home sectionhome sectionThe only problem with books is that they take up space. You place bookcases along walls and soon run out of wall space. Instead of placing bookcases side-by-side against a wall, place them back-to-back. Instead of walking around the two bookcases, attach them to a Lazy Susan. The bookcases turn on the Lazy Susan. Make a spinning bookcase using small, cheap bookcases that are lightweight. The books add weight so the bookcase does not spin too fast.
Building a recessed bookshelf is a simple way to increase the available storage in your home without using up a great deal of floor space. DIY recessed bookshelves are a project that most homeowners can complete themselves, and there are many options for customization. Not only can you build the unit to your desired shape and size, but you can also embellish it with decorative wood trim or add lighting to use your bookshelf as a display for collectibles.
Well-made bookcases provide long-time storage for your most beloved books. If you get tired of its appearance though, your first instinct may be to toss it out and replace it with a new piece. But an outdated bookcase doesn’t necessarily need replacing. You can reuse the old bookcase and save some money by updating the bookcase to achieve the look you desire.
Whether you have low ceilings, short arms or simply horizontal tastes, tall bookcases may not be your style. When that's the case, try building a horizontal bookcase. Since they sit low to the ground, you don't have to worry about anchoring them to the wall or tipping them over -- you can even use the top of the bookcase for displaying framed photos, flowers or other art. When your bookcase is horizontal, your books are always within easy reach.
A metal bookcase adds personality to a room. Metal bookcases are industrial style with a utilitarian twist. Unlike expensive wood bookcases, they're budget-friendly and don't fall prey to stains. Made from metal pipes and pieces of wood, these sturdy shelves take half a day to build and provide support books, storage boxes, knick-knacks and other items.
You may dress up a long hallway and create storage space for books simultaneously with the addition of one long bookcase or a few smaller ones. While bookcases can add character and purpose to a hall, some passages are too narrow to accommodate shelving and still allow ease of movement from one room to the next. Before adding bookcases to your hallway, measure the space and carefully consider their placement.
Bookcase beds are one of the most convenient ways to store books in the bedroom, and they are especially good for night readers who appreciate having such ample storage surrounding their coziest reading place. While bookcase headboards are fairly common, making bookcase headboards with a matching footboard will make your bed stand out. The easiest way to construct this bed frame set is to find an old bookcase and cut it into two pieces. One standard bookcase should work for a twin bed. A queen-sized bed will most likely need two bookcases joined together.
One way to incorporate space-themed organizational space into your child’s room is to add a rocket-shaped bookcase. Think of it as a place to launch your child’s interest in reading. A rocket is like a book since both allow you to explore the unknown. Include your child in the painting process so she will feel involved with the project and connected to the furniture piece.
Having a variety of books is very important for a child who is just learning to read. Where you have books, you need a place to store them. A kid's bookcase works the same as one for adults; it is simply scaled down to make it easily accessible for your children. You will need some basic lumber and tools for this project, all of which are available at hardware and home improvement stores.
Creating furniture and accessories for your home using salvaged items can establish a comfortable, eclectic look that many people find appealing. Old wooden ladders have a unique aesthetic attractiveness, even when simply hung on a wall to be admired. However, another benefit of decorating with ladders is that they are extremely useful. One way to create a bookcase with a wooden ladder is to just prop it against a wall and drape books and magazines over the rungs. However, with just a few more boards, you can build something a bit fancier.
A prefab bookcase is one that has already been fabricated in a factory and just needs to be assembled, as opposed to a bookcase constructed from scratch by a carpenter or woodworker. The easiest and least expensive way to make custom bookcases is by altering prefabricated bookcases. Many home improvement and furniture stores sell unfinished solid wood bookcases that you can assemble yourself in any configuration and finish with whatever stain or paint you prefer. You can also buy particle-board prefab bookcases, although these are less durable than solid wood.
If you are interested in learning woodworking, a DIY bookcase can be an ideal project to start with. It is essentially a box with shelves, which can be built with a minimum of tools and materials. This bookcase will have four shelves (counting the bottom of the case itself) that can be positioned to your preference, whether you'd like them all spaced out evenly or adjusted for unusually-sized books. You will also gain an understanding of some of the basic concepts involved in woodworking.
Spruce up a plain-looking bookcase by adding on raw wood quarter round trim found at any home improvement store. You can even put two different trims together to make a unique style all your own. If you have a stained wood bookcase, then pick up stain and brushes in the paint department on the way to check-out. You can also paint trim, either in the same color as the bookcase, or in an alternative color for a contrast.
Organize your books and odds and ends by constructing this easy-to-build bookcase in just a few hours. After the first one, you may want to make several more. This standard 12-inch deep bookcase finishes at a 4-by-8-foot size with adjustable shelves, except for the bottom and top shelves. There should always be two shelves installed with screws, near top and bottom, to keep the bookcase frame stable. You can adjust this plan for a smaller size bookcase to fit your needs.
Bookcase headboards with one or two shelves are widely available on the market. Not many of them have enough room to save a lot of space, especially for avid readers, and few make a memorable design statement. Some designs take very few handyman skills and are complete in under an hour. More complicated bookcase headboard ideas require a basic familiarity with power tools and may take a weekend to complete.
Bookcases keep your books organized and displayed in an attractive fashion. If you are looking to make your own bookcases rather than purchasing them from the furniture store, make your own shelves from wooden crates. Purchase wooden crates at a discount from orchards or from thrift stores and put them together to make bookcases with a rustic look.
Most bookcases are open boxes with shelves, allowing easy access to the books that they hold. In some rooms, however, rows of exposed books might not be an attractive feature. A simple solution to this problem is to attach doors to the front of the bookcase, allowing you to close it when it is not needed. This transforms an obvious bookcase into a less obtrusive, solid-looking piece of furniture that blends into the background of a room.
Bookshelves nailed or screwed to the sides of a bookcase tend to be weak and may crack or sag under the weight of heavy books. Bookcase slats, also called cleats, prevent this problem by holding individual shelves and bearing the extra weight that the shelves alone are unable to handle. Slats are easy to make and significantly increase a bookshelf’s quality and longevity. For best results, make and attach bookcase slats to the sides of an unassembled bookcase before attaching the shelves.
A low bookcase is doubly useful, because it can act as a shelf for displaying decorations or picture frames on the top of the bookcase in addition to storing books. Building your own low bookcase requires only basic joinery and woodworking know-how, so is a project most enthusiastic DIYers can achieve.
Maintain the overall style of your home, or at least the room where your bookcase is located, when making over a bookcase. Re-purpose an old piece of furniture to create a new bookcase or dramatically change the overall appearance of your bookcase using a few styling tips.
Instead of purchasing a modern bookcase for your living space, you can make your own as a do-it-yourself project. A modern bookcase needs to have clean sleek lines and a dark, rich finish. Place a focus on function and aesthetics to create a quality bookcase with a modern sensibility. Select a dark hardwood such as walnut for the project. The bookcase consists of three open shelves and the books are stacked flat on their sides on each shelf for a visually interesting way to display and store your books.
Bookcases should do more than provide a storage area for your novels, textbooks and knick-knacks. Bookcases should look as interesting as the items they provide a home to. One way to make a bookcase look more interesting is to deviate from standard cases of attached shelves and opt for a more modular style using old drawers. This style is particularly helpful if you move around a lot as you don't have to deal with transporting a massive heavy bookcase; you can easily take it apart for moving. Repurposing old drawers allows you to give new life to old furniture.
An open bookcase is simply a bookcase without a back. These types of bookcases allow you to see the wall behind the shelving, or alternatively to place the bookcase so that it is accessible from either side. Making an open bookcase is much the same as closed-back bookcase construction and is a project most DIY enthusiasts can take on with ease.
Bookcases are excellent storage units because they utilize vertical space, which makes a room seem less crowded, yet you don't have to solely use shelving for books. You can also place your plants on the shelves, trinkets or anything else that fits. You can recycle the drawers from an old dresser to make your bookcase. All you really to need to come up with is an afternoon to do the project.
A wooden bookcase with different-size cubby holes is a more modern take on a traditional bookcase, giving room for books of different sizes to fit comfortably in the same unit. You can mount a bookcase onto a wall to give off-the-floor storage space for books and other decorative items using keyhole hangers. Keyhole hangers are small metal plates that are mounted into the back of the bookcase. They have a keyhole-shaped hole at the back where a wall-mounted screw is inserted. This creates a strong hold and hangs the bookcase without any visible means of support.
A spine bookcase is designed to hold stacked bookcases in a vertical line on the wall so that when the bookcase is full of books, the bookcase more or less disappears. Spine bookcases are often expensive and sometimes hard to come by. Making your own will work out cheaper in most cases and is a job most do-it-yourselfers can handle.
Creating a bookcase that will fit your need for storage without detracting from the style of your modern industrial space is easier than you might think. All you need are cinder blocks and hardwood boards that will not bend under the weight of your books. To add a pop of color in your space you can paint the cinder blocks and the shelves, but you do not have to. Leaving the blocks and shelves natural can add a more industrial feel.
A bookcase provides you with a place to store and display your books in an easy-to-access area. Building a bookcase is a fairly basic woodworking project for a do-it yourselfer, and you can have the dual satisfaction of not only having a place to store your books, but knowing that you built the bookcase yourself. After building the bookcase, attach it to the wall to prevent it from falling over.
While it might seem odd to need to weatherproof a piece of furniture like a bookcase, it's really not since many homeowners are creating open-air living rooms in their backyards and patios. These areas refer to spaces containing comfortable furniture that's impervious to the elements and that you can place around a fire pit or along your porch, allowing you to enjoy the outdoors more fully. Certain materials like wood will degenerate
A crossbuck has several definitions that all involve an X-shaped pair of boards or logs. Painted railroad crossing signs are known as crossbucks, as are the rustic type of fence, which features a log support spanned by long poles or rails. On a similar note, the fancy, white, horse fences with the crossing X pattern are also known as crossbuck fences. Perhaps most useful to the homeowner or farmer are the simple crossbucks that hold a log several feet off the ground while someone lops off the log end with a chain or hand saw.
Boards that are referred to as "2x4s" aren't your standard building material for bookcases, but if you have a leftover supply from a building project or your local lumberyard is offering a ridiculously low-priced sale, this unusual furniture idea could become reality. Make sure that the material is straight and kiln dried or the bookcase could unintentionally end up looking like a piece of modern art. When you finish putting the bookcase together, you can paint or varnish it depending on the kind of wood.
Cutting shelves into a wall is much more involved than making shelves that hang on a wall. To ensure that the integrity of the wall is not compromised, shelves need to be inset between wall studs, which limits their width to 16 inches -- the distance between wall studs. The depth of the shelves is also limited by the thickness of the walls, but the payoff for the limitations is handsome built-in shelves that feel streamlined and chic.
Access panels are often installed in walls where it is necessary to get inside them at some point. These panels can be constructed out of many different materials and are there to give easy access to electrical wiring or plumbing pipes. If you do not have a pre-made access panels, it is relatively simple to make a hole in the wall on your own for easy access to what is behind it.
Although it is ideal to install an access panel in walls while they are first being put up, it is sometimes necessary to create access panels after the fact. This is especially true with room additions. Access panels provide a way to access plumbing and other connections that are located inside the wall. Installing a drywall access panel is a relatively simple process. The trick is knowing where the connection you want to access is installed inside the wall.
Recessed shelves are most often factored into construction before a house is complete' However, they can be installed into drywall at any time. Recessing shelves into drywall requires precision and is a little tricky, but creates a very attractive feature once complete. Recessed shelves are ideal for displaying pictures, knickknacks and other ornaments. However, it is difficult to make them deep enough for storing larger items because the thickness of the wall is limited and the width of the shelves are limited to the distance between wall studs.
Recessed storage can be an asset in many different areas of your home, such as in your living room, bedroom, storage room or den. You might think creating recessed storage is a daunting project that only well-trained specialists can complete. But it's actually a pretty simple project that can be completed in an afternoon.
Plywood is one of the most versatile building materials, used to make everything from subfloors to cabinets, desks to bookcases. Plywood comes in many grades, but for furniture it is best to use a higher grade A1 to B2 plywood, which will last without warping or delaminating. If you don't plan to paint the bookcase, use plywood with an attractive outer veneer like cherry, oak or maple.
Recessed shelves are typically installed during the construction of the house, although you can install the shelving yourself if your house didn't come with them. Recessing a wall shelf takes precision, as you will be cutting into the drywall; however, it is not as difficult as many would imagine and finishing with a frame of decorative molding will add sophistication and possibly value to your home.
A bookcase is one of the most basic pieces of furniture and is a good first project for beginning woodworkers. It can be assembled out of high-quality plywood, which is a relatively low cost material. For an extra feature, you can add casters to the bottom and allow the case to be moved around the room as needed. This is an especially valuable feature for any space that needs to be frequently rearranged.
Houses often have odd-sized or narrow spaces where a custom bookshelf would fit nicely. However, you are unlikely to find an off-the-shelf bookcase that fits precisely into the problem spot. Custom bookshelves made by a cabinet maker may be prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, bookshelves are relatively easy to build. With a few basic tools and a weekend's work, you can point to the narrow bookshelf between the wall and the fireplace and say with pride, "I built that."
Wall bookcase are bookcase units attached directly to the wall, instead of being a freestanding bookcase unit. Wall bookcases are relatively easy to make for do-it-yourself enthusiasts and can be tailored to suit the available wall space. Once you've decided on the dimension, you can have the lumber yard cut the timber for you; that way, your work is almost cut in half.
Building a kitchen counter bookshelf will allow you to conveniently store your cookbooks in the kitchen, where you need them the most. Fortunately, making a bookshelf for your kitchen is a simple project that doesn't require a lot of woodworking experience.
Bookshelves are not only functional but can add to a room's overall decor. When more space is needed, having a bookcase is an excellent way to add space while also complementing the furnishings. Prefabricated bookshelves are available from furniture retailers, but often, these require assembly. The other alternative is to design and build your own bookcase. This is a task any do-it-yourself type can undertake and complete over a weekend.
The needs of a classroom bookshelf can vary depending on the age of your students, or on the shape and available space in your classroom, and sometimes the only solution is to build your own bookshelf to meet these needs. First, you must decide on the bookshelf design. Younger students may need a bookshelf that holds books with their covers exposed so they can easily see what a book is about by looking at the cover illustration. Older students, who can read well, do better with a normal bookshelf that only displays books with their bindings out, but can hold…
Built-in bookshelves look more complicated to make than they really are. Because the end product looks as if it was constructed with the room, it can feel a bit intimidating to think about a do-it-yourself installation. However, there's not much more to a built-in than a stand-alone bookshelf, and the result is more sophisticated and seamless.
Built-in bookcases add a seamless feel to a room's decor and look more sophisticated than standalone bookshelves. Building built-in bookcases is very similar to building other bookcases and is the kind of project that most do-it-yourself enthusiasts will find enjoyable. Basic woodworking knowledge is necessary to construct a built-in bookcase, but you don't have to be a master carpenter to pull off a professional-looking unit.
The need for storage has become epidemic. According the Self Storage Association, one in 10 American households uses a self-storage facility to contain the overflow of modern life. You can make your own bookcase for less than the monthly rent on an outside unit by using medium density fiberboard (MDF), a few hours of time and simple tools. MDF is stiffer than plywood and provides a stable, flat surface perfect for storing everything from books or toys to electronics. An added bonus is the price per board foot is very reasonable.
Using a safe in your home makes keeping cash at home safer. There is less chance of having the money stolen when it is locked in a safe, but small safes are easily stolen. Hiding a mini vault safe is simple. The hardest part of hiding a mini vault safe is finding the best hiding place. Putting the safe in the wall behind a picture or under the bed is obvious and easily found. The easiest way people hide safes uses camouflage.
Medium density fiberboard, or MDF, is a wood product commonly used for furniture construction. MDF is made out of wood fibers bonded together with wax or resin and pressed into a very dense, hard construction material, similar to plywood. MDF is suitable for use in building bookcases, with the only proviso being that wide bookcases -- those wider than around 40 inches -- will need a central support for the shelves so that they won't droop in the middle over time.
Don't give or throw away that old dresser just yet. You can repurpose its drawers into a cute DIY bookcase. Old, deep dresser drawers make perfect bookshelves for oversized books. In addition, the modular design of the bookcase looks more interesting than a plain old bookcase. You'll be sure to get a lot of compliments on your dresser-bookcase, so be ready to explain how you did it.
Mounting raised bookcase shelving can seem like a frustrating and difficult task; however, this is a relatively simple process to complete. With a few quick measurements and a few quick turns of a drill, you can install the strips within the bookcase to support the shelving to hold and display your books and small figurines.
Bookcases conveniently hold books in an organized manner. Wooden bookcases provide the warmth and detail of quality furniture in a room. You can build your own bookcases to match the furniture and woodwork in any room of your house. The classic bookcase consists of a back, sides, top, bottom and shelves. The shelves are fastened to the side and supported by notched out sections in the sides called dadoes. The bookcase can be left with clean lines or you can add molding for a more traditional style.
Book lovers often have trouble finding ways to store their books. Boxes don't do these collections justice and ready-made bookshelves don't always fit into your décor or your room. One solution is to edit your book collection. Another more favorable option includes designing an original bookshelf. This simple bookshelf is endlessly versatile and very easy to build. The plan consists of a series of boxes that you can stack, rearrange, separate or cluster together to accommodate your needs.
If you have a nook in a wall which is just screaming out for use but you're not sure what to do with it, a built-in bookcase can be just the thing. Built-in bookcases help to fill those awkward wall spaces and provide a useful service at the same time. They also tie in well with the overall décor of the room, as they are typically painted in the same color as the walls.
Building a wood bookcase is a project that can add a great deal of functionality, as well as a focal point, to a room. Use a homemade bookcase to hold a number of items, including books, photographs and figurines. Add a bookshelf to a room to increase its storage space and the potential for displaying favorite objects. Building a bookshelf requires only basic carpentry skills and tools, and the project itself can be completed in just a few days.
Off-the-shelf bookcases are often bland, especially if they are inexpensive. Crafting your own DIY bookcases leaves you more money in your discretionary budget for bookshelves and also adds a dose of style to a piece of furniture which often just blends in with its surroundings. Choose whichever style of DIY wall bookcase that best matches the size and style of your collection, and remember that the more books your case must hold, the more important it is to sturdily construct your bookcase. Several unique styles can be employed.
By using two old doors and two boards, you can construct a re-purposed piece of furniture that is the focal point of your room. By making a headboard that also functions as a bookshelf, you are saving space, time and money. The shelves provide surfaces that can be both functional and decorative, allowing you to fill the wall space above your bed with color and texture. Because you can paint the doors yourself, this project can fit any color scheme.
A homemade bookcase is often a better solution than purchasing one. It allows you to build for custom dimensions to fit exactly in the space you have chosen and is much cheaper. A standard-sized bookcase is about 72 by 32 inches, or 6 feet tall and about 2 1/2 feet wide. Once you have learned to construct this basic bookcase you can begin altering the plans for your own custom cases.
If you are a bibliophile, odds are you always need more bookshelf space. Bookshelves are actually easy to make yourself. By following a few simple steps, you can make sure you have enough shelf space for years to come.
