Turning regular box store bookcases into custom, built-in bookcases is super-easy!!
Step 1. Assemble your bookcases.
Step 2. Put bookcases in place.
Step 3. Stare at lopsided bookcases.
Step 4. Lean a little to the left to see if that makes bookcases look straight.
Step 5. Decide you might need a measuring tape.
Step 6. Measure spaces in between bookcases so they're evenly spaced.
Step 7. Marvel at how even though they're all on the same floor, and evenly spaced, each bookcase is still leaning in a different direction.
Step 8. Decide you might need shims.
Step 9. Shim bookcases.
Step 10. Stand back and stare at bookcases guessing if maybe they might be straight.
Step 11. Decide you might need a level. And a drink.
Step 12. Drink lots.
Step 13. Drink more. Eat a jelly bean you found in the corner, nestled in cat hair.
Step 14. Drunk call your friend in a panic to make sure she knows how GREAT jelly beans are.
Step 15. Drink again. Realize this would all be going much more smoothly if you were wearing a bathing suit.
Step 16. Put on bathing suit.
Step 17. Stumble a bit.
Step 18. Stare at bookcases again, wonder why you ever thought they were crooked. They look perfectly straight.
Step 19. Barf.
Step 20. Stand on your front porch to get some air. Wave at neighbours who are pointing at your barfy bathing suit. Fall into bush.
On the upside I've decided if I never get these bookcases done I actually really like how all my books look just stacked on the dining room table.
Now's probably a good time to announce that installing built-in bookcases isn't as easy as I've made it sound. It's hard.
It isn't a matter of just attaching them to the wall and adding trim to them. Well it is actually, but that's a lot harder than it sounds.
Your bookcases have to be installed so that they're level and plumb. So they have to be level in all directions and there are a lot of directions. They have to be level from front to back, left to right, and then all the faces of them have to be level to each other.
To get them level you have to use shims. Once you have them level you have to attach them to the wall at which point they're probably going to end up not level again so you have to recheck and re-level them.
Once they're attached to the wall it's a good idea to attach all the bookcases to each other to keep them from twisting and moving. It'll just stabilize them. If your bookcases are tight to each other all of this is much easier and you can just screw right through them, but if your bookcases are spaced apart like mine are, you'll have to add some wood in between the cases and screw it into place. This will keep everything from shifting when you drop kick them out of anger for being so disagreeable.
At this point my goal is to get these bookcases done before December 1st because December 1st is traditionally the day I do all of my interior Christmas decorating. It's the last step to getting ready for Christmas.
I thought it would be superhandy if I wrote a list of what I had to do to finish the project and posted it here on the blog so if I ever became unsure of what my next step was I could just head to my computer, type in my web address and then click on the Pinterest button in the upper righthand corner and browse for how to make a nice herringbone noose.
Steps to complete bookcase project.
- Finish installing bookcases on the left and right wall. (the centre ones are done.)
- Install flat piece of trim along the top of bookcases.
- Cut crown moulding and install. (this is where the noose will come in handy.)
- Measure and cut trim for faces of bookcases.
- Install facing trim.
- Prime bookcases.
- Paint bookcases.
- Install lights. (You can see the lights I've chosen based on their look and price of $50 each up above. The only problem is they aren't meant for bookcases so I'm going to have to figure out how to MacGyver them.)
- Do a bunch of other stuff.
The last step "Do a bunch of other stuff" is referring to things that will have to be done that I either can't predict or don't want to even think about. Like moving an electrical plug 3 inches, which I had to do earlier on in the installation. Yes. I had to move an electrical plug by 3 inches to make it work for my bookcase configuration. Which wouldn't have been too huge a job if it weren't for the fact that in the middle of those 3 inches there was a support beam. That meant I had to cut a big hole out of the drywall and the plaster and lathe behind it so I could access the beam with a drill, so I could drill a hole through it to run the electrical wire to the other side of it. So, yeah. Total bathing suit situation.
The patch job to the left of the plug is almost done, it just needs one more coat of drywall compound.
Right now, at this very moment I'm feeling very much like this is a disaster. Partly because I just haven't had time to devote to this project, partly because my December 1st deadline is quickly closing in and partly because well, have you SEEN the pictures. The whole job looks like a total disaster. But most jobs do when you're in the middle of them.
Hey! Haha! Remember back in September when I wanted it completed by October? No? Well maybe you remember back in April when I wanted it done by the end of spring?
Until just this moment I was feeling weird about that fact that I once made over my entire house in one month. Why am I having such trouble with this? I just realized. I wasn't working during that month. I was a television host in between hosting jobs and I had every minute of every day to devote to getting it finished. Plus I didn't have chickens or 3 large vegetable gardens or a blog. As opposed to now when I'm running a business single-handedly like an idiot, dealing with the gardens and keeping a bunch of chickens alive.
So now I don't feel quite so bad about it. Especially not when you consider I have ... wait ... hold on ... how many days does November have? It's not one of those weird short months is it? Hold on a second while I say the rhyme ... "30 Days have Novem ...." ARGHADLKABHIGHHH. Just a second, maybe if I say it while wearing my bathing suit it'll sound different.
Nope.
Here I sit at my desk wearing my bathing suit and November is still only 30 days. I have 5 days left to finish installing built in bookcases. And I will be working on the blog 3 of those days.
I will need to work later. I will need to work harder. And if these wonky bookcases push me to the point of drinking again, I will need to stop myself from pulling on my bathing suit. Because this just became a birthday suit job.
Neighbours be warned.
Me thinks, at this point, it would have been easier to call Pink Tool Belt over and just build the damn book cases from scratch. I admire your commitment though, and can not wait to see the final! I'm certain it will be gawjus!
True dat!! I totally agree. So much to easier to be the "here, hold this" person than the responsible person.
I can't wait to see them finished! I was wondering, after reading a few of the commen,why the spaces? I would think that after leveling the first one, attaching and leveling each successive case would have been a little easier. Start from each side and then the gap between them could become a nook to hang /display dimensional art / souvenirs. At least that would have had to be the process at my house, because I would have to take his lack of patience /throw-it-together-just-get-it-done-who-cares-how-it-looks attitude into consideration. lol That's why I have to be the project manager here. ?
So what's the ECD (estimate completion date), or have I missed that somehow? You do inspire me to move ahead with my dreams.
Note: "his" referring to my hubby of almost 43 years. I have the vision but little carpentry skills, he has no visualization skills but does have the tools know how. Perfect match, but I have learned to be patient. Verrrrrry patient. Or nothing turns out right or gets finished.
My daughter and her husband just bought a 110 year old home. My husband cringes whenever our daughter calls him because it usually involves her asking him to help with a project. He installed 2 coach lights on their garage. It ended up being a five hour project with multiple runs to the hardware store.
Can't wait to see the finished shelves. Hopefully you won't have the urge to sport a bikini on other projects with winter on its way. ;-
Hey Karen
All sounds good except numbers 16 and 19 Ugh! No thanks. When we move back to Fundas I will call u over to build for me. You can wear your bathing suit and barf all u want. I will supply all the booze you need. Have a great day .
Oh, the joys of owning an old house. So much character. So little level surfaces.
Nothing, lol! NOTHING in this house is even close to level or square, lol. Uch. ~ karen!
And absolutely EVERYTHING seems to have been remodeled in the past by someone's Uncle Bill (you know Bill "a couple of nails and it'll be right as rain!").
While wondering about the spacing, I was also wondering how your neighbors react when you forego the bathing suit and then go outside to your porch "for a breath of fresh air". Me thinks maybe some kind of "condition may be developing here! We'll all visit you in the "special place" where you temporarily reside. Stay calm: Dress warmly.
You are a better woman than I am, I would have just used an extension cord rather than move the electrical plug.
Kudos..again:)
First part of blog: Hilarious. But then you often are.
Hang in there Karen. I swear it'll be worth it when it gets done. I think. Maybe.
I'm interested to see how you finish the gap at the ceiling. That looks like a pretty narrow space, too small for a crown maybe. Making pre-built look custom is a tricky business. Keep up your tenacity!
Hi Nancy! There will be a piece of flat stock nailed to the top of the bookcases and over that will be a piece of crown moulding. The flatstock will show as a bit of a reveal at the bottom of the moulding. Because crown moulding sits 45/45 to the ceiling and bookcase you can actually get a fairly large crown moulding to fit in a small space. I'm not sure if that makes sense to you at all, lol. But it'll work out. :) ~ karen!
That makes perfect sense. (I trained as a cabinetmaker.) The angle of the photo is probably making the gap look smaller. Can't wait to see the finished product. Oh, and if you cut a 1 degree bevel on the ends of your crown where it hits the wall it will sit much tighter into the wall. Test on a scrap to see for yourself. :)
Thank you for letting me laugh ( hopefully with you) through your misery! So impressed with your efforts at this point! These will be lovely, whenever they are finished. It's the journey right?.. And all that other mombo jumbo :)
( PS. I one day will get that pic up!)
Thanks Patricia. I look forward to one day seeing that pic. :) ~ karen!
As always, ever impressed. I've thought about doing something like this, and then I was oh cool Karen's going to be giving it a go, I'll just hold a bit (coz I'm not procrastinating about this at all) and I will learn at the feet of the master - but now if you don't mind I'll just hang out in the corner over there out of the way - because, barf!
Enquiring minds, being a Gemini, would like to enquire - what is the purpose of the spacers between the units? Why would you not put them all together, which would make it super stable? Because won't it be awkward when you attach the bookshelf ladder? But I am after all just a mere mortal, and wait to be awed and amazed once again - and it's winter so I can't fit in my swimsuit just yet. Cheering you!
I too was wondering about the spacing, but I bet when it is done we'll all be agog and in love with it all!
I, too, was wondering. Wouldn't the combined spaces be equal to one more Billy? oh, the joys of 100+ year old houses! Shims EVERYwhere!
Still wondering how to get my hands on the avatar you drew for me Karen!
Oh! I'll see if I can find it in the large version, lol. But at this point you'd just have to drag and drop that photo off of the blog page and crop out the rest of the image. It'll just be a small image that can't be blown up very big because it'll get blurry. :) ~ karen!
Hi Maggie! There are a couple of reasons. All of which will be revealed later. When I finish them. So like, in 12 or so years. ~ karen!
I feel your pain, Karen! I did this in 2004, only with shorter cupboards and bookcases joined together into a 14 ft. counter. And NOTHING was plumb; not the walls, the floor, or anything else. I had to do lots of the shim thing, as well as cursing and mickey-mousing stuff. I did a lot of it in my underwear - because it's cooler, people! When you're locked in mortal combat with a project like this, you tend to be drenched in sweat!
And when people look at it, they have absolutely NO IDEA how hard it was - it looks so simple, doesn't it? Don't rush yourself, Karen, you'll get it done!
Your comment struck a chord wit and me! My house was "built" (I use that term loosely here, as it appears it was a hodgepodge job) back in 1974, when insulation was a $400 option in the plan. I live in Grand Rapids MI (zone 5 gardening lingo), so I'm grateful the original owner opted "in" on that one. But we learned the hard way that NOTHING in the house is "standard ". The hardware store employee down in the village would give hubby a standard plumbing replacement component that always seemed to be 1/8 to 1/4 inch different. Builder must have picked up a deal on plumbing parts at a bankruptcy, I always say. Not a corner in the place is square except for the outside corners (vital to keeping the roof up!)
Keeps life interesting when a plumbing emergency arises on the holiday, and though!
I think all building supplies, including plumbing, lighting and hardware, are obsolete within a year of purchase! They call that "built in obsolescence". I have rarely been able to go back and replace or add to anything because sizes, brands, colors, etc., change. This means reworking (read "remodeling ")!
Sorry, no Gravatar yet. I finally convinced my husband to start binge-watching Stranger Things. So. Good.
I just completed my very first saw-related project, and I can relate to the measure 10 times, cut, attach, reposition, remove nail, level, reattach, etc. process. Mine was a small job. Yours is large and complex. We're cheering you on from the bleachers! The ones that someone made from scratch!
I learned a lot when I took a crowbar, hammer and saw to my kitchen cabinets one day I had off and hubby was at work. Learned that was the way to get him moving on a remodel that was 10 yrs in the to do queue, and also learned some of the ways to use a few tools. But geometry was my favorite class, not his. I had to make an "keep this for future reference idiot stick" that he would hold up to the ceiling to figure out the angle to cut crown moulding. We still have it -- for future reference.
Girls like you inspire me!
Oh. My. Oh. My. This is definitely birthday suit worthy...and wine worthy...lots. But, if anyone can do it, it's you.
So you just level, shim and plumb your way through this so we can see how awesome you are!
I'm not awesome, lol, I'm an IDIOT. But at least I was smart enough to figure out a way to make money at it. ;) ~ karen!
Well, not many people can make money being an idiot, so I'd say that was pretty awesome in itself!
This may be one of my favourite replies EVER!!!!
I know, right?! ;) ~ karen!
Yeah, but once you have the experience you can make money hiring yourself out as a naked bookcase installer....uh-huh
Oh, holy hell, this sounds really hard and not very much fun right now. Good luck, and I hope (after the Thanksgiving dinner and dessert I've eaten) that I don't have any jobs needing done in which I have to wear the aforementioned birthday suit. Yeesh.
May I compliment you on your Gravatar. :) ~ karen!
Why, shucks, thank you very much! Some really nice lady told me how to do it! I'm pretty impressed myself. ; )
You impress me six ways to Sunday, Karen. And such foresight to move the plug before it gets trapped behind the bookcase. That's what makes it a great job instead of a shoddy job.
I was thinking about pointing out the fact that you wrote 'threw' instead of 'through' but then I finished the post and it feels a little wrong to do it considering all the work you have ahead so now I don't know what to do.
BTW, installing a custom book case is exactly the kind of job I would pay to get done instead of doing it myself because of all the things that you just said at the beginning of the post
LOL, uch! See? This is what happens when you're head is spining. I mean spinning. ;) ~ karen!
I also wonder if you meant to go from bathing suit job to birthday suit job. No judgies, if you did! Good luck!