DIY Plywood Bookshelf

Nearly every room in the house has a use for a simple bookshelf, from the kitchen to the bathroom and the laundry room to the bedroom. There's no reason that you have to be reliant upon furniture manufacturers for every scrap of furniture you acquire. When it comes to simple items like a bookshelf, there's no reason you can't fashion one yourself, even if you haven't studied carpentry. This is particularly true if you need a basic, single plywood bookshelf, for one of your more utilitarian rooms, like the garage or the laundry room.

Measuring tape
Pen
Paper
Plywood
Electric saw
Stud finder
Chalk
2-L-brackets
2 Wood Screws, 5-gauge, 3/4 inch length, Philips head
2 Wood screws, 6-gauge, 1.5 inch length, Philips head
Electric drill with appropriate bits

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the length and width you need your particular bookshelf to be by running your tape measure across the wall. Write down these measurements.
- 2
  Mark these measurements on a piece of plywood. Cut the plywood to these dimensions using an electric saw.
- 3
  Run a stud finder along the wall where you want your bookshelf to go and mark the spots where the studs are with a piece of chalk.
- 4
  Hold the cut plywood up to the wall and against those chalk markings. Make a corresponding marking in chalk on your plywood shelf, so that when you attach the L-brackets to the plywood they will hit the wall exactly where the studs are.
- 5
  Drill the short side of two L-brackets to either end of the bottom of the plywood shelf, to a corresponding chalk mark with a handheld drill and two of your short screws. Use the appropriately sized drill bit.
- 6
  Change your drill bit to one which matches 6-gauge screws. Drill the long side of each L-bracket to the wall, ensuring each bracket hits the wall at place where a stud is. Use your 1.5 inch screws.

How to Cut & Bind Carpet

How to Make a Harajuku Room

Home Decor Planning