The Hand Me Down House: "Built-In" Shelves

I'm linking this up to Sandra's Buildher's Party today: (you should join in the fun too!!)

On Monday you all got to see my "new" bathroom (thank you all for your beyond-sweet comments -- I love reading them!!).

And as I promised, today I'm going to show you how I did my built in shelves and bench.

I initially was just going to do some shelves, but then I decided a bench might be kind of cool, too. And I don't know about you, but I am constantly seeking out new storage solutions and trying to find the best and most organized ways to store all the things we keep around the house. That's why I knew I wanted to add storage underneath the bench too. At first I thought a place for baskets would be the best solution but I've been getting a little to "baskety" lately with my decor, so I opted for a hinged bench seat -- which, as it turns out, I L-O-V-E.

So here we are at the pre-shelf stage. You'll notice that I had already removed the trim that was in my little shelf "nook."

I then measured my space:

The width of the area was the length I needed to cut the boards I used for the top of the shelves.

The depth of the shelves is entirely up to you. I used a 1x12 board, so my shelves are a foot deep.

Knowing that my shelves will be 12" deep, I cut a 1x2 board to be 12", which will be the shelf "brace."

Above you can see my "braces" that I used for the shelves. The walls are primed at this point....and because I wanted to save some time, I splurged for primed MDF for my braces -- just makes life easier. :) You'll want to make sure each board is level with it's "partner" as well. I used my the hubby's trusty air nailer and nailed them to the walls:

Next it was time to add my shelf tops. I'm going to warn you; our "nook" is not completely square, so the back is slighly narrower than the front of the area, so you will see there are gaps -- don't worry, we'll get them all filled in. :)

Can you see those gaps on the sides I was talking about? Annoying -- but it's any easy fix, and I'll guess that most houses have some area that isn't completely "square" -- so it's good to know these tricks. I nailed the tops to the braces as well.

Next step is to add my 3" trim. I chose 3" trim because I needed to make sure that the trim covered the braces AND the top of the board. So, if my board is 1" (actually it's 3/4") and I used a 2" brace, I was going to need a 3" piece of trim or bigger.

I attached the trim with my air nailer as well -- can you see the nail holes to prove it? Now it's time to paint! I taped off my shelf area at the end of my shelves -- I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do a "built in" look, so you decide where you want the white to start and end.

Here's what the underneath of your shelves should look like:

Alright, now it's time to fill in those gaps! I used some silicone caulk in bright white that we had around the house. Then I put my dad-taught caulking skills to work. Although my dad's the pro at this, I think I did a pretty good job. I ran a bead of caulk along the gap and then took a damp paper towel and lightly wiped away the excess. I ran the paper towel across a few times in order to get all the extra caulk out and make sure my seal was smooth. I think it's better to go over it a few times than to gouge out a bunch of caulk and have to start over. I did this to all my shelves so they look like this:

Much better, right?!? Now that the shelves are done, here's the low down on that upholstered bench. For my bench I used 1x3" boards for the "legs", or supports for the seat. I decided to make my bench 26" high, so I cut eight 26" long pieces. And as you can see in the picture below, I placed the boards in an "L" shaped in the corners so that they hold up the seat of the bench. I used the nailer to attach these to the walls and to each other on the front. I also laid a piece of 1x3" board across the bottom so that I had a place to attach my hinges. (Sorry no pictures of that!!)

I then cut a 1" thick piece of plywood to fit on the top. You want it to rest on all the posts, so measure carefully. I attached 2" foam to the top and then I covered it with my fabric. I found my foam and fabric at a fabric overstock outlet -- which is totally the way to go if you have one near you.

Then I used just basic hinges and attached the bottom of the board for the seat to the top of the 1x3" board I laid across the top.

I glued a white-painted piece of plywood behind the two boards on the front to make the "face" of my bench. You can also see above that I cut the original trim and butted it up to the bench I made.

So the tools and materials you will need for this project are as follows:

Air Nailer and 1 1/2" nails
White Silicone Caulk
Miter Saw
Upholstry Stapler
Tape Measure

1 x 2" board for shelf braces
1 x 12" board for shelf tops
1 x 3" board for "legs" of bench and back hing support
Plywood for bench top and bench face

3" Decorative Trim
Hinges
Fabric
Foam for bench
Paint and Primer

For a cost breakdown, go here.