Pin 17

Original Pin:

http://recentlytheblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/bookcase-project.html

I am an super-redo mode but have no cash :(  I knew I could get foam board at the dollar store so I decided I could get this done. Actually, quite a few stars aligned to make this one happen. In addition to the dollar store, I am in purging mode as well because we are in the process of getting new flooring and with a newly diagnosed asthmatic in the house I am getting rid of anything and everything that is sitting around collecting dust. The school district is having a book swap this weekend so we took this opportunity to clean out the book shelves. We have two full sized bookshelves that we condensed to one.

I forgot to take a before picture of the actual one I worked on, but this is the matching one. Notice all the books in the left corner on the floor--those were heading out the door.

The first problem I had was that the foam board was not as wide as our book shelves. I guess someday I will learn to measure first. . .

So I had to tape two boards together to get the width. I decided to cover the boards with pretty contact paper instead of paint.

A covered board ready to go in.

Hmmm. Yep, I think I will.

My trusty tape measure I've had since high-school graduation.

The contact paper didn't lay smooth over the tape. This was my first board, I learned to smooth the tape much better with the next ones.

 I ran out of supplies with one shelf left. I had bought all the boards at the dollar store, so I guess I will have to go back another day.

I sorted all the books left by color, just because I thought it looked nice. 

Here is the final product:

 Total cost: $7 currently +$2 to finish =$9

Total time: 2 1/2 hours

Final verdict:I like the look. I want to finish out the last shelf. It looks so much cleaner and sharper than before and I feel fresh for having purged a hundred or so dusty books. (Hello? Ancient nursing textbooks anyone?) But I think it would have been less work to just pop the back off and cover it. The link says "No-commitment" but I don't think I'll be changing it out frequently!