How Do You Craft Bookshelves

I showed off these fabulous IKEA bookshelves my Dad recently built for us in this post Hither...If you lot missed information technology, this was merely a blank wall in our living room. This post has the step by footstep tutorial of how to build these bookshelves using IKEA Billy Bookcases (or like inexpensive bookcases). They wait but like built-ins and provide great storage!

After they were built, I busy and styled them and I showed them off in this post HERE.

A year or so later on, I painted the room a darker color and now the shelves really pop. Yous can read well-nigh that update Here.

Since I didn't actually do most of the hands-on piece of work, I suppose it is easy for me to say how unproblematic this is, simply this project is certainly simple compared to edifice a wall of shelves from scratch.

A quick epitomize if y'all missed the commencement post: I'd been dreaming about building these shelves since we moved in our new home. At one point terminal yr, I showed my Dad a motion picture of some shelves that were similar and asked if he could aid me with the harder parts of structure. He basically showed up one day with the lumber and did the entire project for me himself; I sure am one lucky daughter!

Here is the infinite I started with. This picture is from our move-in day earlier nosotros had the room painted pale gray. This is the home'southward formal living room only inside the front end door, we utilise it more equally a quiet reading/library space since formal entertaining isn't high on our listing these days.

Sources are linked throughout and listed at the end of the post.

What is prissy about the space, which is open to our foyer, is that the walls already created the perfect "niche" to put shelves in. I had ii shelves already from my erstwhile home office and then I picked up two more tall Billy bookshelves from IKEA.

How to Build Built-In Bookcases from IKEA Billy Bookshelves

To effigy out how to all-time utilise the space, the picture beneath shows how nosotros did the math. I measured the space in betwixt the walls, in our example it was almost exactly 12 feet, or 144 inches, and so I subtracted out the width of the bookcases which are 31″ each, or a total of 124 inches. That left me with 20 inches of open infinite to encompass over with trim, and then I knew we would need five v″ boards on the ends and in between each shelf.

Once I had that calculated, I just had to figure out the acme part of the shelves. I knew I wanted to go as close to the ceiling every bit I could, and equally luck would have it I found out yous can purchase Baton Shelf Extenders from IKEA to make the standard bookshelves taller.

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This is the shelf nosotros used (iv of them) in example y'all aren't familiar with them. If you lot don't live near an IKEA, these are a good online substitute, but cheque your measurements!

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We added them to the tiptop of each shelf which added some other 14″ to the summit of the shelves and made such a huge difference. You tin can see them below with the additional meridian, which got them much closer to the ceiling.

Here is how nosotros {past we, I mean my Dad} built them.

I should add together that to do this task, a mitre saw and a nail compressor are helpful in addition to other basic tools and painting equipment.

He started by building essentially a rectangular box to prepare the shelves in to keep them steady and in identify.

We besides pulled the molding off the wall, then saved it to apply once again once we were done.

We did not cutting a hole in the back of the bookshelves for the outlets, although you certainly could.

From there, he set the shelves in the base of operations, spaced evenly, so secured them to the wall.

Once they were secured, he cutting and painted the boards to "build" them into the walls. All the boards came from the molding and trim department at Abode Depot. Below shows how he secured the large tiptop board to the ceiling and the bookcases. This front end lath was after covered with more molding so the gap above it didn't show.

Just a quick annotation in hither virtually why you don't come across lights forth the top of these shelves as was my original intention. My father, who spent his career as a Burn down Primary, was not going to let me drop extension cords backside the shelves to run ability to the lighting along the top!

Before we started building, we hired an electrician to come up out to identify a new outlet at the ceiling on summit of the shelves so we could plug the cords into it directly. However, our domicile was congenital during the early 2000's building boom, and our builder used a construction technique rare in single-family homes known as "pre-bandage" structure. Essentially our house doesn't have traditional studs, but rather our exterior walls are solid concrete. Information technology's prissy for our heating bills, but it makes it pretty much incommunicable to run a wire upwardly the wall behind the drywall.

After virtually 100 holes in the wall and a hefty electrician bill, nosotros gave up on the lighting thought. I recollect they look dainty enough without it.

Here is a closer shot with the molding boards tacked on. He gave everything a glaze of paint prior to nailing information technology upward, then everything got another coat of paint at the very end. (Tip: you can take one of the shelves in to the store and take them tint your white paint to match exactly)

After all the construction was washed, we caulked the gaps, and then I spent an evening spackling all the fiddling tiny holes in the sides of the bookshelves. The spackle will pop out if I desire to accommodate the shelves differently but it just made them look much more finished.

Here is a "finished" shot of them {minus some touch-up areas}. Aren't they beautiful?

And again, here is my Dad who gets all the credit for this project. I bet he'll run for the golf class or the baseball field for sure the next time I say "So Dad, I was thinking about doing this project– would you like to help?" 🙂 simply in the meantime, I am so grateful that he did this for us. If you have questions, please exit them in the comments, and I'll ask 'the human.'

Update: More recently we painted and restyled the room, you can encounter how information technology currently looks in this mail Hither.

See the other posts on this project : The How To Build Them and The Final "Styled" Reveal!

Hither is an easy-to-pin image so you can call back this project for your next open weekend!

You tin can besides see how I used Billy bookcases to build boosted shelving under the counter in our kitchen Hither.

If you would similar to come across more than of our abode, here are some other posts:

Our Consummate Abode Tour

ii Years of Projects {Recap} Updating a Builder Dwelling

Holiday Home Bout

DIY Mudroom from a Glaze Closet

{You can follow more of our DIY projects via the buttons under my photo!}

We as well offering a FREE Printable Whole House Abode Decor Planner to assist you organize and simplify your home decorating procedure. Merely click Here for more information or to receive your free printable planner.

XO,