Built-in bookshelves are an excellent way to organize and display books, decorative art or display items, which in turn will enhance the beauty of your home.
Built-in bookshelves are an excellent way to organize and display books, decorative art or display items, which in turn will enhance the beauty of your home. Planning the dimensions and style of the bookshelves will involve understanding some of the basic design concepts in the construction process, determining what items will be placed in the bookshelves and selecting the area where the bookshelves will be installed. differ from free-standing bookshelves in that they appear to be integrated as part of the wall structure. The length of the shelves must not exceed 36 inches; therefore, the wall space must be divided into sections within these limitations.
Instructions
1. Determine the wall which the bookshelves will be installed and the height, width and depth of the bookshelves.
2. Calculate the length of the sides of the bookshelves by measuring from the floor to the ceiling and cut the 12-inch wide plywood strips to the determined length with the power saw .
3. The length of the top and bottom pieces can be determined by dividing the wall space into equal parts of 36 inches or less.
4. Cut the 3/4-by-12-inch by 8-foot plywood to the length for the top and bottom pieces.
5. Cut two strips of 3/4-inch plywood to 2 inches and cut them to the same length as the top and bottom pieces. (These pieces will be used to fasten the case to the wall and will be installed at the top and bottom of the case.)
6. Glue the ends of the top and bottom pieces.
7. Measuring up from the bottom of the side pieces and mark a 3-inch line across the width of the sides with the framing square. (This is where the bottom of the case piece will be fastened to the sides.)
8. Assemble the top to the sides using the 6-penny finish nails.
9. Assemble the bottom shelf to the sides at the 3-inch mark using the 6-penny finish nails.
10. Apply glue to the 2-inch strips and install them at the top and bottom of the case with 6-penny nails.
11. Cut the shelf standards to the length of the sides of the assembled case.
12. Attach two shelf standards to each side of the assembled case using the screws supplied with the standards.
13. Measure the inside dimension between the attached shelf standards to determine the length of the plywood shelves.
14. Cut the plywood shelves 1/8 inch less than the pre-determined length of the shelves.
15. Cut the number of shelves you plan to use.
16. Install the first assembled case onto the existing wall by securing it with the 2-inch screws through the top and bottom 2-inch strips.
17.Install the remaining cases by placing them tight against the previous case side, first screwing the cabinets together with the 1 1/4-inch drywall screws, then screwing the cases to the wall through the 2-inch plywood strips.
18. Install baseboard at the bottom of the bookcase unit using glue and 4-penny nails.
19. Install crown molding at the top of the unit with glue and 4-penny nails.
20. Sand the entire assembly with 150-grit sandpaper.
21. Paint or stain as desired.
22. Install shelf clips into the shelf standards.
23. Install the shelves in the cases.
Tags: bottom pieces, shelf standards, assembled case, bookshelves will, bottom case, Built-in bookshelves, length bottom