But now I have the bug to change things up in my house and I really loved the lines of my bookcase. The problem – it was really tipsy and the paint job was pretty bad. Here is what I mean -it couldn’t even stand up straight.
It was a laminate bookshelf that had been painted without priming. Parts of it were peeling and when I took the back off there were pools of dried paint sticking out. I used a razor blade to scrape the paint off that had pooled. You can see how beat up the paint was:
Not pretty! I knew we couldn’t strip the whole bookshelf of the paint without ruining it. I did the best I could to scrape the peeling parts off and smooth it out. Then I gave the whole bookshelf and the shelves a new coat of Heirloom White
to made it look even. This probably wouldn’t work on something other than a bookshelf but since there are so many things that go on a bookshelf it disguises the imperfections of the paint.
Next I had my hubby round up some old broken pallets. (A quick note on pallets – they are all the rage right now in decorating but please be very careful when finding and taking them. Most construction suppliers give a refund for returning pallets, so if you just take them off of an active construction site you could be taking money away from that contractor or builder. If they are broken and abandoned by all means recycle them, just be careful of active construction sites.)
When we found enough pallets we pulled them apart and then I measured them to fit the back of the bookshelf. I marked them and my hubby cut them to size. I washed the cut boards really good and left them out to dry for a couple of hours. Next I lined them up the way I wanted them to go on the back. I made sure that the different colors of the wood were mixed up as well as making sure the screw holes didn’t match up. Then I was ready to nail the boards in.
I laid two or 3 blankets down onto our garage floor and then we gently laid the bookshelf down on the blankets. I wanted to make sure that the bookshelf was padded when I hammered the planks in. I didn’t want the paint to get dinged up. Then I arranged my planks onto the bookshelf in the order I wanted them and double checked that everything lined up correctly.
One bad thing about working with pallets, especially old ones, is that the wood splits really easily. To make sure they didn’t split I used a really small drill bit and drilled a hole where I wanted the nail to go in.
This was also really helpful in making sure the nail went in straight and that it didn’t go through either sides of the bookshelf. It only took me about 20 minutes to get them all nailed in.
All that was left was to put the bookshelf in place and add my things back onto the shelves!
I am super happy with it! I still need to stain the little basket to match my bigger basket. The whole project cost me $4 for the spray paint! It was pretty fast too. We started at 8:00 on Saturday morning and I was putting everything back on it by 2:00 that afternoon!
It makes the biggest difference and doesn’t look like a crappy old bookshelf anymore 🙂
A few tips for staging bookshelves:
- Take the sleeves off of books! This makes the biggest difference! It looks so much cleaner and classier!
- Arrange books by size or color. It helps to form groups for arranging.
- Use items that are meaningful! You can create a beautiful bookshelf with cute matching things but its even better if you can find things that mean something to you. On my top shelf I used a picture of tulips from the fields where John and I went on one of our first dates. I also used a stack of old family bibles my Mom had collected. The round ball as well as the caribou statue were both things John brought home from his time in the Philippines. I bought the green box to hold the programs at my Moms funeral and it holds special notes she wrote to me inside. All of the items on our shelf mean something to us!
- Use decorative baskets and boxes to hold books or items that are not as attractive.
There you go! An easy and cheap solution to dressing up your home!
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A
Found 5 years after you published this. Thank you! I now know what to do with those old bookcases I hate to throw away when they are “gifted” to me.
Pam Dana
Yay! I hope so glad you found this tutorial!
Carolyn M. Roberts
There are various types of bookshelves, but I like this your design. Things like these are usually made for home use. You really tried. Keep it up.
Lis
Love this idea so much. I found an old kitchen cupboard in the rubbish years ago and made it into a standing book case. The frame was all wood but the back was some kind of particle board and I just hated it. I ended up decoupaging the back (as well as the entire thing) and it was just fine. But now I want to ‘do’ something to it and your idea is ideal – mine also has a hard time staying straight up and so using pallet boards to give it some weight is genius. Not to mention, so much more interesting to look at!
Thanks so much for sharing. When I redo mine in spring, I will send you a picture. One question, though – the nails you used, were they super thin and with a head? My book shelf is made of old pine and so I must be careful of the type of nails I use.
Lisa
Yes I used thin nails without much of a head. Be sure you drill first!
Shanice
Fantastic idea! I would love it if you joined and contribute your awesome posts at my link party at City of Creative Dreams, starts on Fridays 😀 Hope to see you there at City of Creative Dreams Link Party.
Amy Springer
Lisa!!! Look at you!! So cute and crafty and bloggy!! How fun to randomly find you here! I’m so following you now!! 🙂
Belle
I just love this! I am wondering though, is there any reason not to use screws, since you are drilling anyway? Also, is it better to paint the shelf first? Thank you SO much for sharing!
Annette
LOVE ! Thanks for the great re-purpose idea!
Sam
Hello,
So you mentioned that cleaned the wood. With what did you clean the pallets? Would any kind of mold or old materials from the pallet’s past be of concern for an indoor piece of furniture?
Lisa
I just scrubbed it clean with water. There was no mold on mine so I was not concerned.
Erika
When you nail the pallet wood into the bookcase, is it breaking the bookcase apart? Is the bookcase particle board? Want to do this with a cheap bookcase I have but afraid to add the wood.
Lisa
Erika – Mine was cheap particle board and did not split at all. If you are worried about it splinting, use a small drill bit and drill a hole first and then the nail will be much less likely to split the wood.
Erika
Awesome!!! Thanks so much Lisa :). Can’t wait to add this finishing touch!
Jacque @ theDIYvillage
This is fabulous!!!! Great job 🙂
DesignDiningDiapers
What a brilliant Idea! These look awesome.
Erin Colburn
Love the look of this shelf! One question, though. How much can you see the pallets from the side? I am looking to do this, but I am worried about it looking funny from the side.
Heidi (LoeLaLoep)
Hello Lisa,
just want to say that I looooove your bookshelf. So much, that my daughter and I decided to make our own. Ofcourse I linked back to you in my blog 😉 Thanks for sharing this awesome idea!
Heidi & Cindy
Rachael
I copied you because you are a genius. Your bookcase is on my blog, thought I’d let you know. 🙂
Melissa
You were my “Feature Creature” Today! LUV LUV LURV what you did!
besos,
Melissa
http://shabbyloco.blogspot.com/2012/02/wtf-wednesdays.html
Samm Spangler
Ok I love love love this!!! Super cute! Great idea! I pinned it so I can try it on a future project!
Your newest follower,
Samm @ LittleHouseintheBigD
Tonia @TheGunnySack
Love this idea so much that I am featuring it today!
~Tonia @TheGunnySack
Allison @ House of Hepworths
I FREAKING LOVE THIS. Such a great idea! I totally pinned it. Great idea!
Six Sisters Stuff
HOW CUTE! I love anything pallet right now! And I just wanted to thank you for linking up each week to Six Sister’s Stuff! Hope to see you back next Saturday!
-The Sisters
Natalie Z
I love to give furniture a 2nd life. I especially like the rustic look that the pallet adds. Great Job!
Jen
Wow, your feet must be really sore from all the happy dancing you’ve been doing! What a gorgeous upgrade! I’d be thrilled if you’d come and share this (and any other projects you might like to show off) at the Head to Head Showdown link party! It’s all happening right now at http://www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com ~Jen
Rachael
That looks so good! What a fantastic idea, really nice work. And inexpensive too!
Mary Kathryn
Jealous! But you already know that. 🙂
Christene Houston {Write Your Book in a Weekend Retreat Sponsor}
Okay, now that is beautiful! What a great way to add character and depth to a standard book shelf. I am in love with using pallets! A good bookshelf always catches my attention. Bravo on transforming this one into a work of art!