I was a little worried that this would not be enough depth to sit comfortably on, but a few trial sittings on 15” planks of wood proved to be acceptable. The office window wall was very bland and not very exciting to look at. It was almost begging for a renovation. I strongly considered using melamine-covered particle board for the shelves, but instead opted for some good quality birch plywood. With the foundation frames in place, I decided to start work on the shelves. It was getting exciting! MAKING DADO GROOVES

Depending on what you want to store, consider whether you need a bookcase with doors and drawers or open shelves. Besides, after the trim gets installed, I planned on patching up any flaws with wood putty. Then, once painted, the trim would look flawless. Also, the window seat would provide a little extra underneath cabinet storage, which is a pretty cool feature. Later on, we added swing-out shelves, which is perfect paint storage. Planning the Built-In Bookshelves with a Window Seat With all the materials on hand, I embarked on building these bookcases with a window seat. Removing CarpetingI had installed crown molding in the kitchen of our previous home, so I was familiar with the procedure.

She even made a really nice cushion for the seat from scratch. She used a cushion material she found and a piece of outdoor fabric that she had leftover. Construction of the window bookshelf was pretty much complete at this point. I was really pleased with how it was turning out, and Eileen was absolutely thrilled. Here is a close-up showing the other vertical shelf support prepped with construction adhesive in the dados, ready to be attached to the rest of the shelf: Then, with the help of Eileen, we carried the bookshelf upstairs and set it in place. Getting the shelf upstairs was no easy task, by the way.First, I cut all the wood to the required sizes and routed the dados using my jig. I also painted the individual pieces in the garage as well. I attached them directly to the 2 x 4s already mounted on top of the bookshelves. Then, I used my finishing nail gunto attach the crown molding. A corner shelving unit is a great option if you want to build a home library while making maximum use of the room surface area.

To complete this bookshelf, I put on 2 coats of primer, and then 2 coats of a special urethane acrylic cabinet paint. Even though it would be a small shelf, Eileen felt that it would add a lot aesthetically, and there are always creative ways to decorate. I collected all the measurements I needed to cover all the exposed areas and got to work in the garage cutting the trim.I didn’t use dado grooves for this window shelf. I just used construction adhesive and screws to attach two plywood shelf pieces in between the two end bookshelves. I settled on a very simple yet effective method. I was just going to build a wooden duct into the foundation frame, and seal the inside edges with caulk to make it air-tight. Although the birch was a little more expensive, I wasn’t comfortable embarking on a project this size using melamine – a material I have never really worked with before.

Above the window was just enough space for a single small shelf to store decorative items or horizontal books. I did attach some beadboard paneling above the seat with construction adhesive and the finishing nailer. We originally felt like we would have no need for this room, but after staying empty for a few months, Eileen moved her office/craft room in here. In addition, the middle 2 x 4 (that bridged the two bookshelves at the top) was going to help support the middle shelf that ran above the window.

Once all the bare plywood flooring was exposed and the baseboard removed, I started work on the foundation for the two end bookshelf segments. To start, I placed 2 of the bookshelf vertical end supports side by side, clamped them together tightly, and marked with a pencil where all the dados were to be cut. Here is what the baseboard looked like. The whole bookshelf project was really coming together: Attaching Trim Next, I transported all the individual shelf pieces upstairs and started assembly with the help of some sawhorses. For a flat platform to build on, it needed to sit directly on the floor plywood sheathing. I accomplished this with the help of my utility knife and a metal ruler to help guide the cuts.