DIY Bracket Bookshelves
May 2, 2011
Hey there, hope you all had a great weekend! We spent most of Sunday helping my parents move their things onto a moving truck, and since they’re downsizing, they graciously donated some bookcases to our Alma Project. I’ve been scouring Craigslist for weeks without any luck, so how fortunate to score some sturdy freebies from my folks! Now we can build that entertainment center we’ve been planning for so long.
I also managed to squeeze in an hour to put the finishing coat of paint on a simple project I started last week. My little girl is at that age where improving her reading ability is priority number one, so I wanted to build her something that would keep books front and center in her world. These inexpensive bookshelves are made from basic wood brackets and dowel rods found at a home improvement store, and they cost me about $15 each.
If you want to replicate the project, here’s what you’ll need for each shelf: 2 basic 6” x 8” wood shelf brackets (I found these at Home Depot), ½” thick wood base cut to chosen length; 2 dowel rods; wood filler; wood screws; power screwdriver and drill bits; wood glue; primer and paint. Decorative appliqués are optional.
First, remove the hanging hardware that comes with each shelf bracket and drill a new hole for your nail with a drill bit on the opposite side of the bracket. Rotate the hardware to the opposite side and screw it back into the wood bracket. (Rotating the hardware allows you to hang the shelves once they’re finished.)
Next, determine the position of your dowel rods, and use a drill bit to create a hole for them. Drill two holes in each bracket with the proper sized drill bit, being careful not to drill all the way through the bracket. Use wood glue to secure the dowels (cut to the proper width) to the holes drilled into the brackets (not pictured). Once the wood glue is dry and dowel rods are secure, drill small pilot holes, then use wood screws to affix the brackets to the wood base.
Use wood putty to fill any seams, and sand edges when dry. Use wood glue to attach the decorative appliqués (optional).
Prime and paint bookshelves after assembly.
Cost: Brackets $2.50 each; dowel rods: $0.85 each; wood board $1.50 a foot; appliqués $5.00. Total cost = approximately $15 each (including appliqués, not including screws, wood glue, wood filler, primer & paint).
I love the idea of rotating the books on the shelves to entice my girl to pick a few new books everyday. It seems to be working . . .
The best part for me is my growing girl now has a reading corner to call her own, and a place I can send her everyday to improve her skills and encourage a lifetime affection for books!
I do have plans to say farewell the pastel pinks in this space, but a new color palette will have to wait a few more months. These days, I’m just so happy she’s becoming such an avid reader. 
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Tags: bookshelf, bracket bookshelves
Love the bookcases! Nice tutorial! Can’t wait to see how the new room looks like.
Oh i love these!! My three teens have to share a room and this would be so handy since space is so limited for them!
I love them! I did something similar in Eli’s room with supplies from Hobby Lobby. Mine definitely looks “boyish” compared to yours. :)
They look great in her room, and I bet she just loves them. :)
Hope you are doing well!
xoxo
Traci
I am totally working on a similar project for my little girl’s room! The front facing books definitely make it easier for her to make her reading selections . . . she is only two and LOVES to read. Definitely her favorite past time. Great job and I love the carved wood detailing.
Thanks,
Amanda
That is just genius. I need to make these for my boy’s room! Great tutorial girl!
I am so excited to see this project! The shevles look so nice! We do something similar with our books.
I am working on shelves in each of the boys rooms so we do seasonal and holiday favorites for our swapping out.
I’ve seen a bunch of these around, but this is my favorite yet. Love the simple construction but beautiful look!
I just wanted to let you know that I am featuring this on Sassy Sanctuary tomorrow. Thanks!
Absolutely adorable. Great Idea and Thank you for sharing in detail. I am building one for my 5 year old son.
I love it!! I think I’m going to make these for my room!
We used your tute and made these over the weekend! We used the larger size bracket just because we thought.. more bracket = more storage.
We were a little stumped, because we assumed the bottom board would be a standard width to fit the bracket, so what we ended up doing is buying a board that was close to the width of the bracket, and then cutting the bracket to fit the board. Somehow my husband convinced me that this was easier than cutting down a large board.
It was a fun little project. Thanks!
Thanks for the inspiration Kate! I made one of these for my friend’s daughter. I painted her name and some ladybugs, butterflies, and flowers on the front edge to make it personalized for her. It turned out very cute!
The previous commenter mentioned the bottom board not being the same as the bracket size. I too had this problem, so I ended up joining two 1 x 3 boards for the base and it was nearly the perfect size.
I love it!!I am totally working on a similar project for my little girl’s room!We used your tute and made these over the weekend!The shevles look so nice……………..