuming my plumb line made the middle and bottom portions the same distance. I had to take the towers down and reinstall the wall brackets.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

Excellent! One door shipped with broken glass, and they shipped a replacement door immediately.

The pieces for this set are pretty basic.

3 long pieces (either 48" each or 60" each)

3 2' shelves

4 contoured support brackets

9 or so spacers for the hanging rods

4 6' trim pieces

Tons of hardware (screws, anchors, brackets, etc.)

You really need a good trim saw, or a table saw...I can't imagine cutting the shelves with a hand saw...

It took me a while to "lay out", and design my own little customized piece. I think that I started sawing a little too early, and didn't think to make the shelf on top long enough to be one of the "stacking shelves". But it all worked out in the end...Fortunately, there is plenty of "dummy room" with the brackets in that if you cut a shelf too short by an inch, the bracket will cover for you. I had a hard time with some of the screws and brackets that were to support the shelves. If you wiggled the shelf around trying to get it in to the right spot it "crunched" the wood...Once I got going though, it really came together quickly, and looks great as a final product...Wife is very happy with results...I have tons of hardware left as I used much longer screws to really drive it in to the studs for years of use...Do get some spackle though, because leftover damage from removed wire shelving left nice big holes.

I bought this because it was fairly inexpensive and looks good. After all said and done, it was nice, fairly simple to put together, but there were a lot of pieces left over and I'm left feeling like I paid a bit more than I should have. I have a 6' wide closet. It's made for closets that are up to 8' wide. Maybe they should sell them for 4', 6' and 8' systems separately. I now have several long pieces of wood, shelving and tons of hardware that I don't need, so it's a bit of a waste.

Ok, that was my big criticism. Otherwise, it looks very elegant, is sturdy (as long as I installed it correctly!) and I would recommend it.

I bought 2 of these systems for our master bedroom closet and I must say they have really made a big diffence. Several different categories of satisfaction so I'll list them to make it easy as possible:

Aesthetics: The wood,finish and hardware are of considerable quality and look great. I chose the Red Mahogany finish and it truly makes a difference in our closet (we had those regular white wire organizing systems). The edges are soft yet masculine enough to appeal to any husband/significant other and the shelves are reminiscent of a spa-type atmosphere.

Options: The kits include design ideas for numerous closet sizes and configurations and have everything you need. Hardware, drywall reinforcements, touch-up stain, diagrams.

Ease of installation: Although capable of being a 1-person installation - the job would be much simpler with 2. Simple enough for the novice handyman, tools required are limted and basic - if you have a hammer, power drill/screwdriver and a saw of some type, you're in business. Obviously, the right tool for the right job makes any task easier, but if your toolchest is limited, the above mentioned items will easily get you thru this project. Instructions are easy to follow and installation time isn't long and drawn out; it took me working by myself to completely install one kit approx. 2.5hrs (for our closet, 1 kit outfits one side with some remaining pieces). Be sure to install into as many studs as possible for strength. I hit 90% of the studs in our closet and the shelving is strong enough to hold the weight of my 3-year-old who decided to sit on one of the lower shelves (shoe shelf/rack) to help daddy work:-)

Modifications: If you're really handy and like a challenge, take any remaining pieces to really go all out. Since i needed 2 kits for our closet, the pieces remaining from both kits gave me enough shelving and hardware to place a shelf above the entrance to our walk-in, plus 2 extra stringers and 1 shelf to outfit the back wall of our closet (I then matched the wood and built cabinet doors, drawers and 2 more shelves to give my wife a built-in jewelry drawer).

Pricing/Cost: For the price of the 2 kits (and the extra work/modifications I added) I saved literally thousands of dollars doing the job myself and we got exactly want we wanted in our closet!!

Delivery: I opted for standard delivery and the kits arrived well packaged and by UPS. Each kit weighed approx. 80Lbs. And surprisingly, delivery only took about 10 days

First off, let me explain: we have been married 10 yrs (and lived together prior to that) and have put together MULTIPLE things over the years, I actually see myself as quite the expert on IKEA "building-sets"....But this closet system: OMG! We barely survived it! LOL

We bought 2 sets, originally for the master closet, but ended up using the first set in our toddlers room (second one still in the box as we need a break before doing another closet!) Finished product: AWESOME, but getting there? Not so much... If we had been 2 people working on it I assume we would have had it done in about 3 hours....but seeing we have 2 kids under age 3; this project took 1 1/2 person about 6 hrs and a LOT of not so nice words:-)

The most important tool in addition to a drill/screwdriver and saw is for sure a 3-foot LEVEL. We started with putting all shelves up first and secured it all at the end. The very last step we did was meassure the hanging-bars for clothes (even though it is part of step 1 according to the book) and install them. I am glad we ended up doing it this way.

Make sure you have a level, because when the shelves are to be attached to the cross bars, you need to make sure that each shelf is lined up just right, and this cannot be done perfectly without a level.

I would have given this product a 5, but because of the difficulty of assembling this (and figuring out how to even do it to start with) I only give it a 4. Is it awesome? YES!! Does it look sooooooo much better than any metal shelving out there: YES!! Is it worth saving $800 buying/doing it yourself vs having a professional closetdesigner do it? YES!!! Does our toddler have the nicest closet in our house now? YES!!

I will for sure recommend buying it, but make sure you set off AMPLE time, and have someone a little tool savvy to help out.

Read the reviews and decided to go ahead. Received the two sets that I ordered and I must say that the John Louis Home Standard Closet Shelving System is well designed with room for flexibility. Fitted the two sets in our walk-in closet and they look spectacular. The hardware are well built, firm and strong so I expect them to last a long, long time. Love the mahogany color and the touch-up kit that came with each set; not that we need that much of it. Installation of the first set took over 2 hours but the second was done in about half the time. Instructions are clear and not difficult to follow. Overall, it is a breeze once you have decided on the configuration.

Most of all, I must say that I am very pleased with John Louis' customer service. An angle bracket had a piece that was chipped off so I called John Louis' customer service. They were very polite and didn't hesitate to send a new bracket to me. In fact, they sent a pair and had them delivered to me within two-days so that I wouldn't be held up with my installation. What more can anyone ask for. Excellent company!

Just installed this system over the weekend -- went smoothly but does, as other reviewers mentioned, take some time. I'd say I'm barely average in the "handyman" department--this was an 8 hour install for me.

I think the main reason for this is surprisingly all the horizontal shelves have to mount to studs/anchors individually. That seems VERY strange to me as most systems would have you mount a pegboard of sorts or rail and you'd click all shelves to that. Not so with this. You put a LOT of holes in your walls with this setup. I think this could be pretty easily modified by the manufacturer to save a lot of the install time so I deducted a star for that.

Also you will almost certainly need a saw for this. Suppose even a light hand saw would technically work but we had to cut 2 bars and one shelf and I'd imagine most anyone would have to make at least that many cuts. Beyond that, installation (at least to me) is pretty much what you'd expect--lots of work with a studfinder, level and screwdriver/screwgun. Being solid wood I think this setup compares VERY favorably to EasyClosets' 3x far more expensive setup quality-wise.