DIY Constructed-In Bookshelves | Younger Home Love

Immediately’s tutorial for including built-in bookshelves is so much less complicated than it seems to be. Which means getting this traditional look of floor-to-ceiling shelving round a doorway is one thing anybody can do. We deliberate these bookcases as a part of our huge kitchen transform, and so they could also be my secret favourite a part of the entire renovation.

This wall did have a bookcase on it initially, as you may see on this earlier than photograph. However we demo’d and reframed it to be extra open to the kitchen.

Along with the DIY constructing tutorial, we’ll additionally share the entire measurements so you can also make positive to create the perfect shelf peak and depth for books and decor.

Instruments & Supplies for Constructed-In Bookshelves

Setting up built-in bookcases like this may seemingly be a multi-day venture that requires some persistence and a spotlight to element. Nevertheless, the precise course of just isn’t sophisticated and requires fairly fundamental DIY abilities. Additionally, you will want these instruments and supplies useful:

Step 1: Plan Your Bookshelf Design

Planning is all the time crucial step to a DIY constructing venture like this. Start by taking cautious measurements of your area. You possibly can write them down or, higher but, make a tough sketch. For us, this was the clean wall we began with.

You’ll have a transparent concept of what you need to construct already, or you might have to take a while searching blogs or Pinterest to collect inspiration. Be aware of shelf spacing, trim particulars, paint colours, and even what kind of gadgets are on the cabinets that encourage you most. For us, we had been loosely making an attempt to recreate these built-in bookcases from our second home.

With that picture in thoughts, we had been in a position to sketch out our imaginative and prescient (with measurements!) in order that we might additionally begin planning how a lot materials we would want to purchase. Extra on that in a bit!

Some individuals additionally wish to mock issues up in Photoshop or 3D software program like CAD. However as you may see, good ol’ pen and paper works too. Even after we had been within the midst of the construct we double-checked our shelf spacing measurements with blue painter’s tape. You possibly can see us contemplating two spacing choices beneath (we selected the one on the suitable).

Lengthy story brief: don’t shortchange the planning course of as a result of it is going to prevent time, complications, and journeys to the house enchancment retailer.

Step 2: Construct-In Your Bases

For the bases, we knew we needed some closed cupboard storage to cover stuff like outdated photograph albums and yearbooks. Fortunate for us, these 30″ x 30″ inventory higher cupboards from Residence Depot match virtually completely and had been a simple, reasonably priced option to kick off this construct.

The downside to higher cupboards like these is that they’re solely 12″ deep. A typical bookcase is 10-12″ deep, however we needed our cabinets to be 13″ to accommodate bigger books and ornamental objects. So we added two layers of two×4″ blocking in opposition to the wall behind every cupboard. We merely screwed the blocking into studs utilizing lengthy 2.5″ wooden screws.

You’ll additionally word within the photograph beneath that there’s additionally some blocking underneath the cupboard. It will help you add matching baseboard across the bottoms with out obstructing the doorways. Sometimes a single 2×4″ will do. We, nevertheless, had been making an attempt to rigorously match the peak of the room’s present wainscotting. So we needed to get an enormous inventive and prop it up with some random scrap plywood to get the suitable peak.

I do know that appears kinda loopy above, however don’t fear. We used these unfinished finish panels to cowl all of it up. I additionally nailed in a 1 x 2″ alongside the underside edge to provide the baseboard one thing to relaxation in opposition to alongside the entrance. And don’t thoughts the matchbox vehicles in there. Toddlers, amiright?

You might also want so as to add some filler items between your cupboard and the wall to shut any gaps. We used some inventory filler items, however any wooden would do,

To finish the cupboard bases, we then minimize and put in baseboard to wrap across the backside of every cupboard. Use a miter noticed to chop every bit and fix it with a nail gun. Lovely toddler not required.

Right here’s what it regarded like with each bases put in. Don’t fear, they got here with doorways and cabinets. We simply eliminated them to make set up simpler.

It additionally made our subsequent step simpler as effectively…

Step 3: Prime, & Paint

Earlier than you begin setting up your built-in bookshelves, we discover it’s simpler to prime and paint your shelving items first. , when all the things is flat on the bottom. Your cuts don’t should be exact but, however we did rip all of our MDF to dimension earlier than we began. I’ll clarify that extra in a bit.

You’ll nonetheless have to do touch-ups after, however this manner you may roll most of it flat with out worrying about drips, pooling, or getting a brush into plenty of nooks. You possibly can see we painted the cupboard doorways, cabinets, and dealing with items abruptly. The colour is Merely White by Benjamin Moore (in a semi-gloss end) which is what’s already on the opposite trim within the room.

Step 4: Assemble Your Aspect Cabinets

For the open bookshelves themselves, we adopted the identical course of we used for our son’s built-ins. You possibly can see extra element in that publish, however I’ll offer you an outline right here. We constructed them out of 1/2″ MDF panels as a result of they’re straightforward to chop and offer you a smoother end than plywood.

As you may see, the bookshelf development goes as follows:

• Screw one MDF vertical panel instantly into the aspect wall
• Add a 1×4″ brace piece to the again wall throughout the highest
• Screw an identical MDF vertical panel on the opposite aspect into the brace piece
• Add one other brace piece throughout the entrance of the cabinets
• Rip 1×1″ strips of pine on a desk noticed to shelf assist
• Wherever you desire a shelf, nail assist strips on 3 sides
• Add MDF cabinets
• Nail and glue 1×2″ face items on all uncovered edges

I do know that’s a fast overview, so please try this tutorial for extra element. However you may see after doing that on each aspect (effectively, minus the face items) we achieved this round our doorway.

This half was all outdated hat for me. The brand new problem was the subsequent step: spanning a shelf throughout the cased opening!

Step 5: Add The Shelf Throughout The Doorway

To construct the center shelf over the doorway, I took benefit of any floor I might safe the MDF into and added just a few further to be secure. For example, I began by including sections of 1×4″ “header” boards throughout the again (STEP 1). That gave me an edge to nail the vertical divider into (STEP 2). As soon as these dividers had been in, I might screw the underside in from beneath (STEP 3). You possibly can see it mocked up beneath.

As I began constructing it for actual, I additionally ended up including a scrap piece to the ceiling. This helped preserve all the things sq. and in addition gave me a floor to connect the dealing with & crown molding. You possibly can see I additionally took benefit of the door casing as further assist for the underside shelf. The entire arrows are locations I screwed issues collectively.

It’s also possible to see within the photograph above that the cabinets over the doorway are doubled up. That is in order that, as soon as the 1×2″ face piece is added, these cabinets are flush on each the highest and the underside. The entire different cabinets have a small lip on the underside, however we didn’t need that seen on this portion that can be walked underneath.

Step 6: Nail In Your Face Items

The final step is so as to add 1×2″ pine items (already primed and painted!) to cowl the entire unfinished entrance edges. It will make your uncooked edges look tidier AND make your cabinets look twice as thick as they are surely.

Once more, you may learn extra about this course of in this tutorial.

Step 7: Caulk & Contact-Up Paint

Lastly, you’ll need to use some paintable caulk and wooden filler to fill all your seams and nail holes. Mainly, wherever two items of wooden meet, you’ll need to add a beam of caulk. It will give your built-in bookshelves the good, completed look they deserve.

As soon as your caulk is full dry, you’ll need to paint over it. This must be fairly fast with a brush. And it is a good time to touch-up any scuffs you created throughout development. I do know this feels repetitive to Step 3, however belief me it’s a lot simpler doing a fast move with paint now than having to do a number of coats of paint & primer.

Step 8: Let Treatment & Adorn!

Even after it has dried, paint has a curing interval when it hardens and turns into extra sturdy. This could take a number of days, so be affected person in the case of loading up your new built-in bookshelves. We all know you’re excited as a result of we had been too! We waited a full 10 days simply to be secure. That method our decor was much less more likely to scrape, scuff, or depart impressions within the uncured paint.

You possibly can learn our ideas for adorning bookshelves however we typically like to incorporate a mixture of books (stacked in numerous orientations) and ornamental objects. Our ultimate shelf measurements had been 15″ excessive and 13″ deep, which imply they might match numerous stuff with out trying too cramped. We additionally saved our books in a free, color-coded association. It wasn’t a real rainbow or gradient, however we discover retaining related shade spines collectively makes cabinets appear to be chaotic.

Oh, and don’t neglect so as to add knobs or pulls to your cupboards. We discovered these enjoyable latches on-line and thought they’d be a pleasant option to combine it up from the pulls we now have within the adjoining kitchen.

We’re completely thrilled with how these built-in bookshelves turned out. They appear to be they had been all the time meant to be right here, which is all the time the aim of any built-in DIY venture.

They add structure to the room and make the lounge really feel cozy and lived in. Plus, we’ve bought extra storage too!

Adorning Your Constructed-In Bookshelf

Now for the enjoyable half – or possibly powerful half for some: filling your built-ins! We’ve bought an entire publish with ideas and methods for styling a bookshelf. It’s also possible to watch how we adorning our buddies’ built-in bookshelves on this time lapse video beneath.