Every book lover hits the same wall eventually: more books than shelves. These 25 DIY bookshelf ideas fix that for every budget and skill level. Some are true builds, like a floating pine bookcase for a dead hallway corner or a scaffolding style shelf with an X brace. Others are quick wins, like vinyl rain gutters screwed to the wall as book ledges, or a stack of craft store crates that becomes an easy crate shelf in minutes. There are bookshelf makeovers too, from a stenciled back panel to a cheap bookcase on wheels, plus several IKEA hacks that turn Billy bookcases into floor to ceiling built ins (an IKEA hack is the fastest way to a custom look). Pick one for the kids’ rooms, the living room or a home office, and add a few bedroom decor ideas while you’re at it. Fair warning: a new bookshelf fills up faster than expected.
1. Built In Floating Bookcase
A narrow floating bookcase fills a dead corner of a hallway without taking any floor space, and it’s simple enough for a first build. The frame is pine 2×6 boards with scrap thin plywood across the back, and the shelves hide the seams where each backer piece joins. Because it floats just above the baseboard, the floor underneath stays easy to clean and the tall unit never looks bulky. Measure your own door trim and baseboards first, since the plans are built around one specific wall.
Get the full tutorial at Ugly Duckling House.
2. DIY Side Table Small Bookshelf
This little midcentury style bookshelf doubles as a side table, and it can be turned either way to suit the room. It slips between two narrow chairs, sits next to a sofa or works as a small bar with bottles inside. The open back lets cords through for a lamp or a charger. In a kid’s room it holds picture books and toys now and will still work in the tween years. Add a few baskets and it handles diapers and burp cloths in a nursery.
Get the full tutorial at 100 Things 2 Do.
3. Built In Bookcases With Cabinets
Prefab base cabinets are the shortcut behind these built in bookcases, and they save a lot of time. Start with laminate cabinets with adjustable shelves, skip their tops and lay two inexpensive boards across them as one long counter (the seam is barely noticeable). Rip boards to fill the gaps around each cabinet so the run looks custom. Then build open shelves above. Buy lumber one step at a time instead of all at once, because plans change once the build is in progress.
Get the full tutorial at Home Stories A to Z.
4. Floor to Ceiling Billy Bookcase Built Ins
Basic IKEA Billy bookcases stack into floor to ceiling built ins with glass doors up top and solid doors below for toy storage. Two rules matter most. Use the wall bracket on every single level, no exceptions, because these units were never designed to be stacked. And cut 3.25 inches off the bottom of any floor bookcase that goes on top of another, or the doors won’t line up. Measure ceiling height along the whole wall and work from the lowest number.
Get the full tutorial at Vintage Revivals.
5. DIY Stenciled Bookcase
An old bookcase with a stenciled back fills an awkward kitchen corner and finally gives cake plates and big platters a home. Finding a used bookcase to rehab is harder than expected, since antique stores tend to keep the big ones for display. Paint it with chalk paint, then stencil a soft pattern on the back panel only, so the frame stays calm and the pattern frames whatever sits on the shelves. In an all white kitchen it adds color and charm without another cabinet.
Get the full tutorial at Polka Dot Chair.
6. Easy DIY Playroom Stepped Crate Bookshelf
Stacked wooden craft crates make a stepped bookshelf for a kids’ reading nook, and it might be the easiest DIY ever. Buy crates, stack them however the space wants and fill them up. The raw wood can be painted or stained, or left as is. The step shape fits an odd sloped closet or a corner under the stairs. Here’s the honest note: these crates were simply stacked, not fastened, so screw them to each other and to the wall in any room where kids climb.
Get the full tutorial at Maison de Pax.
7. Rustic Bookshelf From Crates and Pallet
A sturdy 2×10 and 2×4 frame wrapped in reclaimed pallet wood gives this bookshelf its rustic look, and pre made crates slide in as cubbies. Join the boards with pocket holes, cut scrap spacers so every shelf sits level and dry fit the crates as you build. Then glue and brad nail pallet boards over the frame at random lengths, staggered. Anchor it to the wall, because it is heavy. Use heat treated pallet wood, not dumpster pallets, to avoid chemicals and critters.
Get the full tutorial at The House of Wood.
8. DIY Scrap Wood House Shelf
A little house shaped shelf from one scrap piece of 1×6 pine is the cutest way to use up the offcut pile. Cut two sides at 7 inches, a bottom at 5 inches and two roof pieces at 5 inches with a 45 degree bevel, measured long point to long point. Glue, clamp and brad nail it together, fill the nail holes, sand and hang it. Painted pink and hung by a bed, it works as a tiny bedside shelf for favorite bedtime books.
Get the full tutorial at Sawdust Girl.
9. Particle Board Bookcase Painted Faux Wood
A cherry laminate particle board bookcase from 2003 gets painted to look like light natural wood, which is one of the most useful makeovers there is. Particle board hates moisture, so prep is everything: vacuum, clean with a heavy duty cleaner, scuff sand and use a bonding primer made for slick surfaces. Pull the plastic shelf pins before priming and keep them in a cup. Then a chalk mineral paint, blended with a brown glaze, gives it the faux wood grain look.
Get the full tutorial at Salvaged Inspirations.
10. Paint the Back With a Pattern
A spotted pattern sponged onto the back of a bookcase makes a plain IKEA built in look custom. No stencil, no wallpaper: just a cheap kitchen sponge cut into a few different sized pieces and leftover blue paint dabbed on at random. Fair warning, it takes longer than it looks. A job planned for 2 hours took about 6, and some spots need a second pass to fill in speckly centers. The best part is it’s just paint, so changing it later is easy.
Get the full tutorial at Centsational Style.
11. Elegant and Classy Bookshelf Makeover
A basic assemble yourself bookshelf from Goodwill, $5, gets a Ballard Designs look from four bun feet, black paint and a fabric back. Turn it upside down and screw on the feet plates, then the feet, both found in the trim aisle of a home improvement store. Paint it while it is still upside down, then flip it for a second coat and a dark wax. For the back, lay the fabric on, cut it roughly to size, spray adhesive behind it and smooth it with a small roller. A box cutter scores off any overhang so the edges stay clean.
Get the full tutorial at Redoux Interiors.
12. Girly Bookcase Makeover
A sturdy but ugly bookcase from a flea market for $20 becomes a sweet girly piece for a nursery. The old finish was thick and muddy, so sand it down as much as possible (the spindles on top fight back), then give it 3 coats of white paint and distress the edges a little. The finishing touch is fabric on the back panel. A floral from a small shop adds all the personality, and swapping it later for a grown up print is easy.
Get the full tutorial at My Third True Love.
13. DIY Wood Bookshelf
This scaffolding style pine bookshelf has an X across the back and adjustable shelves. It’s built from 1×12 boards, a 5/4 board ripped into 1 5/8 inch uprights and 1×4 strips for the cross brace. The X pieces get half lap joints, cut with a sliding miter saw set to cut halfway through, so the two braces sit flush. Lay the uprights 46 inches apart outside to outside and keep them square while assembling. It fits a kid’s room, a closet or a studio shoot.
Get the full tutorial at The Merrythought.
14. DIY Picture Ledge and Bookshelf
A long picture ledge doubles as a bookshelf, and it’s two boards and glue. Glue a 1×3 to the underside of a 1×8, about half an inch in from the edge and clamp it at 90 degrees with corner clamps or blocks. Predrill so the wood won’t split, then drive screws through the 1×8 into the 1×3 every 15 to 18 inches. Hang it on French cleats into the studs. Pick the straightest boards in the stack, because warped lumber makes this harder than it needs to be.
Get the full tutorial at In Honor Of Design.
15. Leaning Crate Bookshelf and Desk
Weathered gray crates hang between leaning ladder legs to make a modular system of bookshelves and a kid sized desk. Each leaning unit gets two 60 7/8 inch legs cut with a 10 degree miter at both ends, plus an 18 inch foot piece. The desk is 25 inches high for a child (adult desks run about 30), with a small drawer that slides into the opening. Pre stained crates skip the finishing step entirely. Rearrange the crates as the kid grows.
Get the full tutorial at Her Tool Belt.
16. Hack a Bookcase and Add Built In Storage on Top
A solid old classroom bookcase, picked up from the side of the road for $35, gets a lidded storage box built right onto its top for Legos. Frame the top with 1×3 pine boards, cut a larger pine board for the lid and attach it with decorative hinges. Spray the whole piece in two chalk paint colors, a blue body and a green lid. No saw at home? Ask the hardware store to make the cuts. Books below, bricks hidden above.
Get the full tutorial at Thrift Diving.
17. Simple Little DIY Bookshelf
A small oak plywood bookshelf with a butcher block top, and the top is a leftover sink cutout from a kitchen counter install. The sides and bottom are ripped from 3/4 inch oak plywood in a 16 inch strip, with 1/4 inch plywood for the back and oak edge banding over the raw edges. Pocket hole screws hold it together and a shelf pin jig makes the shelves adjustable. It’s sized for a nook: towels in a bathroom, cookbooks in a kitchen or books in an office.
Get the full tutorial at Woodshop Diaries.
18. Teal Playroom Bookcase Built Ins
Four short IKEA Billy bookcases bought on sale at $39 each become a long run of teal built ins for a playroom. Assemble them per the directions, then build them in with a stained 1×12 pine top, 1×2 trim and square dowels, plus caulk to close every gap. A coat of adhesion primer lets the paint grip the laminate. The whole job came to $304.43 for wood, bookcases, stain and paint. Low shelves keep toys within a kid’s reach so cleanup is realistic.
Get the full tutorial at Bless'er House.
19. Rain Gutter Bookshelves
Vinyl rain gutters from the roofing aisle make the cheapest kids’ bookshelves around, and they show the book covers, which is what gets little readers curious. Gutters come in 10 foot lengths. Cut them with a hand saw, sand the rough edges, add end caps and screw the gutter hangers into studs with 1 1/2 inch screws. Two 40 inch runs stacked about 16 inches apart fit most picture books. Use a long straight edge and a level to keep them even.
Get the full tutorial at Anika's DIY Life.
20. Stenciled IKEA Bookcase Wall
A whole wall of joined IKEA Billy bookcases looked custom, except for one thing: the cardboard backing seams. A large Moroccan wall stencil hides them. Empty all 28 shelves first (snap photos so restyling is easy), pull the adjustable shelves, and paint the backs a white close to IKEA white, which took three coats over the old dark blue. The wall stencil was a little long, so trim a few inches off each end to fit the 30 inch openings. A flat stencil is easier to work.
Get the full tutorial at Lovely Etc.
21. Black Chalk Painted Bookcase
An unfinished raw wood bookcase from a local Amish store gets two coats of black chalky finish paint, no primer needed, rolled on with a foam roller. A white trellis stencil runs up the side in one light application. Then two coats of clear creme wax, buffed to a gloss, protect it. Stencil adhesive can leave the paint looking dusty until the wax goes on, so don’t panic at that stage. Fully cured, it heads off to a college apartment.
Get the full tutorial at The Country Chic Cottage.
22. Attach Wheels to the Base
A plain white melamine bookshelf, the wobbly kind, becomes a rolling piece of furniture in a day. A piece of MDF cut to the size of the bottom gets screwed to the base, and small casters go on underneath. Scrap boards fitted together like puzzle pieces make a rustic top, glued first and then screwed down. Strips of salvaged trim hide the raw MDF edge and the plain front. A solid top and bottom also stiffen a cheap case, so it ends up sturdier than it started. Rough up the old finish before painting so the paint grips.
Get the full tutorial at Redoux Interiors.
23. Free Standing Bookshelf
A free standing pipe bookshelf built for a bedside, from 1 inch Kee Lite fittings and pipe with stained wood shelves, needs almost no building experience. The base is three 90 degree elbows and one side outlet elbow. Each fitting tightens onto the pipe with an Allen wrench on a set screw, no threading. Kee Lite flanges let the pipe slide all the way through, which is how the shelves stack on the center post. Once the pipe is cut and painted, assembly takes about 20 minutes.
Get the full tutorial at Simplified Building.
24. Space Saving Bookshelf
The skinny strip of wall behind a bedroom door is wasted space, and a few lengths of primed 1×2 trim turn it into a face out book wall. Each shelf is two pieces in an L, one as the ledge and one nailed to its front edge as a lip. Measure the gap between the open door and the wall first, and keep clear of the doorknob. Screw the ledges into studs, fill the nail holes with putty and touch up. Leave the back edge unpainted so it never sticks to the wall paint.
Get the full tutorial at Yellow Bliss Road.
25. Industrial Style Kids Bookshelf
A kids’ bookshelf with half inch metal pipe rails across the front keeps picture books displayed and tucked away at the same time. The build uses 1×6 boards, a 3/4 inch plywood back, 1×2 trim and a Kreg Jig for pocket screws, with finish nails and wood glue. Cut the boards on a miter saw, sand, then fit the pipes across each shelf as rails so the books lean face out. The wood and black pipe give it an industrial look that still feels warm.
Get the full tutorial at The Crafty Blog Stalker.
