How to Turn a Bookshelf Into a Secret Passage Door

Any one of those bookcases might open up to a hidden room.

Using a bookcase as a door will amaze guests in your home. Instead of a doorway to an office, bedroom or other small space, they see shelves covered in books. You will get surprised looks when someone walks out of the secret room. Turning a bookcase into a secret passage door does not require extensive carpentry knowledge, but it does take a little work. This simple bookcase door fits inside the doorway to a room. From this basic bookcase-door plan, you can make more detailed and elaborate secret passageways.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Bookcase
• 4 swivel wheels
• Screws
• Power drill
• Hardwood board
• Medium sandpaper
• Wood glue
• Clamp
• Hinges

Instructions

Bookcase Measurements

1. Measure the inside of the doorway. Before measuring, remove the door if there is one. Measure the height of the doorway from the floor to the top of the doorway. Measure the length from one side of the doorway to the other. Do not measure the door frame, but rather the inside of the door.

2. Purchase or build a bookcase that fits the measurement of the doorway. The bookcase must fit snugly inside the doorway. Make sure the bookcase has a gap at the bottom that is at least a couple of inches high. Many bookcases are open at the bottom, with two walls on the sides and the bottom shelf off the ground. This is necessary for placing and hiding the wheels.

3. Measure the height of the gap at the bottom of the bookcase. Measure from the bottom of the bottom shelf to the bottom of one of the side walls. Purchase wheels that will fit under the gap, with extra space remaining. Wheels tend to vary in size from 1 1/2 inches to 3 inches in height.

Board Measurements

1. Press one wheel against the bottom of the bottom shelf and next to one side of the bookcase. Measure the distance from the bottom of the wheel to the bottom of the bookcase wall. Add 1/8 inch to the measurement. This becomes the height of the hardwood board.

2. Measure the length of the gap at the bottom of the bookcase. Measure inside the gap from one wall to the other. This becomes the length of the board.

3. Measure the width of the gap. Measure from the front to the back of one wall of the bookcase. This becomes the width of the board.

4. Cut the hardwood board the height, width and length measurements. The board must fit beneath the bookcase, inside the gap, so that the sides do not stick out.

Wheel Attachment

1. Attach the wheels to the corners of the board. Place one wheel so the upper left corner matches up with the upper left corner of the board and points down. Drill the screws into the holes on the wheel. Hold the drill so it points straight down so that the screws do not go in crooked. Attach a second wheel so that the top right corner of the wheel matches up with the top right corner of the board. Attach the remaining two wheels to the bottom corners so they point up.

2. Flip the board over and rub sandpaper over the top of the board to rough it up. Repeat with the bottom of the bottom shelf of the bookcase.

3. Apply a generous amount of wood glue to the board. Press the board to the bottom of the shelf. Attach a clamp to the board and shelf to help hold them together while the glue dries. Remove the clamp once the glue has dried.

Hinge Attachment

1. Stand the bookcase up and wheel it inside the doorway. The bookcase should fit tightly, but still move easily in and out of the doorway. Line the back of the bookcase up with the wall of the hidden room.

2. Divide the height of the doorway by 4. This measurement becomes the distance between hinges.

3. Place one hinge at the top of the bookcase and wall so that one side rests on the wall and the other on the back of the bookcase. The hinge part rests over the crack between them. Drill screws into the holes of the hinges.

4. Measure from the bottom of the hinge down the wall to where the next hinge belongs. Place the hinge on the wall and bookcase and drill it in place with the screws. Repeat with the last two hinges, moving down the wall and screwing them in place.

Tips & Warnings

• If the bottom of the bookcase is completely open with no front cover for the gap, make a cover using a thin board. Drill, nail or glue the board to the front of the gap and paint the entire bookcase so it looks as if the board was always there. If the bookcase is only open in the back, then this is not necessary.

• Use identical bookcases to hide the doorway completely. Place the bookcases to the right and left of the bookcase door. Another option is to have floor to ceiling bookcases that span the entire wall with the bookcases surrounding the bookcase door. Any bookcase next to the bookcase door must have a small gap or slight angle to prevent the door from scraping against it when opening and closing. This is especially useful if the doorway has a frame that is visible with the bookcase inside. Alternatively, remove the frame and re-paint the wall around the doorway.

• Don't forget a door handle on the back of the bookcase door or else you won't get out of the hidden room. Attach a door handle or cut a small hole in the back of the bookcase. Cover the hole with books.

• Measure wheels before purchasing -- sometimes the size listed on the packaging is incorrect.

• The wheels put a lot of weight and pressure on the bottom shelf of the bookcase. A cheap bookcase made from fiberboard instead of real wood might not handle the weight.

• Even though the wheels support a lot of weight, hinges attached to drywall might not hold.