Monday, May 11, 2009

Bookcase Rehab

I have a corner in my living room that was in need of a bookcase. I would love a tall one, but I really didn't want to spend the money on one right now. I pulled this bookcase out of a closet and decided to rehab it.


-Here is what I started with. A cheap, ugly, generic bookcase.


-We cut 2X4's and attached them to the bottom to raise it up some.



-Then we added base board molding to the bottom and left over chair railing to the top of the bookcase.

-Filled in the spaces with caulk so that I wouldn't have to use as much wood putty.


-Puttied the rest, sanded, primed and painted it black.


This has not been accessorized yet. I'm still not sure exactly what I want. I definitely need to get some lighter baskets and some white items, but I haven't decided what yet.

Overall I think it is much better than before, and I don't feel like I have to buy a bookcase right now. I could have added a lot more molding and really beefed it up, but I knew that this wasn't something that I would keep for years to come, so I just couldn't justify spending more money on this project.

Budget Breakdown
$5 - base molding
$3 - putty

Already Had
- chair molding for top
-caulk
-primer
-black paint


23 comments:

  1. Now that looks awesome! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That looks great! Love the molding that you added.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic, Nikki!! Thats just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great job! I love the idea that you had with adding the molding. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. That looks great. I have some cheap bookcases that I picked up at a yard sale. We just painted them but I have always wondered "what if I added crown molding?". Now I will.

    ReplyDelete
  6. WOW, what an awesome transformation! I will use some of your tips as I am looking for an inexpensive bookshelf on craigslist to makeover for the new baby's room. Thanks for sharing!

    -Desiree

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow - that looks amazing!! What a great idea to add the molding :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. OMG! It doesn't even look like the same piece--talk about a transformation!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have definitely painted some bookcases, but I love how you added trim!

    ReplyDelete
  10. It looks so good - really professional :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. oh! I have the same ugly bookcase in my shed!!! Walmart or Lowes back in my college days. I see a remodel in my future!!! Love it. Thanks for the tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is wonderful! Great job. . . and great inspiration. Thank you for sharing this with the world.

    I'm glad I found your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  13. That is fabulous!!! I have so been wanting a bookcase for my living room and now I know I can use these generic cheap-y ones that are languishing away in our basement!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow that's great! It looks amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. It looks amazing now! What a great idea to add the moulding on the bottom. Pure genius!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Looks great! Love the "C" monogram!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow!!! You did an AMAZING job.
    Just became a follower! ; )

    Kimberly

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have that exact bookcase. (maybe an even ugliest faux wood colr...) And I was thinking of doing just that, but in white.

    Did sand it?

    I did for the 5 shelves bookcase for my daugther's room ( but I did not add molding)

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I see! Bookcases across my wall in the new sewing room. Thanks for the idea for th bottom. ElCheapo is on the search again!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I read and appreciate each and every single one.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...