Adding to my Ikea bookcase
April 2, 2020
Adding to my Ikea bookcase
I’ve wanted to add to my Ikea bookcase in my office. It was nice, but I wanted more storage for my books, and I wanted to make it look a bit more upscale.
I had some electrical work done, and I was now able to add to the bookcase I had. It’s something that I wanted to do for a while.
Here is how the project unfolded.
This is how it looked before. Not bad, but I wanted something a little bit more upscale in design. You can see in the photo that the outlet was an issue.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2686ca1e-ace4-48b3-8c6e-4706d2621385-300x287.jpeg)
I eliminated the outlet, and that allowed me to move the bookcase. Giving me the space I needed to add to it. I used an electrical cover plate.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/55c29e52-2737-4f02-8b67-68b8d7d3a6ef-169x300.png)
As you can see here, it didn’t leave me with a huge space (don’t mind that I’m in the picture!!).
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/f56b35cd-ffbd-4306-8fe7-27598e401fe8-300x292.png)
I did check Ikea first to see if they had a bookcase that I could use in that space. Unfortunately, they had a 15″ size bookcase I need a 10.5″ size bookcase. It was not going to work. I was going to have to build it.
So off to Home Depot I went to get the materials I needed. Here it is, although it’s not entirely done yet. I need to add the backing to it.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a523cfcc-b639-4aac-b683-fed1ca98b2bd-169x300.png)
I added a masonite board. That allowed it to have a backing without adding weight since it’s only about 1/8″ thick.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/1cb32ace-1f1a-4d7a-ac30-5bb08aa47d42-169x300.png)
I used finishing nails and made sure I didn’t go through the board!!
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/b3d0f656-3bfe-4afd-b6ce-b1fe9073369a-225x300.jpeg)
There was also an issue of the bookcase not being flushed against the wall. Because walls are rarely straight!! There were some gaps. I used a 2×2 and glued it to the bookcase, but there was a small gap at the bottom, so I had to be creative, and I used shims to fill in the gaps. It worked out beautifully!!
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/d9170d8e-0245-4bb0-9fea-90b7fc209b2f-225x300.jpeg)
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/dbb2a6a0-6919-4c59-a12b-4b1226b000b4-225x300.jpeg)
Once I had all the pieces I needed, the last on the agenda was to install crown molding. You can see I used finishing nails again, but some holes needed to be filled.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/039c066d-bf5f-492e-99a2-8568e83eeeaf-300x200.png)
First, I use this tool ( I have no idea what’s called). But you use it to pushed the nails in so that it’s easier to fill in the hole. It gives you a nice clean look.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/c65948a3-b88a-4613-a392-851bb932ce74-225x300.jpeg)
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/003e1bea-c09b-493d-a727-bec22639df56-300x225.jpeg)
I also filled in all the gaps between the bookcase and the walls.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/e5ba3269-a5ac-44ca-98ff-825de93b5bc2-225x300.jpeg)
I am delighted with the way it turned out, as you can see from the before and after photos. It looks so much better.
![](http://abelladev.codingartisan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ca78a2cd-12a8-4cae-9ea2-0dceaa97cb92-300x182.jpg)
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