If you are one of those few people who just love to read and do not mind piling up your room with new additions every month, having a small library of your own may be a great idea. However, if space is a constraint for you, erecting a book shelf on your room can be an equally good bet. How about building a bookshelf all by yourself? It doesn’t really need a master carpenter to build a bookshelf. You can easily build one at your living space, bed room or even terrace, all by yourself. All you will need for this is some carpentry tools, wood and a bit of your creativity. You can create the impression of thick boards by laminating a series of short support pieces to a longer strip of wood. Just run down the following tips on how to erect a wall-mounting bookshelf and customize a chic looking bookshelf for your house, a piece worthy of a great library.
Building Wall-Mounted Bookshelf
- Choose a plywood and then measure and cut it to suit the desired length and width of the back panel of your bookcase. Take care to choose sturdy plywood to back your bookcase. Books usually bear a lot of weight. So it’s good if you use three-layer plywood for smaller book case and five-layered plywood for taller ones.
- Using hardwood planks, build the sides of the shelf by fixing it to the inside or outside edges of the plywood. Since the back of bookshelf is likely to be entrenched inside the wall, there is no fear of the screws sticking out. Attach a screw for every foot to firm the grip. Keep the sides erect with a clamp and a level.
- For the top base, you will need a wooden plank as thick as the plywood panel. You can either cut it from a larger plank than the side boards or cut two pieces and assemble them to fit the space and screw them together.
- Set up a wooden stiffening rod in the front side of the back panel, running from one corner to another. You can also use brackets, instead of rods, to firm your shelf.
- Using a sand paper, smoothen out the edges and back panel of the shelf. Begin with rough-cut sandpaper and then use medium and finally fine-grit sand paper for the final finish.
- Using a hacksaw, cut out a molding to fit the external edges of your bookshelf. Use wood glue and a clamp to attach the molding to the shelf and allow it to dry.
- Cut and shape the wood planks to fit the size of your shelf. Keep the size ¼ inch smaller than the width of the bookcase, for little extra space. Smooth the rough ends with sand paper, prime and then color it.
- Measure and mark the area in your wall, where you are going to affix your shelf.
- Drill a corner hole and saw out a hole for the bookcase with a drywall saw.
- Inspect the floor around the hole, cut into the wall. If the flooring does not extend beyond the drywall you will need to shape some blocks to insert into this space in the floor behind the drywall, to support the back of the bookcase. Assess the width and length of the gap, and cut the blocks from scrap lumber with a handsaw.
- Now, mount the bookcase on the wall and watch out for alignment.
- Drill holes to attach the bookcase to the wall studs. Drive the screws in making sure that they do not stick out of your shelf.
- Seal all gaps between the bookcase and the wall with joint compound and a putty knife.
- Use the shelf brackets to arrange your shelves as per your wish. Your bookshelf is ready hold your treasure!!