house. food. baby.

first-time home owner, business owner, parent...

  • About
  • Press
  • Shop
  • Commissions
  • Tour Our Home
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • House
    • Food
    • Baby
    • Holiday
    • Wood Projects
  • Work With H.F.B.
  • Workshop
  • Our Restaurant | Seed Charleston

October 23, 2015 by Jillian

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

One of my favorite things? Walking into the room to find my girls reading. Okay, so they’re not quite old enough to ‘read’, but searching the pages, learning colors and pointing at objects that they recognize is good enough for me. Reading is such an important part of learning, so I will celebrate and promote it as much as possible.

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

So, I decided it was time to add a library wall to their reading nook.

For our baby shower, my host asked that people bring books in lieu of cards, so we have a lot of books. New books from friends and family and old books from our own childhood have created a pretty significant library for our little ones.

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

I’ve been keeping their books in a standard bookcase, with a basket of books on the ground for them to grab at will, but I was feeling like their collection was being neglected. If they could more easily access their books, it would be more exciting for them and encourage discovery.

Built-In Bookcase | Floor-to-ceiling books | Bookcase | Library | DIY Library | handbuilt Library | Bookcase | DIY Bookcase | Built-in || House. Food. Baby.

Besides the obvious benefit of accessibility, what better way to decorate than with books. Books play a big role in our design scheme, as you might remember from my Built-in Bookcase. Bonus for me is that I found a bunch of books I’d completely forgotten about when I loaded up their library wall.

Library walls are a dime a dozen on Pinterest using picture ledges from any big box home improvement store or Ikea, but I thought I might as well whip these bad boys up with some leftover wood we had in the basement for FREE!  This isn’t really a tutorial, but it’s pretty easy and self-explanatory. Here is is in a nut shell:

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

I used 1×2 finished pine boards for this project and simply cut them to size. There are (6) cut to 34″ and (6) cut to 38″, but your cuts will be based on your wall. Make sure to sand them really good, as little fingers will be all over them. Find the studs in your walls and mark each board to correspond with the stud. Drill a pilot hole through the 1×2 – your pilot hole is going long ways through the wood, so that the widest part becomes the ledge. Make sure to countersink the hole, so that the drill sits down in the wood. Attach your ledges to the wall using 3 – 4″ constructions screws. Then, using some glue and a nail gun, attach the ledge frame – widest part is now facing the wall.

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

That’s it! Wipe up any escaping glue and wait about an hour before loading with books. I decided to leave my wood raw, but you can easily paint them, as well. If you do paint them, I’d patch the nail holes before doing so. Also, if you don’t have a nail gun, so can use a hammer and finishing nails instead.

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

The girls LOVE them.

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

They emptied the bottom shelf in about 30 seconds flat. For now, they can’t reach the other shelves, but once they’re older and a little less destructive, I’ll put a stool in here so they can get to the other books as well.

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

We still have a bookcase full of books, but I plan to change them out every now and again to keep them fresh and new for everyone!

DIY Book Ledge Library Wall || House. Food. Baby.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Sharing is caring...Pin on PinterestShare on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterEmail this to someone
❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯❯

Hey there!

I'm Jill! Welcome to House. Food. Baby. Thanks for stopping by! Read more...

Follow

  • 
  • 
  • 
  • 

Sponsors & Affiliates

Great Travels Deal

Never Miss a Post!

Instagram!

Load More...
Follow me Instagram

Instagram!

No images found

Visit Our Shop!

Top Rated Products

  • Baby Diaper Shower Invitations -- Stripes + Dots Set $11.40
  • Baby Diaper Shower Invitations -- Pink + Black Set $11.40
  • Baby Diaper Shower Invitations -- Pink + Lavender Set $11.40
  • Baby Diaper Shower Invitations -- Fiesta Polka Dot $2.85

Reader Favorites

Baby Shower Invites

Baby Shower Invites

Sunny Yellow Sideboard Renovation

Sunny Yellow Sideboard Renovation

Weekend Warrior: Farmhouse Table

Weekend Warrior: Farmhouse Table

Hand-built Dining Room Table

Hand-built Dining Room Table

Elsewhere

Rivit Media Publisher VigLink badge

H.F.B. Loves

My Pinteresting Life

View by Month

Workshop.

Granite Top Dining Room Table

Granite Top Dining Room Table

Baby.

Transitioning Our Girls’ to Toddler Beds

Transitioning Our Girls’ to Toddler Beds

Food.

S’mores Trail Mix

S’mores Trail Mix

House.

Fur-Covered Toddler Stools from Vintage Chair Upcycle

Fur-Covered Toddler Stools from Vintage Chair Upcycle

  • About
  • Press
  • Shop
  • Commissions

Pretty Chic Theme By: Pretty Darn Cute Design