Press Room

BUILD YOUR OWN CEDAR CLOSET WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK

Huntsville, AL – Closet organization is a booming $3 billion industry. Homeowners can spend as much as $30,000 on organized closet systems that can turn those ho-hum, stuffed-to-the-hilt wasted spaces into stress-free, spa-like quiet rooms.

What's fueling the closet obsession? Americans buy about 75% more clothes now than they did 10 years ago, according to census data. A 2005 survey by Rubbermaid claims that more women said they wanted to organize their closets than said they wanted to lose weight.

Home renovation shows on HGTV, TLC and ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are pumping up interest. And how about Mariah Carey's revolving, glass-enclosed shoe cabinet on MTV's Cribs?

"Closet renovations are hot right now," says Pat Simpson, home improvement expert and host of HGTV's Before & After, Fix It Up! and Room to Improve. "But many closet systems you see in magazines and on TV are out of the financial reach of most Americans."

The trade magazine CLOSETS notes that the average price of a closet installation is $3,500. Much of that expense comes from creating custom closets with lots of shelves and drawers.

Cedar Closets Are Making A Comeback

In the 17th century, cedar was used in linen rooms to repel moths. By the 19th century, cedar closets became fixtures of affluent Americans. In fact, George Vanderbilt's Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, the largest home in the United States, has a cedar-lined closet that was used to store fine linens.

Cedar closets are starting to capture the attention of many consumers across the country. A 2005 study by Unity Marketing shows that 15 percent of homeowners who make $150,000 a year or more have cedar closets. And according to a 2005 CedarSafe® Natural Closet Liner/Insight Express survey of 1,000 adults, 41 percent would consider installing a cedar closet in their homes when informed about the benefits.

What's the attraction? A cedar closet offers benefits like these:

• Repels and resist moths, roaches, silverfish and mildew
• Provides a wonderful cedar scent
• Safer than mothballs and smells better
• Often found in expensive and older homes
• A great place to store out-of-season clothes

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner: A Lower-Cost DIY Alternative

Professionally installed cedar closets can be expensive but they don't have to be a luxury.

"You can create a beautiful cedar closet using do-it-yourself, easy-to-install cedar panels or planks for $150 to $360 for a standard-size closet," says Simpson.

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner planks and panels, which are available in home centers nationwide, are made of 100 percent Aromatic Eastern Redcedar and line the walls of the closet. Both liners work well with standard or custom racking, shelving, storage drawers and cabinetry.

The planks (MSRP: $29.95/box covers 15 square feet of wall space) provide an elegant look to a closet in a master bedroom. It would cost about $360 to line 180 square feet of wall space with cedar planks. The 4' x 8' panels (MSRP: $24.95 each) are ideal for off-season storage areas, secondary closets and attics. It would cost about $150 to line180 square feet of wall space with cedar panels. Both do-it-yourself products require a claw hammer, tri-square, saw and nails or adhesive to install.

"Any closet in the house is perfect for CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner," says Simpson. "You choose the look you want, measure your space and install it in a matter of hours. It's that easy."

CedarSafe Natural Closet Liner is the #1 cedar closet liner brand in America. It is manufactured by Huntsville-based Giles & Kendall. Giles & Kendall, and its predecessor George C. Brown Cedar Company, have specialized in manufacturing 100 percent Aromatic Eastern Redcedar products for more than 120 years.