Let’s DIY a Library Ladder or Two!

Recently, when hubby no longer needed to use our home office for his work-from-home space, and we were able to remove his sit-stand desk which measured 60″ x 30″, it opened up the possibility of my being able to create a Library Wall! We’ve used this room as a home office ever since we bought our home in 2001. In all that time, I never considered making a Library Wall. The room is 9′ x 10′, so not super roomy.

From boring to dramatic

Before his work desk was added to the room, we already had a desk, buffet, 2 small filing cabinets, and a 6′ oak bookcase in there. After removing his work desk, the room felt so big and roomy! After moving the sit-stand desk out of the room and I moved the bookcase to the window wall, I thought I’d buy another bookcase to even out the wall. But then I thought I’d need something between them…THAT’s when the Library Wall inspiration came in! Here are the before and after pics of the wall. You can read all about that project here.

We need a Library Ladder!

As you can see in the picture of the completed Library Wall, I built it right up to the ceiling. What that meant was that I would need a step ladder to reach the cubbies along the ceiling. Or, better yet, a Library Ladder! I started searching for Library Ladders and was SHOCKED at the price! Amazon has options starting around $450 for the ladder and hardware – ladder is unfinished and needs to be assembled. Lowes and Home Depot each offer an unfinished 7.67′ ladder with 12′ rail and the necessary hardware for $769. The ladder needs assembled when you get it! If you want a finish on the wood, the price goes up an additional $1,000!

Now what?

After meeting with the seller, hubby and I brought the ladder home. At 10′, it was way too tall for my needs, so I knew I’d have to cut it down. I’d also have to figure out how to remove the hinge. As with most of the ladders I’ve used, the hinge is connected with rivets, not bolts. I went to Google to research how to remove rivets and found that there are several ways to do so. One was to drill them out – that wasn’t happening because I don’t like drilling metal – another was to grind off the top of the rivet, then use a punch to remove the rivet post. That sounded like something I could manage.

Step 1: Remove hinge

After my research on how to remove the hinge, I gathered my tools: oscillating multi-tool, hammer, and metal punch. Starting on one side, I used the oscillating tool, to grind off the head of the rivet. I then centered the end of the punch over the area where the head of the rivet had been which was a bit hard to see after the rivet head was gone. Using a hammer, I tapped the punch to remove the rivet shaft. I was actually surprised at how easy this was! I repeated the process on the other side of the hinge.

Step 2: Cut ladder

Step 3: Sand wood

Now that the ladder was in 3 pieces, it was time to sand. I wanted to leave some of the character of this ladder. There was an imprint on both sides: W.S.U. which tells me that it had once belonged to Washington State University. I wanted to keep that imprint if possible. Using my orbital sander, I sanded the wood to remove the grey color, being extra careful around the lettering. I also sanded the metal as I worked to remove the oxidation. For the rungs where there were grooves, I used a micro detail sander. For the dowel like rungs on the second ladder & the metal supports, I used sanding blocks/sponges.

Step 4: Stain wood

After wiping down the wood with a soft cloth to remove any dust, I brought the ladders into the house to stain, paint, and seal. I used water-based stain by Minwax in the color Provincial. Using a paintbrush, I applied stain in sections, allowing it to sit for about a minute before wiping off the excess. When the first side was dry, I flipped it over and followed the same process on the other side. When the 1st coat was dry, I repeated the process with a 2nd coat to get the desired depth of color I was looking for.

Step 4: Paint metal & seal stain/paint

While it wasn’t necessary, I chose to paint the metal. I felt like painting the metal black would be a good combo with the dark brown of the stain. Using a small artist brush, I applied 2-3 coats of black chalk paint to all the metal. I chose chalk paint because it adheres well to metal. After the paint was dry, to protect the stain and paint, I applied 2 coats of Minwax water-based polyurethane. I used a paintbrush to apply the poly.

Step 7: Install ladder rail

After finding out that the hardware for Library ladders is expensive, I decided to DIY mine. I bought a 10′ metal pipe in the plumbing section of Home Depot for $28 & had them cut it to the length of the wall minus an inch. I initially planned to use a flange on each wall to hold the pipe but hubby thought it would be a good idea to use an open holder on one side. So, 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. The wall anchors I bought, Snap Toggle ones, were easy to use and gave the flange and holder a tight connection. Once the screws were inserted, I painted the screw heads black.

Step 7: Attach hooks

Now that both ladders were sanded, stained, painted, and sealed, the only step left to make them Library Ladders was to attach hooks. The hooks I bought are angled and have a protective coating on them. Before attaching the hooks, I took each ladder into the office to mark where on the ladder that the hooks need to go based on where the ladder sat against the support rail. When I cut the ladders, they were different heights. I pre-drilled holes in the wood then used a screwdriver to insert the screws. I didn’t add wheels to the bottom of the ladders because they will be sitting on carpet. While wheels would still work, I didn’t think it necessary to have them. It’s very easy to lift the ladders off the rail and move them to another location.

How the ladders look

Library Wall

Library Wall: Before & after

Thoughts on this project

I’m SO happy that I decided to DIY a Library Ladder rather than buying one. After building/creating the Library Wall, I didn’t also want to build a ladder from scratch or spend the $ to buy one. Finding a nice, sturdy ladder to convert into a Library one was the way to go! While I could have used a step ladder to reach the upper cubbies, what would a Library Wall be without a Library Ladder?! Now I just need to refinish the little step ladder so I can use it somewhere in the house!

Drop a Comment below

Let me know what you think of our Library Wall in the Comment Section below. Would you like to have a Library Wall in your house?

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