Either way, what you may not have seen, is the “before” picture of his old bookcase. You can see why the built-in bookshelves needed a complete overhaul.
Like all of the wood in our 1988 contemporary style home, they were the very popular “golden oak" cabinets and a very boring bookcase as far as bookcases go. It is solid wood, though, in good shape, with crown molding and I knew that a great way to make the old furniture piece a focal point was by painting it. I think that is also the easiest way.
When the shut down happened several years ago, I decided it was time to give his built-in bookshelves a whole new look. A fresh coat of paint is a great thing when giving new life to a dated piece of furniture. Painting is where we started.
I still had paint leftover from when we painted our living room years ago. The living room walls are painted dark gray with white trim. When starting any design project, it is a good idea to start with a color scheme. Color schemes should flow from one room to another for a cohesive look. I decided to do just the opposite in this room, which is just off of the living room. I love the contrast.
First Things First
A great place to start a DIY project is by gathering your tools. I know a lot of people buy chalk paint or other special paint, only buy such and such brand of brushes, go through several steps, etc, etc, but I don’t. Call me lazy, call me cheap, call me whatever, but it works. I am not into putting hours of work into my DIY projects if I can avoid it.
This is what I used for my first step. I love these large sanding blocks for my DIY projects. They are the best option to scuff up the old finish a bit on old furniture pieces. Plus the can of eggshell, latex paint I already had. I think you can see the gallon sitting on the bottom shelf in the first picture. Oh, and I used a small roller and trim brush. That's it.
Next Step
I removed everything from the shelves, gave them a thorough cleaning, then painted them. I let the first coat dry overnight. Then I took my above-pictured sanding block and lightly sanded the open shelves, drawer fronts, and cabinet doors. I then grabbed a damp rag, gave it another thorough cleaning making sure to remove all of the dust left behind. Then I did a second coat. Let dry overnight, sanded, wiped.
Yes, that’s all that I did. Well, the last step was then adding a little more character to them after Howard put his things back on the shelves by adding in some decorative pieces.
I wish that I would have gotten better “before” pictures for you. Honestly though, it never really occurred to me that this could even be a “how-to” blog. When I started telling friends and family that I painted these built-ins, I can’t tell you how many people asked how I did it. If you can paint a wall, you can paint anything. Now that I am looking at these pictures again, the "after' pictures aren't the best either.
I did not do a coat of primer or finish with a clear coat. Here is a picture of the room 4 years later. The paint has held up just fine. No chipping. I think the paint job looks just as good as it did the day I finished it. The easy way is the best way
Since the initial built-in bookcase makeover, Howard changed out the thrift store light fixture with this "school house" style one.
I also found this wood office chair to replace the typical black office chair that Howard had found in a thrift store.
I did update the decorative items, too, a bit. One of these days, I'd love to get rid of the carpet in here and replace it with a hard wood floor. The carpet has definitely seen better days. All in all, though, I am happy with the end result.