Making the Easiest Bookshelf

After sharing a few items sitting on top of the bookshelf in my livingroom I thought I would share how I made the bookshelf itself.

For the shelves of the bookcase I bought two sets old bi-fold doors from my local recycle center for $5 each. I cleaned up the doors, removed the hinge and knob hardware and patched and painted over the holes left from the hardware. Alternately you could use wood boards but I opted for the cheaper route. 

To support the shelves I made columns of bricks. Colorwise the concrete bricks I bought didn't exactly fit in with my living room so I used some cream spray paint to get the color I wanted. As a tip, once you stack the bricks only three faces will show so you can conserve spray painting by only painting those faces.

For stability when building the bookcase it is important to stack the bricks in pairs, alternating the direction as you stack. It's also necessary to use some L-brackets to anchor the shelves to the walls and I wouldn't build it taller than I did (about halfway up the wall). 

All told, the project, not including paint drying time, took about an hour of hands on time and cost me about $35. Not too bad for a custom bookcase! 

Comments

[Gali]

Hi,
We really liked your bookshelf.
We think to build similar shelves for clothes. And we wanted to ask you something.
We though to use those blocks http://blockal.co.il/static/files/uploads/u-21/1290946534.jpg. The dimensions of those blocks are 20x20x40. We though to pile 2 blockes on top of each other on each size between each 2 shelves. We thought to have something like 5 shelves on height of 2meter (~6 feet).
Do you think that it will be stable enough?
Thanks,
Gali.

[Lill]

Hi! I was struggling to find a solution for my books, nothing statisfied me, but your post is genius. Instead of bricks I will use wooden bars, but I love this idea! Thank you!!! :D

[Concrete Driveway Goodyear]

Thanks for sharing this easy and smart project. We love how simple and budget-friendly it is. The brick idea is very creative and helpful. Even in our concrete driveway Goodyear work, we enjoy learning DIY tips like this. Great job explaining it so clearly!

[Concrete Company Lawrenceville]

Thank you for sharing this easy project. We love how you used simple materials and clear steps. It’s a smart idea that anyone can try. In our work as a concrete company Lawrenceville, we also believe simple builds can look great and last long.

[Concrete Company Cedar City]

Thanks for sharing this simple idea. We love how easy and budget-friendly it is, and the steps are very clear. Projects like this inspire us and our customers too, even while running our concrete company Cedar City. We appreciate you taking time to explain it so well.

[Concrete Company Athens]

Thank you for sharing this heartbreaking story. We feel for the family and the community. Reading this reminds our team why safety matters so much. Even as a concrete company Athens, we appreciate stories that help our community slow down, care more, and protect our kids.

[Stamped Concrete Surprise]

Thank you for sharing this fun and simple project. We love how easy you made it to understand and budget friendly too. Our team also enjoys creative work, from shelves to stamped concrete Surprise jobs, and we appreciate ideas that inspire people to build with confidence.