How to Build Bookshelves: Family Room or Office Shelves
By this time, the expenses of a growing family kept us from running out and buying bookcases every time we got new books. Instead, we started to investigate less expensive methods of putting together bookshelves. After a couple of visits to the hardware store and a couple of discussions with our trusted lumber sales person, we figured out a method anyone could handle. I’m going to describe how we built our own bookcases and then add a couple of suggestions to help you come up with a variation that uses glass shelves (the glass shelves are best in rooms used primarily by adults).
Best of all, the resulting shelves have a quality look to them. All of our friends and family members think we’ve had them custom made. Try this method and you’re likely to get equally good results, with bookshelves that look like you paid a fortune while you are actually sticking to a rock bottom budget:
Before you build your bookshelves, you’ll want to know exactly where you are going to put them
This may sound like a fairly easy step but a custom bookcase can take up an entire wall or only part of one. Also, you may decide to put your bookcases on top of an existing desk or sturdy table. Either way works fine and we’ve done both. One important thing to remember is that a wall full of books is going to take up a lot of visual space in a room and make a room smaller. Keep this in mind and opt for a larger room over a smaller one for your custom look bookshelves – if you have a choice.
Know the rules about how far apart to place shelf brackets and shelf supports when building a bookcase or shelving system
Early on, we took long boards, installed them into our wall and then watched, horrified, as our shelves sagged and then cracked from the weight of the books we put on them. We now play it safe and provide support for the boards we use. As a general rule, we find it safest to keep our shelf length at about two to three feet. If you want longer shelves, it’d be best to add a second bookcase. You can create a wall of boards, butted end to end, as long as you support them about every two to three feet. Of course, paperbacks weigh less than heavier hardcovers, so judge your shelving needs appropriately.
Think outside the box and visit a couple of bookstores, including used bookstores, before you get to work on your own system
This step saved us plenty of money because store owners were often all to happy to brag about how they’d build their bookshelves for nothing. Some of them were gorgeous – others were far less impressive. By seeing the way they displayed their books and the width and length of the boards, we got a fair idea of what we wanted ourselves. We also got leads on where to find boards inexpensively.
Be sure and have all the materials you need ahead of time.
You can buy plain or finished boards, depending on the room you use. We’ve done both. If you can’t find boards to match your decor or the other finishes in your room, simply buy them unpainted and them purchase stain or paint to finish them. You’ll also want shelving standards that look like these, easily purchased online or off. Don’t worry if you get metal ones because they can be painted so that they blend into your walls and are virtually invisible. While you are at it, be sure and get shelf brackets as well. Now you’re in business!
You’ll also need a stud finder, level, a screwdriver (an electric one or drill is best) and screws or other hardware to hold the brackets in place. Finally, you’ll need measuring tape to make your shelves are evenly spaced and each boards is at exactly the right height, above or below the other boards in your shelving system.
Don’t forget to shop around for your materials
Yes, your local hardware store may be a great source of boards, wall standards and wall brackets. But don’t discount online sources or even garage sales for the materials you need. You might find what you want at a big box hardware store or perhaps just around the corner.
Important tip: be sure your shelf bracket is the appropriate width for the boards you are going to use.
We always like our brackets to come nearly to the edge or our boards and you can buy special brackets that have a slight lip or support to help hold your boards in place. Either type works fine.
At this point, you can put the metal standards directly into your wall, making sure they are anchored to the wall studs as often as possible.
Refer to the accompanying photos if you have any questions. All standards should be in front of a wall stud and you should use a level or plumb line to make sure your standards are nice and straight. Don’t try to eyeball it or you could end up with crooked shelves. Now fit your brackets into the holes in the standards (refer to the link to see the wall standard again if you have to. Putting brackets into standards is fairly easy but a rubber mallet can help ensure that you have a nice tight fit.
Make sure your boards are finished with paint or stain before putting them on top of the brackets
Yes, we once put unfinished boards on top of the bookshelf brackets until we realized…duh!….we had to take them down and paint them. Luckily, we hadn’t started putting books on them first. If you use unfinished boards, be sure to coat them with a sealer like BIN or something similar before putting on the paint. Apply as many layers of paint as you want.
If you intend to stain the boards, you can simply apply as much stain as you want. We like the type that comes with a bit of polyurethane in it as it gives a nice, shiny gloss to our shelving system.
Finishing touches give a custom look
At this point, you can decide if you want an open shelving system or a closed bookcase. If you are building wall to wall shelves (supported appropriately about every three feet), the walls themselves will give the appearance of the bookcase edges and you’ll have a custom look. If your shelving is going to be smaller than that, you may want to add vertical boards, going from floor to ceiling, to add the appropriate final touch – and that custom look. You’ll have to nail them into the end boards of your shelves if you opt for this look. This is best done before putting the shelves on the brackets…but you’ll have to measure carefully.
Putting together a custom bookcase or shelving system is really that simple! It can be as large or as small as you like and you can often find paint on sale at your hardware store to save even more money. Stain may be a bit more costly but that is often on sale as well. Consider building a custom shelving system after you’ve had a room painted, asking the painters to buy an extra gallon of paint. That way, you can make sure your shelves truly have a custom finish.
One final tip to getting a custom look at a bargain price – your local retail store
As you may know, glass shelves can be very pricey. However, if you happen to go into a retail store just before they are renovating, you can sometimes get very thick glass shelving for a very low price or even for free. We once built an entire wall of shelves, using thick glass and the same wall standards and brackets as we’d use for wooden shelves. Best of all, we got the glass for free. One of the shelves had a very slight nick in it but once it was turned to the wall and covered by a book, no one could tell. Those glass shelves got lots of admiring comments and took up less visual space as well.
