How to Make an Awesome Bookcase

The drawers from an old dresser make a great new bookcase.

Go green and get yourself a cool, wallet-friendly bookcase in the bargain. Use an old dresser with intact drawers to recycle as the raw material for a custom shelf unit. Style it to fit in the space you have and compliment your décor. The most rudimentary acquaintance with simple tools is all you need. A good eye for color and a knack for stacking blocks will yield a bookcase that’s truly awesome.

Things You'll Need

• Wood drawers from an old dresser
• Screwdriver
• Clean cloth
• Sandpaper
• Eggshell finish paint
• Paintbrush
• Scrap paper
• Pencil
• Sticky notes
• Wallpaper (optional)
• Glue(optional)
• Craft knife (optional)
• Clear lacquer (optional)
• Flat metal braces
• Wood screws

Instructions

1. Remove the drawers from an old dresser and remove the hardware from the drawers. Wipe them down and sand them lightly so new paint will adhere to the surface.

2. Paint the drawers inside and out with eggshell finish latex paint. Give them two coats to cover well, letting each coat dry thoroughly before proceeding.

3. Experiment with arranging the drawers vertically and horizontally until you find a configuration that looks good and fits the space for the bookcase. Sketch the arrangement on scrap paper and put a sticky note on each drawer with its placement.

4. Cut patterned wallpaper to fit precisely inside the drawers against the flat bottom of each drawer. You can skip this step if you want a plain paint finish inside and out. Glue the wallpaper to each drawer and spray a coat of clear protective lacquer on the wallpaper.

5. Stack the drawers in the pattern you created and mark them on the back for braces to hold the pieces together. Unstack the drawers and screw on flat metal braces, assembling the bookcase unit as you go. When finished, position the bookcase against the wall and fill it with books.

Tips & Warnings

• Fill in holes from drawer hardware with wood putty before painting if they will be positioned on the outside of the bookcase.

• In a child's room, paint the drawers each a different vivid color for a lively library.

• Brace freestanding bookcases to the wall if there are young children in the home who might be tempted to climb on shelves and pull them over.

References

• “Country Living Magazine”; DIY Bookcase; Ryan McPhail
• Apartment Therapy: Bookshelves from Wooden Crates; Sarah Coffey; January 9, 2009