Hanging Bookcases

Most people can manage building a simple plywood bookcase. Making a hanging bookcase, however, may seem a little too tricky for a do-it-yourself project. Fortunately, mounting a bookcase on a wall is fairly easy when you use keyhole hangers. Keyhole hangers are small mounting plates that are inset at the back of the bookcase. They have a keyhole-shaped hole that locks onto a screw on the wall to form a strong and invisible hanging point.

Things You'll Need

• 2 pieces of 3/4-inch plywood, 12-by-53 inches
• 5 pieces of 3/4-inch plywood, 12-by-36 inches
• Wood glue
• Carpenter’s square
• 1-5/8-inch nails
• Hammer
• Paint and paintbrush
• Keyhole hanger hardware
• Chisel
• Stud finder
• Level
• Drill

Instructions

1. Form two pieces of 12-by-53-inch and two pieces of 12-by-36-inch, 3/4-inch plywood into a rectangle. The ends of the shorter pieces should be on the inside of the longer pieces. The longer pieces are the sides of the bookcase, the shorter ones the top and bottom.

2. Evenly space three more 12-by-36-inch pieces of plywood between the sides of the rectangle for the shelves; they should be parallel with the top and bottom planks. Glue the ends of the shelf, top and bottom planks to the sides, square the corners with a carpenter’s square and let dry.

3. Secure the bookcase together with five 1-5/8-inch nails hammered through the side of the bookcase into the ends of each shelf and the top and bottom pieces of plywood.

4. Paint the bookcase as desired and leave to dry for the drying time recommended by the paint manufacturer.

5. Read the installation instructions for the keyhole hanger hardware and install two keyhole plates 32 inches apart on the back of the top edge of the bookcase. This typically entails chiseling out a small portion of the top edge in which to fit the keyhole plates and screwing the keyhole plates to the back.

6. Locate two wall studs positioned 32 inches apart. Mark a level line on the wall at the height you want the bookcase to hang, then use a drill to screw in the wall screws that come with the keyhole hanger hardware. Check the keyhole hanger instructions for the appropriate height the screw heads should extend from the wall so they can slide into the keyholes on the keyhole plates in the bookcase.

7. Lift the bookcase up to the wall and insert the wall screw heads into the keyholes on the back of the bookcase. Slide the bookcase slightly to one side so the wall screw is pushed into the narrow portion of the keyhole plates. This forms a very strong lock between the screw and the keyhole and holds the bookcase flush against the wall.