EasyClosets Avis 8

Used them for a closet and it was great. Using them for a pantry with a corner unit, the instructions for the corner incorrectly had me cut a key part. The bad thing is that despite it being a known flaw, they won't overnight me replacement parts (which are stock) until next week. Now my pantry is on hold for five days.

Horrible. Instructions are minimal and hard to follow. There were so many things that were unintuitive I've lost count. I made it through half the first side of a full closet wall, and ran out of time to finish the rest, so we tried hiring a professional. The first professional took a look at the instructions and said, "I can't help you." The 2nd professional explained how they took a "unique" approach with installing the cleats so the closet is correctly weight-bearing, causing other problems. With the frame done, the width of 2 sections is too wide by approximately 1/8" so drawers won't fit in correctly, and the slides have been broken from attempting to put them in. They also don't drill all the pilot holes for you for the drawer assembly! Save yourself the trouble and use another vendor.

I have done three walk-in closets with the system and it is better quality than the Closet Maid system that I had used in the past. EasyClosets have thicker, heavier Melamine with better hardware including the pulls and the soft close drawer slides and door hinges.
The instructions were clear and with some experience with finding studs, using a level and using a drill, the assembly of a closet takes about about 1 and 1/2 days each. There is a learning curve with the system.

First use the design tool and do talk with one of the design people. Shout out to Anthony O. who reviewed and improved one of the designs. Two of my closets had a sloped roof line and the system can allow for this. The design system allowed me to add outlets and doors to the design so the final product avoided these obstacles. It also has a 3D rendering view that is very helpful.

The shipping is by private freight so it makes sense to be there when it arrives. My three closets came on plastic wrapped pallets that the driver placed in my garage with a motorized pallet jack. I then had to sort through the boxes and organize verticals from shelves.

One box is labelled to be opened first, and it has all the instructions and the hardware. Take an hour to go through the plastic bags and sort what hardware is what. I used an egg carton to organize the hardware when I took what I needed out of the bag.

You need some shims to level floor mounted units. I also used a shim on a track to get a hanging section perfectly level. After each section of two verticals connected by shelving, level and square them which includes putting in the L-brackets into the wall. For short hanging segments, I also used L-brackets with my own conventional dry wall hardware to keep them secure. This was not provided but keeps the verticals from wiggling. You need a short level and another level that is at least 2 feet long. I had another level that was 4 feet long from another project that was helpful to put up the hang tracks. I have a laser level and was able to mark out the whole closet which was helpful where the floor is not exactly level and you have connecting bridge shelves.

The installation required putting in their provided molly toggles where a stud is not available. When they work properly, you have to put some outward tension on the track to set the toggle's swing arm while advancing the screw. Once the swing arm has gripped the back of the drywall, then the screw will advance on its own.

I have a warning that the toggles they provide are challenged with walls that have insulation in them which are typically exterior walls. The toggle is placed with the drill which wraps up the installation and then the swing arm that grips the back side of the dry wall does not deploy. To avoid the wrapped-up installation, drill the toggle partially in and stop before it is screwed into the drywall. Withdraw the toggle and clear the insulation and use a screw driver to tamp down the insulation in the wall. Then slowly and manually screw it into the wall. In the event the toggle won't tighten down because it is snarled with installation, there is no salvaging it. Grip the part of the toggle flush with the wall and back out the screw that won't go in. Then using the drill, keep drilling the toggle in until you make a clean hole in the dry wall and then use a conventional 3/8" molly toggle from a hardware store.
While you are there get some 3" or 3 1/2" screws so you can drill into a stud from an adjacent track hole when the track hole is to the left or right of a stud.

When hanging a track, try not to use the last hole when possible because it is where a vertical will need to be hung. I tried several times to use a 3/8" drill to modify a vertical to allow for a screw head on the track, and it is an imprecise and uncontrolled practice. If you have a oscillating saw just trim the corner off below the slot for the track. It is safer, more controlled and prevents from chipping the surface of the melamine.

I also recommend drilling pilot holes rather than try to drill screws directly into the melamine. I had another drill with 1/8" drill bit ready to go so I didn't need to keep switching back to the screw driver bit. This was helpful for the drawers and all of the L-brackets for the 1/2" and 5/8" screws.

The customer service is excellent. They replaced a board that was scraped in shipping and also two bridge shelves that I miss-measured. No charge. Shout out to Brandy W. at customer service who patiently waited while I found the part numbers that needed to be replaced.

Take your time, and you will get a professional looking result. Worth the money. Remember you are getting the design tool, the design consultant and the customer service in the price.

Beware if you purchase a closet system from them that is deeper than their standard 14" depth. They offer, and I purchased a 19-1/16" closet system. The holes for the hanger rod are 2" back from the front thus the clothes are hung leaving an empty space of about 9" behind the clothes. They are aware of this problem and offer no solution except for me to drill additional holes. Other manufacturers offer a third vertical row of holes so the hanger rod can be further back. I can't believe that they haven't fixed this problem!!!

Easy Closets isn't less expensive than other companies. I got estimates from other closet organizer companies and they were comparable, but with Easy Closets you have to install it yourself, and you have to deal with their delivery company (Estes Express). Their service is dismal, at best (read the Estes Express reviews - they have one star). So be prepared to wait all day and then hope and pray they even show up, because I've had two deliveries from Easy Closets via Estes Express and both were problematic. After the second one, where they never showed after I waited almost 8 hours, they never called to cancel, they never communicated with me at all, I decided it wasn't worth the headache. It's a shame, because Easy Closets lost a lot of business from me due to their shipping issues.

This is a really bad experience for me, I had ordered from EasyCloset for two rounds, the first time, it was delivered to my neighbor's house instead of my house. I had to pay for a handyman with truck to deliver to my house. Second round, the closets are damaged very badly. Sales are good(that's why I purchased twice), customer supports/service are slow and unresponsive too.

I have used EasyClosets for two projects in our home. First, I designed (with the help of their designer) a custom closet for our master bedroom. Second, I designed a complete laundry cabinet and sink set up for our laundry room. Both of these turned out beautifully. They have exceptional customer service, all materials precision cut and all hardware labeled and included. Everything came when and as promised. The instructional videos and manuals are just perfectly complete. I can't say enough about how great this company and their products are. The only advice I would offer someone considering this is to make sure your measurements are precise and understand that you need fairly decent do it yourself skills. It's not a project for someone who has only put Sauder furniture together. But if you take your time and follow their instructions completely you will save yourself thousands of dollars over having it done.

This experience could not have been better. GREAT customer service, strong website design tool, excellent pricing, fast delivery, and wonderful technical support. If you are seeking to update and upgrade your shabby old closet, you can't do better than EasyClosets.com.