Building built in bookshelves. I got this idea...

[HardDrive]

So I was going to build a built in bookshelf. Space is 8' tall, 96 wide, 12 inches deep. So I figured I would build myself a pair of 48" wide boxes, attach them to the wall, and trim it out.

But then I got this idea (this is the part when my wife typically sighs and starts google for 'hit men'), what if instead of building the boxes first, I build it completely into the space. Have 1 x 1.5" wood supports that run along the wall horizontally, and are screwed into the studs behind. 1 x 12" on the sides, with the 1 x 1.5" providing the supports for the shelves. A 1 x 2" piece of oak would be attached in the middle on the front for a center support, and the whole thing would be trimmed out to look flush. This is going to be painted, so screws can be covered up with putty.

The questions:

-Is my idea above stupid?
-If I don't rip plywood to make the shelves, what wood stock would you use, keeping in mind that they will be painted?

[Noah930]

Let me get this straight: you want to build into the existing wall. As in, rip out drywall that's covering the studs so that the depth of your built-in will be greater than the 12" you originally envisioned?

Is this an interior wall? You're not going to cut out the supporting studs themselves, correct? Is there wiring or plumbing in there? Will the existing studs be wide enough for the look you desire?

I had a similar idea in our house, but haven't acted on it (translation: gotten a carpenter/cabinet maker to opine on it), yet.

[stomachmonkey]

I think what he is thinking is to eliminate the boxes. Not rip out the drywall.

The idea makes sense in theory but i'd probably still do the boxes. Your going to find the walls are not perfectly straight and widths will vary. You'll need to measure every cut. If you build the box then you can "mass produce" the shelves, supports etc. and use face trim to cover any gaps between the wall and box.

[stomachmonkey]

Also if you build the boxes you can drill columns of holes allowing you to adjust the shelve spacing if you ever find the need to.

Trust me, if you say you'll never move them then you'll eventually find you need to. If you plan for it up front you'll never need to move them. I hate that Murphy guy.

[MBAtarga]

I think I understand what you're considering. I built the display cabinets shown below against an existing wall in a similar fashion to what you are considering. The left side base and the right side cabinet were built in place, using the existing far right and far left side walls. The lumber I used was paint grade soft maple - as I got it for extremely cheap. The shelves have adjustable positions, using the standard brass pins for placement.

Edit - 48" spacing for shelves is quite a distance for plywood - even with a center rail for support.

[flatbutt]

I bought several units from IKEA. Anchored them to the wall then built an "alcove" around them to give it a built in look.

[A930Rocket]

Having 1x cleats on the walk would not look near as nice as MBAtarga's. Using the drywall as the back, you can frame a bix with four sides and trim out the front. As mentioned, adjustable shelves with pins will be nice
and used.

48" is the max I would go with a 1x on the front of each shelf to prevent sagging, etc.

[M.D. Holloway]

I have seen Mikes work. It is very very nice but keep in mind he is a master woodworker (and offers great Scotch to guests!)

[HardDrive]

Not touching the wall behind it. Just locating the studs and fastening the support strips to them through the existing wall board.

I was wrong on the width, its 6 ft, not 8ft.

I'm going to get out the T square and see just how 'square' the space is.

[masraum]

I've got 3 built-ins. I built 2 and my wife and her mother built one (they aren't carpenters). (I've since refined that one a bit) We've discussed removing it and starting from scratch, but there are other projects to be done before that happens.

The big problem that you may have with trying to make the built in is that the wall/drywall may not be completely flat, or maybe ours wasn't because it's 40 years old and has lived in hot, humid Houston all it's life. What that means is that there is a gap in some spots at the back edge of the shelves, but I never really notice it. I built my shelves to be square to each other. They built theirs to fit to the wall, so it didn't turn out quite the same. That's why I've worked on it a bit here and there.

All three are built using 1"x12" pine (starting with 6' or 8' lengths depending). I used "premium", they used the cheap stuff. The premium is better because of the lack of knot holes and it doesn't seem to sag like the boards with the knot holes.

The one that my wife built is somewhat like the one that you're describing, I think.

They made a base of 1"x3" pine to stand the thing off of the floor and then put a base of the 1x12 on top of that. They then attached a 1x12 to the wall on the right and left. They used 1/2" x 3/4" strips to support the ends of the roughly 36" shelves. It's a 12' wall so they added 3 vertical supports each with the same 1/2" x 3/4" supports. It holds a ton of books, and the shelves don't sag (I've replaced about 3 or 4 saggy boards with better quality pine), but it's not exactly pretty. 3' shelves are about as long as you could go for a shelf that is only supported on the ends. If you've got a support running along the back, that would be better, but I'm not sure if the front would sag due to the weight if the shelf was 4' or more.



I built mine by building a box and then filling the box in. I used a dado blade and/or a dado router bit to put 3/4" grooves in the vertical sections to support the ends of the shelves. I also have vertical supports. My bookshelves are REALLY strong.



This was my first project of this type/magnitude. We've since painted it, and it looks much better. I used putty to cover the screw heads. It was a paintable putty, but not a stainable. I've since learned the difference.








This is not really the same. We had this enormous fireplace that we didn't use that took up most of a whole wall. I turned it into our entertainment center. I built it on the fireplace and measured each board to fit it's spot because nothing is ever quite square. The thing is not actually attached to anything, but it also is completely immobile and won't shift if you try to shake it. I built a box with a door that goes bottom center. The Bluray player, cable box, etc... goes in the box. The TV goes above that. I was going to mount it to the brick but settled on it just sitting on the shelf. The fireplace is essentially completely hidden by those two things. I almost forgot, I built the shelves to the right of the fireplace too.

You probably could make one with the supports and still have it turn out nice. It would be much easier if the wall was nice and flat. You'd probably have to make it interesting. Maybe use the same types of supports to look like they are supporting the vertical boards as well.

I'd probably go with something a bit different, but then, I'm very much an amateur at this sort of thing. There are some really impressive guys on the board that would put my creations to shame.

[look 171]

I would not go more then 3' max in width. 2 feet section are better and stronger. it is a little more materials. Do you have a router handy for cutting dados? If not, you can drill holes and use shelf pins or install shelf standards.

Build 2 or 3 boxes and screw them to the wall. I always attach a back to all my cabinets. that makes them much stronger. it is very rare that a cabinet go out of our shop without a back.

[EdT82SC]

I did something similar to what you describe at my old condo. I used 1x12 for everything, no plywood. I used a dado to rip a slot 1/4" deep to stick the shelves into. On a 10' wall I used 5 vertical boards so each shelf was 2 1/2 feet long. 4 feet seems too long, especially for something heavy like books. I did not care about adjustability since the shelves were to hold my comic book collection so all the shelves were equal height.