Six Creative DIY Bookcase Ideas

There are many ways you can incorporate your sense of style into a room. One way is to re-purpose everyday household items to reflect your personal taste and style. Here are six DIY bookcase ideas to spark your imagination.

Wooden Crates

A variety of wooden crates, such as old apple crates, can be found at flea markets and antique stores. These crates make great makeshift bookshelves. Because they are fairly small, they are versatile in that you can move them around and arrange them into different shapes and patterns. Line them up along a long wall, stack them up on top of each other, or hang them individually on the wall to display your favorite books.

China Cabinets

If you find an old china cabinet that you really like at an estate sale or antique store, consider converting it into an elegant book case.

Old Dressers

An old dresser can be used to create a very creative bookshelf. Dressers come in many shapes and sizes, and can be transformed into very charming bookshelves.

You can remove one or two of the drawers from a dresser and add a piece of painted plywood to place books on. You can remove all of the drawers, or you can leave one or two drawers for storage and then use the shelves for storing books. The dresser can be painted to match any decor.

Recycled Ladders

If you are looking for a more unique look, you might consider hanging an extension style wooden ladder on the wall and arranging your books on the ladder rungs.

Spice Racks

IKEA sells a wooden spice rack that works great for displaying cookbooks or children’s books. The spice racks are small and you can group several together on a wall. The books will face out so that you or your children can easily identify your favorite books.

These spice racks are very inexpensive and come in a basic wood finish. You can hang them as-is, or paint them to match your kitchen or child’s bedroom. To hang these, you will need a drill, screws, and a level to make sure they are straight. Make sure the screws you use are adequate to hold the weight of the rack as well as the books that will be in it.

Rain Gutter Book Shelves

Vinyl rain gutters are also a great way to display your child’s favorite books. You can’t display as many books as you would on a traditional bookshelf, but the rain gutters allow you to showcase books by lining them up with the covers facing outward. This makes it easier for your children to see the books and choose one to read.

For rain gutter book shelves, you will need:

• vinyl rain gutters
• brackets
• screws
• end caps
• hack saw
• drill
• level
• tape measure
• stud finder
• pencil

Use the hack saw to cut the vinyl rain gutter to the desired length. You can create several of varying lengths to group together on a wall.

With a stud finder, locate the studs in the wall and mark them with a pencil. Using the drill, hang the brackets on the wall by placing screws in each bracket. Place the brackets on the studs so that the shelf will be able to hold the weight of the books.

To make sure that the shelf will be level, after you screw the first bracket to the wall, place the shelf on the bracket and use the level to make sure the shelf is straight. Mark where the other brackets should go. After you have attached the brackets to the wall, glue an end cap on the ends of each rain gutter.

Bookshelves don’t have to be boring. Be creative. If you make your own bookshelf, you can create a great piece of furniture that will accent the decor in any room of your home.

About the Author

Jay Preston is Brand Manager at ToolHQ, Australia’s leading supplier of Makita Tools.