Let’s Create an Amazing Library Wall!

We have a room in our house that hubby uses as a home office. For the past 3 1/2 years, he also used it to work from home for his employer. What that meant was that in addition to a 6′ tall oak bookcase, the desk that held our home computer, and antique buffet that used to belong to my mom, he added a sit-stand desk for his work computer. The top of the desk measures 60″ x 30″. The 9″ x 10″ room was crowded, to say the least!

Time for a change

When my hubby no longer needed his work desk, we removed it from the room. Once we did that, I got an idea to build/create a Library Wall around the window in the area where his work desk used to be. I had already planned to move the 6′ tall oak bookcase from its current location to the left side of the window. Once the bookcase was relocated, I was able to get an idea of how I wanted the Library Wall to look. My goal was to fill the wall from ceiling to floor and side to side, creating a built-in Library wall.

Step 1 – Buy additional storage items

With my goal in mind, I needed to add more furniture in the form of cabinets, bookcases, cubbies. I began searching for these items on Facebook Marketplace and the thrift stores. The first two items that I found were a 4 1/2′ oak bookcase in the same design as the bookcase we already had and a small media cabinet that had an opening, a shelf, and doors. The bookcase was $40 on FB Marketplace, the small cabinet was $15 at Goodwill. When I got the pieces home, I moved them to the office to get a visual of how they would look. I was also able to take initial measurements for shelving that would go above the bookcases and a cabinet/bookcase/shelving that would go between the two bookcases.

Step 2 – Cut sides from cabinet

Step 3 – Paint bookcase & cabinet

I am a fan of keeping wood items in their natural form. However, since the pieces I would be using for this project would be a variety of finishes, I decided to paint the wood. I found the perfect paint color at Habitat. I didn’t know that they stock new paint in a few several colors. The color I bought is called Camo but instead of a warm olive color, like I view Camo to be, it is a warm grey green. Plus, it was only $18/gallon! I removed the shelves from the bookcases and the doors from the cabinet before giving all the pieces a wash with a damp cloth.

Once the pieces were dry, I applied 2 coats of Kilz primer followed by 2 coats of paint. Both the primer and paint are water-based products which makes them easy to use indoors. I rolled all the flat surfaces with a 4″ foam roller and used a small paintbrush for the areas where the roller wouldn’t fit.

Step 4 – Add supports, backing, remove molding

Now that these pieces were painted, it was time to start creating the Library Wall. I wanted to get these pieces in place before buying additional ones. The first step I took was to remove the crown molding on the window wall and a foot of the molding from the side walls to allow a snug fit for the shelving. The small cabinet came without a backing. I made one from some peg board I had left over from another project. I applied 2 coats of paint then attached it to the back of the cabinet using my nail gun.

The tall bookcase is 10″ deep and the short one is 12″ deep. To compensate for the difference, I attached boards to the wall where the tall bookcase would go. Using screws, I attached them to studs. Before placing the bookcase, I used an oscillating tool to cut a hole in the backing to provide access to the cable.

Step 5 – Fill space between bookcases and walls

The small cabinet now fits from window to wall. I positioned both bookcases close to the window which left a few inches between the other side of the bookcases and the side walls. I knew this would be the case and had decided to build slim shelves between the wall and the bookcases. With the 3 pieces in place, I was able to get exact measurements for the space above the bookcases. The space above the top of the tall bookcase is 24″ and above the short bookcase is 13″.

After priming & painting the pieces that I needed for the narrow shelving, I used my nail gun to attach them directly to the wall. I added small pieces of wood for shelf supports on both the wall and the side of each bookcase that would be facing the wall. When the bookcases were in place and attached to the wall, I measured and cut shelves to sit on the supports.

Step 6 – Assemble and build cubbies

The finished size of the 6-cubby organizer is 24″ x 36″, which is almost the perfect size to go above the tall bookcase. Yes, there were 24″, but I was concerned that once I assembled the piece, it might be a smidge too tall – considering that nothing is exact when a home is built. So…before I painted the pieces, using my miter saw, I cut 1/2″ from 3 of the uprights. Once that was done, I primed and painted the pieces before assembling them. The directions to build the organizer are clear and the pieces fit together well, even after I cut 3 of them. I didn’t use the cardboard backing that came with the piece but cut one from a spare piece of paneling that I had from another project.

Now it was time to build the long cubby section. Since this piece will span the space between the bookcases, I wanted the bottom to be nice and solid. I bought a 12″ x 1″ piece of MDF for $24 to use as the base. To create the top, I used 3 pieces of the cubby organizer set – two 36″ pieces and a 12″ piece that I cut to fit the remaining space. I attached metal joiners to hold the 3 pieces together. To connect the uprights to the top and bottom pieces, I used 1 1/2 screws. Since the uprights and top piece are particle board, I pre-drilled holes for the screws. After the unit was built, I attached a backing for additional stability and also to hide the paint color on the wall that would be behind it.

Step 7 – Installing the cubbies

Step 8 – Build & paint the center cabinet

The benefit of buying furniture at the thrift store is that it is already assembled. Buying a cabinet online means you will be doing the assembling. There were LOTS of pieces to this cabinet, but the instructions were good and the pieces fit together well. I didn’t clock it, but it probably took me 3 hours to assemble it. This time, I decided to prime and paint it after it was put together.

Step 9 – Install center cabinet

When I finished painting the cabinet and the paint was dry, hubby and I took it into the office to be installed. I didn’t take a picture of the paint job before we moved it out of the living room. After setting the cabinet in the space under the window, I was able to measure the distance from the window seal to the top of the cabinet. Once I had the measurement, I removed the old window seal, added a new one, then added a board to fill the gap between the seal and cabinet. (Looking back, it would have been easier to go buy a wider board for the window seal, but I was using supplies I had on hand). Before the cabinet was in place, we installed a flat outlet extension cord so we can still utilize the outlet.

Step 10 – Add trim

Before and after trim

Step 11: Install ladder rail

While I could have used a step ladder to reach the upper cubbies, what would a Library Wall be without a Library Ladder?! After searching for Library Ladders & their hardware and finding that they are HUNDREDS of dollars, I decided to DIY mine. I’ll write a post on all the details for ya, but here is an overview. I bought a 10′ metal pipe in the plumbing section of Home Depot & had them cut it to the length of the wall minus an inch. I used a flange on one wall and a metal closet rod holder on the other wall. To install them, I used wall anchors because there were no studs close by, but the ladder does not pull down on the rod, so I am confident the wall anchors are sufficient.

Step 12: Make Library Ladder

I only needed an 7′ ladder so using my skill saw, I cut a section off the bottom and top on each side of the ladder. I ended up with two ladders and a step ladder. Once I had them cut, I cleaned up the wood by sanding, staining, and applying polyurethane. I then painted all the metal black and applied poly to it also. The ladders are beautiful! The last step was to attach hooks that I bought online. I’ll write a detailed post on the ladder and hardware soon.

Step 13: Fill shelves

Time to fill the shelves! We added a lot of storage space with the extra bookcase, cubbies, and cabinets but I had a lot of things to store in them. The original bookcase had been stuffed with things, as was one in our living room, we had paperwork in a small file cabinet that I wanted to give away, and there were printer supplies in the closet. It was fun to fill the shelves not only with supplies, but with decorative pieces as well. Even the slim shelves on the sides of the bookcases came in handy, one side holds all our large packing envelopes, and the other side holds old newspapers, maps, large binders.

Library Wall

Library Wall: Before & after

Thoughts on this project

This project is one of my top 5 favorite projects of all time! Even though we added several pieces of furniture, the room feels bigger and yet cozier at the same time. It was so much fun figuring out just what type and size of furniture I needed for this project and then work to bring it all together!

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment

I’d like to hear what you think of this project. If you scroll down, you’ll find the Comment section.

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