How to Give a Built-in Bookcase Traditional Details, Continued

• Olaf concealed the nail holes with wood filler.

8. Shelves

• To give the existing shelves a thicker look, they added a piece of 1 X 2 to the front edge of each shelf.

• The edging added strength by keeping the shelves from bending or deflecting when weight was put on them. Before adding the edging, they trimmed a bit off the front edge of each of the shelves so they were not deeper than the originals. Ron applied glue to the edge of each shelf…

• …and then nailed on the edging with a pin nailer.

• Olaf inserted short pieces of wooden dowels into the end panels for the shelf supports.

• They slid the shelves into place.

• All that was left was sanding, a coat of primer, and a couple coats of paint.

• The newly reworked bookcase really looked like it had been there for a while. After their alterations, it tied in much better with the house. Further, the crown molding gave the unit a built in look.

RESULTS:
Ron referred to their day's work as a reverse facelift. In a few relatively simple steps they turned a cabinet misfit …

…into an eye catching complement to this historic New England home.