Knock Off Bookcase

A tutorial by

Dittle Dattle www.dittledattle.blogspot.com

1 cheap laminate 5 shelving unit (shelves removed)

10 - 1” x 2”x 8’ pine boards (furring strips)

2 - 1” x 2” x 28” scrap boards

1 – 12 foot Base Molding 3¼ x ½

1 Plywood sheet (optional)

Finish nails

Gorilla Wood Glue & Gorilla Stronger Faster Glue

Spackle

Sand paper/sander

Primer & paint

Making the cuts:

Cut six 1“x 2” x 8’ boards down the same height as the shelf. My shelf measured 6 foot tall. I found these furring strips for .83 cents each!

Materials Needed:

Measure each shelf width (mine measured 28”) and make four cuts at that measurement out of the remaining boards. The laminate unit had 4 shelves but I

decided to only use 3 of the shelves (as shown on page 1).

You’ll need to cut two scrap wood to fit at the top and at the bottom (again mine measured 1”x2”x28”). This will give you a place to nail the molding. This really could be anything you have laying around. It doesn’t even need to be painted because it will not be seen. Go ahead and glue and nail in place. Nail from the sides of the shelf into the ends of the boards.

***You could cut the molding now or wait. I waited to cut the molding after the next following steps.

Pre-Assemble:

Lay two of the long side boards together, nail and glue the boards to create an “L” shape.

(Pictured below)

Apply spackle over any nail holes and imperfections on all the boards. Allow spackle to dry and then sand all the boards.

I painted all the long boards, shelf boards, and the long molding piece before assembling. However, you could opt to wait until after assembling to paint.

Assembling:

1. On one side, apply one of the single long boards to the back edge of the shelf with glue and nails.

*CAUTION: Use nails about 1¼”. Take care that the nail does not go through the other side.

2. Next glue and nail on the “L” shape long board to the front corner. Only nail on the board facing the side and not the board facing the front. This helps avoid nail holes in the front.

3. Measure and cut the molding to fit between the long boards. Glue and nail molding with the tapered edge facing down at the top of the shelf.

4. Glue and nail molding with the tapered edge facing up at the bottom of the shelf.

Repeat all steps for the other side.

5. Cut, glue, and nail molding to the front top of the shelving unit. Place molding with tapered edge facing down.

6. Repeat by cutting, gluing, and nailing molding to the bottom of the shelf.

*OPTIONAL*

Cut a piece of thin plywood to replace the cardboard backing that comes with the laminate shelving unit.

Prime and paint.

Nail to the back of the shelf.

I did this and I honestly feel it made a world of difference both in stability and appearance.

*I moved the shelving unit into place, put back in the shelves, and then completed the rest of the steps.

7. With Gorilla Glue, clamps, and a small square, apply the four small wooden pieces to the bottoms of each shelf.

Each board is glued and clamped into place. NO nailing. The boards set back in from the edge just a bit.

I used a tiny square to align each board to assure the same distance on each shelf. You could easily use a piece of cardboard to create a template.

If you use this Gorilla glue, you need to slightly dampen the wood and then apply a small amount of glue.

Apply the glue near the back of the board. This glue foams up as it dries.

If you apply to much and it comes out near the front, wipe with a damp cloth immediately.

Clamp and allow drying for 1 hour.

8. Apply spackle to cover all nail holes. I remove spackle over already painted wood with a slightly dampened cloth. 9. Touch up nail holes with paint. Step back and enjoy!

Knock-off Bookcases set side by side!