How to part-build a bookshelf for beginners - with DIY Alcove Cabinets
AD PR PRODUCT: This post is part of a collaboration with DIY Alcove Cabinets, who are a local company, specialising in creating bespoke units for you to build in your own home.
For years I’ve looked at the sad space (half-landing) on our stairs knowing we weren’t using it to it’s full potential. I spent months and months looking for second hand bookshelves but unsurprisingly, could never find a piece that was exactly the right size and shape for such a specific area. We also couldn’t afford to have one made and installed by a carpenter so I was really excited to find DIY Alcove Cabinets.
DIY Alcove Cabinets will work with you to design and build bespoke cabinetry for your space, getting you to do the easy bits like measuring up, assembling and painting (which saves hugely on labour costs) whilst they take care of the skilled bits like design, cutting, mouldings, decorative features, joints and crucially, the priming!
Whilst every piece they create differs, our bookshelf essentially arrived in one very large piece. All we had to do was screw the backs on, attach the sides, the cornice at the top, and the skirting at the bottom. Nearly all the parts come with pre-drilled holes so it’s easy to see which parts go where and where the screws need to go. I specifically wanted to keep our old battered wooden skirting (as I love its character), so the design was created to have that sit flush with the bottom of the shelf.
The sides took a little extra work as our walls are so wobbly (they are 400 years old after all,) so I had to scribe them to the wall which basically means to cut them to the shape of the wall. The team at DIY Alcove Cabinets ensured the sides were big enough for the widest parts of the wall, and then I held a block against the wall with my pencil to mark the curves of the wall all the way down in the correct place. It sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but it’s definitely doable for beginner DIYer’s (especially if you have a jigsaw for cutting,) and is genuinely so satisfying once it’s cut, to have the shape of the wood flush with the wall. Even if it’s not completely perfect, you will need to caulk the sides anyway so that allows for a small margin of error. Just remember: ‘Measure twice, cut once!’
After assembling the parts together, I caulked the sides and applied little stickers they provided to cover up any screw heads. Overall, assembling took just under a day, but that would probably be quicker if your walls are much straighter than mine.
Painting, as always, took a little longer, but there is the option to have all the pieces come already primed which saves so much time. I have painted it using two coats of Intelligent Eggshell in ‘Light Gold’ by Little Greene with no sanding required between coats. Anyone who knows me well, won’t be surprised I went for the one yellow sample amongst a sea of green options! I used a brush to cut in and a foam roller for a quicker and smooth finish.
Tools required for assembling my bookshelf from DIY Alcove Cabinets:
drill
spirit level
tape measure
jigsaw
pencil
paintbrush
small foam roller and tray
step ladder
The design process:
I created my design using Canva Pro, but any sketch will do and it by no means needs to be professional. John at DIY Alcove Cabinets has over 30 years experience of making peoples dreams come to life and will happily take your sketch and run with it, letting you know what is possible. He will then put together a design for you on paper so you can check it over and make any final alterations.
Here is the design I came up with, and the final design I received from John:
I am absolutely in love with the final look and feel the bookshelf really optimises the space, providing brilliant storage as well as brightening what was a very dark and dreary area. Rather than feeling like a forgotten part of the house, the stairs now bring such joy to the centre of our home. Bespoke cabinets are such a great option for so many areas in your home, making the most of the space and providing the most amount of storage possible as no space is wasted. Having them ‘built-in’ provides a cleaner, less cluttered look, and the option to customise them means you can have something completely unique to you and your home. If you have always wanted something bespoke but find the carpenters quotes are coming in too high, then do check out DIY Alcove Cabinets as this a great alternative option.