How to Build a Shelf With Drawers

Rather than getting rid of your old furniture drawers, repurpose them to create a new striking furniture unit. Old drawers are the proper depth and shape so, when stacked on their sides, they create shelving that requires no carpentry skills. When you repurpose your old household scraps into something new, you save money and help reduce your carbon footprint. Re-using old drawers also allows you create a one-of-a-kind shelving unit that could be the conversation piece of the room.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Wood filler
• Putty knife
• Primer
• Paintbrush
• Paint
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Shelf paper
• Spray adhesive
• ¼-inch screws
• L-bracket or nylon strap
• Stud finder
• Screws

Instructions

1. Take your old drawers out of your furniture unit. Check to make sure they are sturdy. Use a hot glue gun to secure any loose connections.

2. Remove the handles or knobs from the front of the drawers. Fill in the holes with wood filler and a putty knife. Let the wood filler dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

3. Sand the drawers on all surfaces, inside and out, with fine grain sand paper. Prime the drawers with a latex primer. Allow the first coat to dry to the touch and add a second coat. Allow the primer to dry for 24 hours.

4. Paint the drawers whatever color you desire with latex paint. Paint the inside as well as the outside. Paint the inside a different color from the outside if you want the unit to pop. Allow the paint to dry.

5. Line the inside of the drawers with shelf paper, if desired. Measure the inside of each drawer and cut a piece of paper to fit. Glue the paper to the bottom of the drawers with a spray adhesive.

6. Experiment by arranging the shelves in formations you find pleasing. Stack drawers of the same size one on top of the other. Alternatively, stack them like a pyramid with three on the bottom, two on top of those and one on the top. If your drawers are different sizes, arrange them so some are vertical and some are horizontal until you like the overall shape of the unit.

7. Attach the drawers to each other by connecting them with ¼-inch screws. Wherever the sides of two drawers touch, use two or more screws to fasten them together.

8. Secure the shelf to the wall. Locate a stud in the wall behind the unit. Screw an L-bracket or a nylon strap to the top back of the unit directly in front of the stud in the wall. Screw the other end of the bracket or strap into the wall stud.