So Many Easy Ways to Transform a Bookcase
A bookcase is one of those essential furniture pieces that every home should have, and we have some easy way to turn a plain bookcase into a standout feature you will love.
09/02/2020
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A bookcase is one of those essential pieces of furniture that every home needs in one room or another. A bookcase can be used as a bookcase for books or as a decorative display unit for a living or family room, or it can provide much-needed storage for a den or playroom or a children's bedroom. You can even use a bookcase for storage in a bathroom, and definitely for storing your arts and crafts in a hobby or crafts room. With so many different uses, wouldn't it be nice to transform a plain pine or melamine bookcase into a stand out piece?
A traditional bookcase has to be one of the most versatile pieces of furniture you can have in a home. With its simple design and storage capacity, there are so many ways that you can use a bookcase for both practical and decorative storage. In this feature, we show how easy it is to transform a plain bookcase in ways you may not have thought of before, and with only a few readily-available supplies that you can buy at any Builders store.
Decorative Bookcase Display Unit
You can usually buy a plain pine, melamine or board bookcase for anywhere between R750 for a melamine unit and upwards of R1500 for a pine unit. Builders have a flat pack bookcase that's available at around R750, depending on your location. Once you have the bookcase, you only need to give the unit a few coats of paint to give it a new look that fits perfectly with your room decor. Or you might decide the move the shelves around a bit for even more storage options, as per the drinks cabinet below.
TOP TIP: Use pine or meranti cover strips, or 22 x 44mm PAR pine to give your bookcase a chunkier look. You can nail, staple or glue these pieces along the inside edge of the sides, top and bottom.
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Bookcase Drinks Cabinet
This is where buying a flat pack assembly required bookcase works in your favour since you can assemble as you wish, making any changes required before the assembly is complete. If you're buying a new readymade bookcase, make sure it is easy to remove any shelves if you want to make changes to the design.
TOP TIP: Buy a flat pack bookcase that lets you modify the shelves to suit your own design.
Bookcase Home Office Storage Shelves
Every home office needs space to store files and folders, or perhaps you need extra storage for books and such for a playroom. It won't cost you much to buy pine moulding or trim and add this to a plain bookcase to make it more in line with your home decor.
TOP TIP: Using pine moulding and trim is an inexpensive way to give any bookcase a Shabby Chic makeover or add decorative trim for a more traditional look. The moulding or trim can be pinned or glued in place before being painted in your choice of colour.
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Modular Bookcase Display Unit
Where you need more storage than a single bookcase can provide, or you want more of a decorative display unit for your living or family room - double up.
TOP TIP: Purchase two plain units and add decorative moulding or trim, or even add decorative doors to give your plain units more appeal. The doors (below) can be easily achieved by adding moulding onto the front of the doors.
Playroom or Den Storage for Toys and Games
Children always need plenty of shelf storage, whether it's for books and stuff, toys and games, or for their special favourites. A bookcase is the perfect solution, but DO fasten it to the wall where there are smaller children around. You don't want young children trying to climb up the walls!
A standard bookcase is a simple DIY project if you have the basic tools and a fair understanding of the steps involved. Making a pine bookcase will probably cost you just under R1500 for a decent sized shelf unit made using laminated pine, and once you have built the bookcase you can decide what you want to add on for decoration or design. If you prefer to buy a readymade bookcase, shop around for the best prices.
