DIY sliding bookcases. DIY bookcase: features and varieties

The home library is a source of pride. A DIY home library deserves all the praise possible. For beginners, the creation process may seem complicated, but in reality everything will turn out to be simple, interesting and exciting.

First of all, you need to decide on the materials and find them or buy them in a hardware store. For the most common bookcase, the following may be useful:

• Wooden boards - oak, alder, cherry, beech, birch, maple, etc .;
• Wooden boards - fiberboard, chipboard, MDF;
• Finishing materials - slats, borders, glass panels, metal inserts.

If you are assembling a wardrobe at home for the first time, then it is better to start with fiberboard and other similar materials. In this case, you will have the right to make a mistake and not even one - fiberboard is much cheaper than solid wood and easier to work with.

After you choose the right material, you need to decide on the model. The base of any cabinet is made up of:

• Side panels;
• Shelves;
• Top panel;
• The bottom panel;
• Face pads;
• Back wall.

Depending on the type of cabinet, this set will change, decorative elements, doors will be added, and on the contrary, something will be absent. And you can't do without tools. To build a closet at home, you may need:

• The material itself;
• Plywood sheet;
• Hacksaw;
• Drill;
• Jigsaw;
• Meter (tape measure);
• A hammer;
• Screwdriver;
• Glue (carpentry);
• Varnish, paint, etc .;
• Glass (optional);
• Furniture fittings.

We have also prepared drawings and diagrams so that you can make a classic or other type of corner, as well as a straight bookcase with your own hands.

Photos of bookcases with your own hands \

Corner Posts 3-Wall Classic Wave Out Stairs Shelves Rack

How to make a bookcase with your own hands?

If you prefer to do the work completely from start to finish on your own, then before working from solid material, you will need to cut out the parts for assembling the cabinet that correspond to your measurements for a particular model. The next step will be the preparation of the workplace and the assembly of the frame. The complete algorithm of actions for assembling a cabinet at home will be considered in the following subsections.

Dreaming of a bookcase? Then rather watch the following video and pick up a hammer:

Angular

Perhaps one of the most difficult to manufacture, but useful in everyday life, bookcase designs. There are four main types:

• Triangular;
• Trapezium;
• Five-walled.

Another feature of corner cabinets is the width of the doors.

• For sliding wardrobes, it must be large enough - at least 450 mm.
• Any size will work for regular bookcases with doors.

Observe the proportions - the ratio of the height to the width of the base of the cabinet should be strictly 5 to 1. Corner cabinets are very capricious, it is better to assemble them from ready-made parts, the slightest inaccuracy in a millimeter can turn into damaged furniture.

The most rational in terms of space use is the L-shaped wardrobe. Using his example, consider the manufacture of a corner bookcase. Dimensions:

• Height - 2450 mm;
• Width at the wall (left section) - 1225 mm;
• Width at the wall (right section) - 1240 mm;
• Side plate width (shelf depth) - 605 mm.

To put it simply, these are two ordinary cabinets, brought into one structure by corners. You can choose the internal configuration of the cabinet yourself, equip it with doors. It is important to think carefully about the process of opening the doors, in corner cabinets they can interfere with each other.

And now let's talk about how to make a bookcase with wood-containing materials with our own hands.

DIY L-shaped bookcase

Classical

Having dealt with the nuances, let's proceed directly to the assembly of the simplest cabinet.

1. The first step is to create the frame of the future bookcase. We arm ourselves with a screwdriver and connect the side walls with the top panel, helping ourselves with corners and level.
2. We do not remove the level far and begin the installation of the shelves. Perpendicular to the walls, we insert them into the cabinet and fasten them to nails, screws and corners. It will be more convenient if you mark the attachment points in advance with a pencil or chalk; ideally, the sidewalls already have recesses for the shelves. We tighten the fasteners and fix the work.
3. We nail the plywood to the back wall with nails. Pay attention to this stage, it is the back panel that holds the entire cabinet and gives it stability. For large bookcases with your own hands, it is better to replace plywood with chipboard (nails for self-tapping screws).
4. We decorate the front part, varnish the product.

It's time to find out if you can make a built-in bookcase with your own hands.

The following video will teach you how to make such a bookcase in just 15 minutes:

Built-in and with glass

As a supplement to existing furniture or an element of a complete composition, a classic five-walled corner wardrobe can act. It is distinguished by its special shelf depth, solid side walls and large dimensions. It is not recommended to install it separately - it will take up a lot of space, it will bring little benefit.

The assembly and installation of a built-in wardrobe does not differ ideally from the assembly of a classic wardrobe. Difficulties can arise when attaching the upper part - it is important to maintain a 90 degree angle between the parts.

Doing it yourself is also not difficult if you use our advice. If you like products with glass doors, then they can easily be ordered in furniture stores and factories. There is always a ready-made door for standard cabinet sizes, a special one will be made for unusual models. It remains only to attach it to the assembled cabinet.

DIY bookcase with glass doors

Drawings, diagrams and videos

Below you will find a selection of drawings of the previously described bookcases, as well as some others.

DIY bookcase drawings

Rack

Simple
Built in
Classical

A bookcase is characterized by two main qualities:

1. significant weight of books
2. shallow depth and a large number of shelves.

These qualities determine the main compositional and design features of the bookcase.

Bookcase design

Like any other sliding wardrobe, a bookcase can be made using our online constructor. But before proceeding with the design, it is necessary at least approximately to take an inventory of the book fund to determine the main parameters of the shelves. To create a bookcase, you need to know the number of books for each of the typical sizes (most books are of standard sizes)

This inventory of books by size will allow you to determine the number and size of the shelves. In this case, the area and volume of the cabinet will be used in the most rational way. This geometric layout is good for small libraries. If a collection of books requires alphabetical or thematic placement, then the shelves will have to be made the same, focusing on large-format books. This method is more logical for organizing books, but irrational for organizing space.

With any decision, you need to keep in mind that the smallest books are best placed at eye level, and the most popular editions should also be stored there. Large shelves, from which it is inconvenient to take books, are best placed in the upper and lower zones of the bookcase.

Bookcase construction

Even at the design stage, it is necessary to provide for very frequent vertical walls of the bookcase. For shelves made of laminated chipboard or MDF with a width of 150 - 200 mm, the length of the shelf should not exceed 350 - 400 mm, then their deflection under the weight of the books will be invisible.

To avoid such a picket fence of vertical walls - shelf supports can be made from ordinary boards 35 - 45 mm thick. Such a board with a width of 150 - 200 mm can have a free length twice as much - up to 800 - 900 mm, so that the deflection from the weight of the books does not appear. Such boards can be ordered in the carpentry workshop according to the designer's drawings - no other parameters of the bookshelves will change from this, except for the gap between the shelves, which will decrease from the transition from MDF to thicker boards. Boards can be laid on the same supporting elements as conventional shelves, but it is better to tie the entire structure together with overhead corners on top and bottom.

You can connect the resulting shelf from shelves and walls - racks using a back wall made of laminated fiberboard.

After assembling the entire stack, it is pushed into the design place and fixed to the walls against overturning. After such an attachment, you can mount the sliding doors, and after them, you can put the books in place.

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You can make a bookcase with your own hands. How do you like this approach?

The idea is good from all angles: many people make custom-made furniture, especially if you need a custom size, shape or material.

For you, a novice furniture maker, this luxury will be much cheaper. You will have to pay only for building material.

In contact with

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Cabinet types

There are quite a few different design ideas for how a bookcase should look. But we will consider only the classic options:

• Angular.

If you only have the smallest free corner, a bookcase will surely fit there.

This version of the cabinet is very practical, but perhaps the most difficult to manufacture. Try to calculate your strength sanely before you start assembling it.

• Classic rectangular.

Such a bookcase also does not take up much space. It's easy enough to make that it's great for beginners.

• Built in.

Depending on the shape, the manufacture of such a cabinet can have a different level of complexity.

All cabinet walls are fixed to the ceiling, floor and walls of the room. It takes up a lot of space that can be used more functionally, but in large rooms such a cabinet looks very representative.

• Rack.

This is the easiest option for most beginners. In addition, the rack is perfect not only for storing books, but also for clothes, tools and conservation. It is very versatile.

Step-by-step instruction

To execute such an idea, you will need healthy enthusiasm, start-up capital, working tools and the following instructions.

Step 1. Come up with a place for your future closet.

Step 2. Decide on the type of bookcase. Only on the basis of this choice will you be able to proceed to the next stage.

Step 3. Take measurements. If you have already figured out the territory where the cabinet should be in the future, it is very important to measure this place in order to understand what size cabinet you need.

In this matter, you need to be very careful and precise. As the saying goes: "Measure seven times and cut once." But it is better to measure ten times, especially if at school you did not observe much success either in geometry or in work.

Step 4. Make blueprints. This is perhaps the most difficult and crucial point. A competent drawing - already consider an almost finished wonderful bookcase.

You can find various options for drawings on the Internet and adjust them to fit your dimensions. If the idea of ​​a unique author's wardrobe has firmly settled in your head, draw its diagram yourself.

Take a note: There are many specially designed blackening software that will make your job much easier. Examples of the best of them: LibreCAD, freeSOFT, AutoCad.

Step 5. Purchase building materials. The most common and cheapest option for making furniture is chipboard.

For normal cutting of chipboard, you need a special expensive tool, so show your drawings to the specialist working in the place where you buy the material, and he will easily solve your problem for a reasonable price.

But the chipboard shelves are short-lived, they soon sag and break under the weight of books. It will be more practical to use MDF - a denser material made from tightly rammed sawdust, or various varieties of natural wood.

So, you will need:

• MDF, chipboard or wood, cut according to your drawings;
• plywood, for the back of the cabinet;
• drills, nails, nuts, etc.

You can make both an open cabinet, without doors, or a closed one. But it would be more rational to opt for a closed type of bookcase, because in this case, the dust will settle on the books much less, which will save time when cleaning.

In addition, constant exposure to direct sunlight leads to damage to books: they quickly turn yellow and become dilapidated. True, there are also people who like to breathe dust and enjoy the view of antique-styled books. If you are one of them, feel free to choose a bookcase without doors.

Assembly

Be sure to make sure to find a completely flat surface for this step. Consider self-assembly of a bookcase using a specific example of a classic bookcase.

• Marking for the base.

Take a ruler and a pencil. With these simple tools, you can easily cope with the first stage of cabinet assembly.

Make a notch about 5 cm from the bottom of the boards, which will become the side walls of the bookcase in the future, on both sides.

• Working with a drill.

Now you need to drill the workpiece.

To do this, place the side wall so that it has a right angle (90 °) with the future cabinet shelf and at the same time is in a stable position, according to the line you marked.

Drill a suitable hole in the sides and in the middle to accommodate the screws you have available. Repeat the same operation for the top wall of the cabinet and all its shelves.

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If books are overflowing your desk, stacked on the living room floor, or filled with plastic bags, it's time to take care of the bookcase. High-end furniture projects allow you to dream, don't you agree? But with experience to lean on, it's not hard to turn a dream into reality.

Not every piece should be a museum piece, often a simple design looks just as good. The experience gained in the creative process helps to make the next project even better.

Top 5 inspirational ideas

Thanks to the installed furniture, the apartment becomes a pictorial space. Wardrobes play a key role in a room that needs to be "comfortable". Models include a wide variety of styles and sizes. Before deciding what the closet will be like, look for the best place for it in the space. A functional model should make it easy to classify and find a book without problems.

Using drywall

The advantage of a plasterboard rack with wooden elements is that its size and shape are fully adapted to individual needs and preferences. The "body" of such furniture is steel profiles that are screwed to the floor and to the wall with dowels. In those places where the shelf is located, additional profiles are used to strengthen the structure.

Ceramics as an interesting alternative

A bookcase can be created by combining two materials: ceramics and wood. The design of this model is based on brick posts that are attached to the wall. Wooden bookshelves, in theory, do not need to be fixed, as the protruding parts of the brick provide a fairly stable support. Preferably, the wood-based panels are about 3 cm thick (25x50 -70 cm shelf).

Application of furniture boards

The most famous and popular bookcase material is OSB and MDF furniture boards. Craftsmen often order pre-cut elements. To ensure stability, the extreme corners should be additionally reinforced with metal brackets. These shelves can be finished with painting or varnished in the selected color. If the bookcase was made from OSB panels, it must be properly primed.

Why do we need boxes

Decorative plywood boxes with beautiful small details inspire to pay tribute to the spirit of Cubism! It is easy to create an irregular cabinet from boxes of various shapes. To keep it stable, the boxes are held together with simple black metal clamps. Some of the boxes are painted inside with muted pastels, applying two coats of water-based paints. Bright plywood stands out beautifully with a contrasting color.

New life of the old staircase

The old staircase that has been in the attic for the past three decades is no longer needed by anyone? It can be turned into a neat bookcase with minimal cost and minimal effort. It is placed in the corner of the room or used against the wall, it is suitable for magazines and children's books.

What do you need?

List of required materials:

• old wooden staircase;
• wooden elements to strengthen the shelves;
• metal supports in the shape of "L";
• sandpaper;
• paint / wood oil.

Tools:

• saw on wood;
• drill;
• grinding machine (optional);
• screwdriver;
• ruler.

Depending on the type of staircase, they show ingenuity. The main tool for such projects is "improvisation". Making a similar bookcase with your own hands, drawings are made after measuring the stairs in the house.

Depending on which base is chosen, there will be an opportunity for additional use of the bookcase. A smaller type of ladder will help create a kind of cabinetry. The tall model will serve as a full-size piece of furniture, for example, in the living room.

If the ladder is old and dilapidated, it must be cleaned with sandpaper or a sander, removing all stains, discoloration and smoothing out irregularities until the wood acquires a satisfactory uniform appearance.

The stairs are then shaped into a bookcase, creating space for the books. To this end, find out at what level the shelves will be located. Mounting brackets are used to mount them.

Instead of buying new furniture that your neighbor has, you have the opportunity to make something unusual with your own hands. After studying the tips on how to make a bookcase with your own hands, you can develop your own model that will successfully meet individual needs. DIY furniture is unique and inexpensive. It is important that it can perfectly fit into the size of the room, as well as accommodate the required number of books, taking into account their size.

Design and measurement

First, a place for the bookcase is selected and the size that best suits the needs is determined. This helps determine the dimensions of each part of the structure.

The cabinet is precisely tailored to the specific space in the house, or a standard model is created so that it can be installed in different places.

• Measure the room where the model will stand.
• Decide what cabinet height is acceptable.
• Will the cabinet shelves be open or closed?
• Determine the proportions of the structure.
• Does the furniture have a back wall?
• Decide if you will use a cabinet to store paperbacks, magazines, or hardback volumes.

The cabinet can have glass or opaque doors. If the back wall is missing, the books are leaning against or touching the wall behind the bookshelf. For maximum versatility, use adjustable shelving to fit any book size.

Bookcases have two, three, five shelves, but you can make as many shelves as you want.

All dimensions of the rack height are planned, the width and depth are calculated, and the distances between the shelves and their number are determined. The depth of the cabinet should be at least 25 cm, preferably 28-33 cm, and the distance between the shelves should be at least 30 cm, which will allow free placement of books up to A4 format (210x297 mm). All elements must be carefully calculated in order to calculate the amount of materials that are applied.

Material selection

The wood that is chosen will significantly affect not only the appearance of the product, but also the cost and durability. Since solid wood can be expensive, hardwood veneer plywood is most commonly used.

The plywood model, which is distinguished by its simplicity of construction, is a worthy and useful addition to the room at home. Such a simple and inexpensive do-it-yourself bookcase can be made in one or two days. It is important to determine how many shelves will be obtained from the plywood sheet.

Veneer selection:

• Birch is suitable for painting.
• Maple is convenient for covering with various mastics.
• Walnut and cherry, like other types of textured plywood, need a sheer finish.

Plywood is tricky, so it's important to set yourself up for success. To cut the boards, use a regular or circular saw. The circular saw is chosen with a carbide blade for plywood.

Correct sanding is crucial for the final appearance of the finished surface, the painting process depends on it. If the surface is poorly sanded, it will be dark and mottled.

To remove all roughness after general processing, use sanding paper No. 150.

It is necessary to level the entire surface without relying on the eye. Do not sand only those areas that look ugly.

Protective covering

The final touch is applying a protective coating to the new bookshelf. This can be paint or clear finishes.

• Painting. A primer is applied under the paint. It helps the wood to absorb paint more evenly. After applying a layer of primer, the surfaces are allowed to dry. Then the surface is carefully sanded again, the dust is removed. Then a layer of paint is applied. They wait for the first layer to dry, then the surface is sanded again, dust is removed, the final coating is applied.

Unable to purchase a primer tinted to match the paint shade? Buy a white primer if your chosen paint is light. Choose a gray shade if the paint is dark.

• Varnishing. For expensive wood, a transparent varnish is purchased to emphasize the natural and unique beauty of the texture. First, the first layer is applied, waiting for it to dry completely. Then sanding is carried out with fine-grained emery paper. Dust is removed with gauze, brush or soft cloth. Next, a second layer is applied. It is also allowed to dry before sanding. The third coating layer is the last one.

Instructions for creating a birch plywood cabinet

Tools:

• level,
• roulette,
• saw,
• a hammer.

Materials:

• wood glue,
• plywood.

Manufacturing time - 2 days.

1. The dimensions of the future cabinet are determined.
2. After calculating the dimensions, the top, side and inner shelves are cut out of plywood. Since the plywood is supplied in sheets, use a hand saw to cut the sheets to the desired width.
3. The plywood is cut to length using a miter saw to create the top, side panels and inner shelves according to the intended dimensions. The angle saw will make a cleaner, controlled cut, which is the best choice for small parts. If the cabinet is too large for a miter saw, a table saw is used.
4. The wood pieces are held together using a drill. Installation of shelves in a bookcase is done in the joint seams using glue. Screws are screwed on the outside of the structure to hold the shelves in place. You can fix the shelves with corners.
5. Adding finishing touches. Chips and irregularities are filled with wooden putty. Then the surface is sanded.

Furniture - an element that surrounds a person everywhere: at work, at home, in catering establishments (cafes, restaurants), in government agencies and in show business establishments. Labor and personal efficiency of a person, general attitude and much more directly depend on the ergonomics and aesthetics of furniture.

Its convenience should be both functional and aesthetic.

Functionality or ergonomics directly depends on the convenience of use, on compliance with certain technical parameters, which can be expressed in terms of height, width, number of shelves, maximum load, the ability to change the height, width.

For a home office, bookcases are a must.

Aesthetics cannot be expressed in numerical terms, but it is an equally important component. How organic the proposed solution looks for the room environment, how much it meets the expectations and preferences of a person, directly affects his mood, a sense of satisfaction and harmony.

This rational use of space will give you the opportunity to arrange literature on the shelves so that it is always at hand.

Books are one of the attributes influencing the aesthetic, intellectual, emotional state of a person. For some, it is a status symbol, for others, part of the decor, for others- element of worship, for the fourth- a way to diversify your leisure time. Therefore, literature must be stored somewhere. For any person whose needs are slightly higher than physiological and security needs, the question of not only where, but also how to place books will be important.

One of the best options for solving the problem is to create a bookcase with your own hands.

The bookcase will be located in a room with certain dimensions, which, most likely, already has furniture, and the bookcase itself will be designed to accommodate existing or planned literature.

A bookcase should be in harmony with the room, furnishings and books.

1. Wardrobe and furnishings.

They should form a single composition. If the furniture is made of MDF, then the cabinet must be made of this material to maintain a single composition.

Materials must be of the same type.

1. Design.

The bookcase and furnishings should be in the same style. If the room has a classic interior, then a Hi-Tech style bookcase will look unnatural in it.

Books in a room can drastically transform a room's interior.

1. Wardrobe and room.

Naturally, it cannot be higher than the room. In addition, the bookcase should organically "fit" into the room and not impede movement around the room and give access to other areas and furnishings. An example to understand: placing a cabinet with doors that open outward near the front door will not be a good solution, since the doors in the open position will prevent entry or exits from the room.

Bookcases and shelves filled with books create a special atmosphere.

1. Wardrobe and books.

The number and depth of shelves directly depend on the type of books. If the owner has real tomes, the shelves should be higher and deeper. If the library is represented by standard volumes, it is more expedient to make niches smaller.

Books can add both seriousness and gravity, for example, in a study, or have a relaxing tint, filling the atmosphere with calmness.

Drawing

When drawing up a drawing, you need to pay attention to two nuances. Use a level to check how horizontal the floor is in the room. If this is not taken into account, it is possible that the shelves will be located at an angle to the surface. If there is a slope, should you decide which is easier - to level the surface of the room itself or to take into account the slope in the structure and compensate at the base of the cabinet?

Bookcase drawing.

It looks like this: if the slope is 2 mm per 1 m distance, then the height of the legs should compensate for this. If the cabinet is 1.5 m long, then in the direction of the slope, the first leg should be 3 mm less than the second.

The level must be checked both along the wall and perpendicular to it.

Pay attention to the presence of a plinth in the room. If there is one, one should either again take this into account in the design, which will be associated with a large amount of work in the preparation of the drawing and the manufacture of the structure.

Or you will need to remove the skirting board in the place where the bookcase is supposed to be located.

Tools and equipment

• Screwdriver.
• Level.
• Milling machine. Designed for the manufacture of grooves for shelves, which gives the structure a more aesthetic appearance. A certain skill of work is required. In the absence of such, or the impossibility (inappropriateness) to purchase a milling machine, an alternative would be to mount it by means of brackets, which will simplify the manufacture, but make the finished product less attractive.
• Drill, chisel, hammer.
• Paint brushes, cloth to remove traces of varnish and stain.

DIY tools for making a bookcase.

Materials (edit)

If there is little experience in making joinery with your own hands, it is advisable to take an MDF board as the main material.

The optimal combination of aesthetic characteristics, reliability and ease of handling.

You will need:

• D for the sidewalls, two sheets of MDF 198 * 40 * 2 cm; Top 100 * 40 * 2 cm;
• NS olki (also MDF) - 7 pcs. 97 * 40 * 2 cm (the back part can be made of chipboard material - 200 * 100);
• TO Rum MDF 2 cm wide and 8 mm thick. 2 slats of 2 m and 2 of 1 m;
• WITH wood glue for woodwork (it is advisable to take the glue. The moment of installation is a super strong plus);
• 2 corners;
• Screws;
• M orilka;

Materials for making a bookcase.

In order not to make sawing on your own, when buying chipboard and MDF, it is advisable to ask to saw the materials in the store.Edgeband, MDF, chipboard stain should be selected in one color composition.

For those who don't know how to make a bookcase with your own hands , we suggest using a simple instruction.

1. We put the stain on the chipboard sheet and let the sheet dry.
   

   

   Impregnations for wood are primarily used to protect wood from destructive external influences.

2. On the inner side of the side parts, we mill grooves 2 cm high and 5 mm deep. The first groove is at 9 cm, then we make 6 more grooves with an interval of 25 cm between the edges of the groove.
   

   

   MDF waste can be used as guides.

3. Apply glue to the grooves. We put the side part horizontally on the floor with the grooves up, insert the shelves into it and insert the second side part from above.
   

   

   Let the glue dry for 1 hour.

4. We put the product vertically. From above, we connect the upper part with the main one with screws. To give the structure stability, we additionally fasten 2 corners in the inner part.
   

   

   The top and bottom of the rack, which are adjacent to the ceiling and floor, can be finished with wooden skirting boards.

5. At the back we attach the chipboard to the bookcase with screws.
   

   

   We fix the back wall.

6. We edging the MDF edge. You can use screws, which is more reliable, but less attractive. You can use glue, which looks more aesthetically pleasing.