Revamped Bookcase

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While out shopping I saw this little beauty sitting and waiting for someone to swoop it up and give it some love. I thought this would be a great piece that could be used in several different rooms of a home: library, bedroom, home office, entry way, etc. Of course, this would be after it was cleaned up!

 

I didn’t particularly like the backing on this so my first step was to take off the back of the bookcase with a hammer. Tip: if you hammer lightly along the edges you can get it out easily in one piece.

 

To cover up the flawed back I decided to use material. I glued the material to the back using a mixture of tacky glue and water. Use enough water to thin out the glue so it is easier to spread across the back.

 

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I then glued the material to the backing. Make sure and smooth out the materials so it does not dry wrinkled. Place to the side to let dry.

 

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Now it’s time to focus on the top. No amount of sanding was going to make this top smooth so I thought I would cover it with some wood strips that I use to trim with.

 

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I cut the strips into various lengths to cover the top so it looked staggered, attaching them to the top with a hot glue gun.

 

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Next I moved on to the sides, which looked pretty boring. So to give them some dimension, I also cut and attached wood strips to the both sides.

 

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I then painted the sections that I wanted painted black. I did end up painted the insides of the case black too.

 

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Onto those nasty inside shelves. I cut plywood to fit into the shelving areas and nailed them on top of the existing shelves. For the top inside shelf I added a piece of the wood trim to the front of the shelf to make the shelf appear thicker.

 

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All the exposed wood was stained in Minwax Provincial. I always wipe the stain on with a rag but you can also apply with a brush and wipe the excess away with a rag.

 

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Putting stain on unfinished wood dries pretty fast so after a couple hours I then applied a clear top coat to the whole bookcase.

After the clear coat dried, I attached the backing and another project complete! YEAH!

 

 

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Customer Photo

Customer Photo

 

Thank you for reading!! I’m looking forward to sharing my next project with you!!

Amy

amySirpilla

Facebook: Sirpilla’s Shabby to Chic

Hi, I’m Amy. I love to repurpose, refinish and decorate with thrift store finds. Making something new out of something old is what inspires me! I’m a thrift shop addict who would like to share my DIY projects with you.