How to Attach a Bookcase to the Wall Around a Fireplace

Install a bookcase around your fireplace.

If you would like more book storage in your living room, then consider installing bookcases in the wall spaces around your fireplace. This is an easy fix to a living room that requires only a little paint, a drill and the assistance of a helper. Make sure to measure carefully -- at least two times -- before purchasing bookcases and securing them to the wall.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Bookcases
• Tarp
• Primer
• Screwdriver
• Paint stick
• Paint tray
• Paint roller
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Drill
• Screws

Instructions

1. Measure the wall width from the edge of your fireplace sides outward to determine how much space you have for a bookcase. Measure twice to make sure you have the correct measurement.

2. Purchase two vertical bookcases that fit the width of your space.

3. Prime and paint the bookcases. To do this, spread out a tarp in an outdoor space. Open the primer with a screwdriver. Stir it with a paint stick. Pour the primer into a paint tray. Roll a roller brush into the primer. Roll the primer onto the bookcases. Follow up with a paintbrush. Allow the primer to dry. Paint with the main paint color. Allow the paint to dry overnight.

4. Nestle the bookcases one at a time against the side of the fireplace and flush against the wall with the help of an assistant. Drill screws into the back of the bookcase so that they go through the back of the bookcase and into the wall. Do this three or four times down the length of the bookcase.

5. Repaint the portion of the bookcases where you inserted the screws to cover them up.

References

• "This Old House" magazine; Bookcase Basics; Joe Carter