Family Fuller

I finally finished my built in bookshelves (minus the cabinet doors) in the living room. They turned out better than expected and since we got everything set up our living room has been a joy Here is a quick before and after:

Another view:

After looking at the pictures, seems like they don’t do it justice. The whole feel of the living room is different - I guess that could also be because it is clean now too.

When I began this project I had no idea where to start. I searched online to find some examples of built in cabinets and it was really hard to find anything. Therefore I am going to summarize what I did so if anyone else is searching for examples hopefully they will find mine.

I started designing the cabinet just on paper. We knew we wanted to be able to fit our TV inside. We also needed a place for the electronic equipment below the TV. We only have one bookshelf in our whole house so we definitely needed bookshelves too. I measured all the parts, figured out the largest of our books and the average size and made the design around those measurements. The cabinet ended up being 30″ high and 20″ wide. Each bookshelf is 11″ wide (due to what boards you can buy). The bookshelves vary between 11″ high and 13″ high.

I first framed the bottom cabinet using 2×4s. I put the 2×4s together with deck screws (they don’t strip) and then attached the 2×4s to the wall where I could find studs. The bottom, sides, shelves and top of the cabinet are all made of MDF. I used MDF because it comes in large sizes, is smooth and inexpensive. The only downside is that it isn’t very strong and tends to chip out. I just left the 2×4s exposed on the inside of the cabinet because I knew I was going to paint them anyway.

The shelves on top of the cabinet are all made of MDF boards. The lumber yard ended up giving me pre-primed wood even though I didn’t ask for it - but it was nice to have. I used a router to route out part of the counter top to hold the vertical boards and then routed out a place for each shelf. I decided to make the shelves permanent (instead of adjustable) because it looked nicer and matched the rest of the house better. I glued all the shelves together and screwed the vertical boards into the wall. I had to do a lot of shimming due to bowed walls.

Then I put trim up on everything. The crown molding was a TOTAL pain. I had to buy a new piece because we couldn’t get the old trim off. The new piece was just slightly off so it was hard to figure out the angles. Plus on the one side I had to shape it to fit the existing molding that was already up on the wall. I was glad when I got that done, but then the ceiling (not to mention every wall) was not square. I used an entire can of spackle to finish things off.

Chuck and I both painted it - Chuck probably did the majority of the painting. On Valentines day while Chuck was working, I managed to get the whole living room cleaned, mount the TV on the wall myself (that was HEAVY) and get the new carpet in. It was a long day.

I still have to finish the doors. We got some antique glass from a second use center, but making it work might be tough so I haven’t started the doors yet.

Overall it came out better than I thought - I am sure in part because I bought a new miter saw and a new router. You have to have the right tools for the job as they say. See Dad and Ed - remember a long time ago when I asked for tools for Christmas? I meant serious tools Now it is on to the patio in the backyard.

Here are some more pictures of the whole thing in progress - along with the boys “helping”

Me outside with the router:

Colin helping put the base cabinet together:

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