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Bulky bookcase turns into built-ins
by
Dawn Thompson
(IC: homeowner)
What do you do with a free bookcase that's too big for your space? We sawed ours in half!
This bookcase was 6 ft wide and 7 ft tall...far too bulky for my 16 year old ' s room. But it was free and solid pine, so we couldn't justify tossing it out. It was built with glue and nails, so deconstruction wasn't an option either.
First, we measured and sawed it in half. I used a hand saw on each shelf & then used a rotary saw on the back. It took hours of sanding & the constant use of a level. We then traced the end pieces (vertical sides) of the shelf onto 5/8 plywood. We cut these new pieces with a jig saw, glued &nailed them on, and then commenced with a final round of sanding.
3 coats of white furniture paint (I prefer Rust-oleum Painters Touch from Home Depot) and 2 coats of clear finished the shelves off. We installed the 2 new shelves with the original vertical end pieces in the middle, so that any flaws in our handy work were less obvious. Note: We had to trim the floorboards before installing the shelves, which are anchored to the wall with 8 bolts apiece.
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Published June 1st, 2014 8:18 AM
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2 comments
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Rkl16919081 on Feb 27, 2017Looks amazing, now just add a Big wall art piece (Light color) Iver his bed, a Chevron rug .
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