Skip to Content

Are Closet Walls Load Bearing? (All You Need to Know)

The closet is the most integral part of every house. If you build a new home, you must consider pre-installing some attached closets in your bedroom. It will enhance the room’s look and ensure the optimum use of the empty spaces.

But the challenges might arise when you plan to build the closet walls. You must know what type of walls should be there to protect your closets. You will mostly find two types of walls for the closets. One is perpendicular, and the other one is parallel.

Are closet walls load-bearing?

The closet walls are both load-bearing and non-load bearing. If you have perpendicular walls, you must have load-bearing walls. Otherwise, the walls might be non-load bearing. Typically, they are not load-bearing walls which is not the ideal practice. You must consider the closet position.

You will find or can build a closet in different areas. It might be in your bedroom or the entryway. Whatever the place is, you must consider the position of your closet. If it requires a perpendicular wall, it should be a load-bearing wall. Otherwise, it could be anything.

The perpendicular wall’s position will bear the extra load of the rooftop and the other sides. Therefore, the closet must have load-bearing walls for that direction. If you don’t have any requirements and you’re not sure of the position, you can consider installing the non-load bearing walls.

Bedroom closet wall:

Your bedroom closet wall is non-bearing. But if required, you can install the load-bearing closet as well.

It will entirely depend on your requirements and the position of the closet. It will be load-bearing if it requires any perpendicular wall; otherwise, you can install the non-bearing walls.

The answer might seem diplomatic, but that’s the truth. You cannot break the rules; all you can do is install the perfect match closet walls to make your closet stronger and more durable.

So, the load-bearing walls would be your best choice to make the closet stronger.

Entryway closet wall:

The same answer goes for the entryway closet walls. If your entryway closet is perpendicular, it will require load-bearing walls.

But you can also install the non-bearing walls if you want. It’s not a significant concern for the entryway closet.

You can consider other factors, including the position and load-bearing importance. Then, you can choose the right one according to that.

If the entryway doesn’t require any perpendicular walls, you can ignore the load-bearing and install the non-bearing walls.

Are built-in closets under load-bearing wall?

Built-in closets are generally installed under the load-bearing walls because while making a house, you need to make the plan to do it.

This is because it is made in that place by measuring the suitable area of the closet. Home rebuilding includes making new spaces or reusing old ones.

The closet is an often redesigned region; the dividers are carried down to create more space. Before you can cut down a closet wall, you’ll have to guarantee that it’s anything but a load-bearing wall.

But sometimes, built-in closets could be both load-bearing or not, where the suitable method is applicable only for the load-bearing walls.

To decide whether a built-in closet wall is load-bearing, concentrate on its structure plan, as it ordinarily gives such data. Different techniques include checking for opposite floor joists and talking with professionals.

You cannot just use your thoughts and install the closet as you want. You must have a good plan and a great design to securely install or make the closet.

Why would closet walls be load-bearing?

Depending on some reason, closet walls could be load-bearing because professionals always recommend such a matter.

So in most cases, the closet wall is always performed by the load-bearing. For your convenience, we have shared some reasons behind this so that you can get information regarding this suggestive method.

To keep the building plans and blueprints right:

To maintain the design and durability of the building, the closet wall is usually maintained under load bearings.

The structure plans can let you know if a wall contains a support bar and the bearing of the floor joists. It’ll likewise let you know which walls are load-bearing, as they’ll be set apart with the letter “S” for underlying.

Knowing Joist’s direction is another reason:

Joists are long even backings that range over open spaces, for the most part, between beams.

Furthermore, the direction of the joists can see you when a closet is load-bearing so that it can stay under it. Assuming the joists run opposite to the wall being referred to, the divisor is load-bearing and ought not to tamper.

Depends on what is under the wall:

Load-bearing walls convey the heaviness of the structure, beginning from the rooftop and upper floors, and they move this load to the establishment.

Load-bearing walls are most frequently straight over each other on each floor. Assuming the nearest wall you’re researching is on the subsequent floor, check if there’s a wall in a similar spot on the lower floors, then it proves that the closet wall could be load-bearing.

How can you tell the difference between a load-bearing and non load-bearing closet wall?

You can tell the difference between a load-bearing and non-load-bearing closet walls by considering the below factors. They will tell you the real difference between load-bearing and non-load-bearing. They will additionally help you to decide which one you should install.

Building Plans & Blueprints:

The building plans will indicate whether or not a wall has a support beam inside of it and the orientation of the floor joists.

In addition to this, it will indicate which walls support weight by designating them with the letter “S,” which stands for structural. You can decide whether or not the wall of your closet bears the load of the furniture by paying close attention to the blueprint.

Joist Direction:

If the joists run perpendicular to the wall in question, then the wall in question is a load-bearing wall. On the other hand, if the joists run parallel to (in the same direction as) the closet wall, it is a non-load-bearing closet wall. 

Load Support:

Load-bearing closet walls on each floor are almost always situated directly above one another. At least one of the walls separates the closet from the rest of the room. That’s a bet that the closet wall is non load-bearing.

How to tell if the closet wall is load-bearing?

You can tell if the closet wall is load-bearing by keeping the below factors. You must consider the following guidelines if your closet wall is load-bearing. It will also help you remove or reinstall the same wall in the closet.

Beams:

Beams bear the majority of the weight of your home, which is then distributed evenly across the structure’s foundation. Beams frequently run through multiple floors and can be considered part of more than one wall.

If your beam extends from the foundation through any wall above it, then that wall is a load-bearing structure.

Joists:

You should be able to make out long supports that run the ceiling length; these are the floor joists, and they are called that because they support the floor of the room above. If the joists run perpendicular, then the wall is considered a load-bearing wall.

Wall Position:

Load-bearing walls are always the exterior walls of a building. However, some of the interior walls of larger houses with wider spans are required to support the loads.

These load-bearing interior walls will typically be located somewhere around the middle of the home because this is the furthest area.

What walls are not load-bearing?

Interior walls or dividers are not load-bearing. Non-load-bearing walls are found inside the home. They are only responsible for the weight that they contribute to the house’s structure.

These walls serve almost no purpose other than to section off rooms.

You can quickly determine which walls are in your attic or basement by glancing at the beams in either of those spaces.

It is common to consider barriers to be non-load-bearing if the joists and rafters that make up the ceiling run parallel to the wall. They are not responsible for the gravitational support of your property. Even if the wall’s primary function is not to support loads, it may still be present for various other reasons, including energy segregation, noise abatement, and privacy concerns.

You can also consider that the brick and other divided walls are not load-bearing. They should not be in your consideration. You must decide if you need these walls in your closet. Otherwise, you may go for the load-bearing walls for your closet.

Final Thoughts

The closet walls could be both load-bearing and non-load-bearing. You must consider the position and the structure of the closet; these factors will help you decide on the closet walls. You can install the load-bearing wall to make it stronger and safer most of the time.