Removing closet shelf

May 03, 2017 4 Replies
Removing closet shelf open original image

I am trying to remove this shelf from my closet. There are no visible nails or screws so I'm assuming it's glued in. Any ideas for getting it out without damaging the rest of the closet? I don't mind leaving the wood supports in but I need the shelf out. There is wood at both ends and drywall at the back and it's sitting on wood supports. All are painted but not painted together.

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Very unlikely it is glued, very likely it is nailed. Whack up with a hammer near the ledger boards.

Or use a prybar like this to pry the shelf away from the supports

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Like others have said, it is either forced in a tight area, nailed, or glued. If you do not need to save the shelf, why not cut it in half with a saw and it may be easier to remove.

+1 Other than removing the closet walls, that's about the only way. If it IS nailed, and you can't get it out by prying upwards around the edges, cut ALL the way through in the center (two cuts if you have to so you have TWO pieces of shelf before you start banging away) and then gently start banging downward which will, hopefully, prevent the shelf from digging into the drywall as the nails come out.

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