I have an un-scientific method of categorizing book cases:
- Target/Walmart particle board
- IKEA
- Fancy (i.e. real wood)
Recently, an interesting post appeared on my Pinterest feed. The photo of a white fabric book case was gorgeous. The fabric was bright blue with a white layered diamond design looked stunning. The link took me to a DIY article in Woman's Day that was complete with simple, step-by-step instructions. I can totally do that, right?
Retail:
After searching Craigslist for several days, with zero luck, I decided I would have to purchase the book case of my dreams from a retailer.
I have champagne taste on a beer budget and my book cases were purchased at Target for $20 apiece.
Now that I am at a point in life where I believe my furniture should mostly match, I chose an espresso finish for my book cases to match the dresser I have in the bedroom.
At Joann’s Fabric, I selected a fabric with strong orange tones to compliment the espresso wood.
I also felt it was not especially feminine and that the BF would appreciate that I thought of him (unfortunately, he thought it was really girly).
The total cost for 1.5 yards of fabric was $15, which was more than I planned to spend, but I quickly learned that more sophisticated prints cost $10/yard. Bummer.
Fabric Bookcase Round 1:
FYI: The book case I purchased came with a cardboard back, so I was able to skip a few steps that are listed in the article.
Materials
• Bookcase
• Tape measure
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Spray adhesive
• Hot-glue gun, glue sticks
Directions:
1. Measure the dimensions of the back of the bookshelf (if shelves are the same height, you only need to measure once).
2. Measure material piece and add 2" to length and width. I did this and hot glued the extra to the back. It created a more polished “wrapped” look.
3. Spray one side of a piece of foam-core with adhesive. Place a piece of fabric lightly on top and, starting from the center, smooth fabric outward to adhere without wrinkles. Dab hot glue along the back edges of the board, fold over excess fabric and adhere. Let dry. My backing was cardboard that had been folded into thirds in the box.
4. Complete shelf assembly as directed.
Results:
I am not a detail oriented person.
I repeat, I am not detail oriented. At first I thought, well, it is a tiny bit crooked. No big deal, right? Wrong.
My book case looked drunk. I snapped a picture on my phone and sent it to a friend.
Susan: “It’s not that bad, is it?”
Anna: “I think it will look better once you have books on it.”
Anna: “I think it will look better once you have books on it.”
So diplomatic.
I completed the shelf assembly, had the BF lug it upstairs and ta-da!
Anna was right, books (or a basket) made it better.
Fabric Bookcase Round 2:
Additional Materials
• Paper clips
• Matches
Modifications:1. Instead of wrapping the fabric, I cut out a piece that would fit the book case backing exactly. I felt I would have a better chance of keeping the fabric alignment straight if it was pre-cut verses wrapping it around the edges.
2. I secured the fabric to one side of the book case using paper clips and hot glued the corners to ensure my alignment was correct without the commitment of the adhesive so I could adjust if necessary.
3. After covering the cardboard with spray adhesive, I pulled the fabric tightly and secured the other corners with hot glue.
4. Secured all edges with hot glue.
5. Used a lit match to burn frayed edges. I didn’t have this problem with the first book case since it was wrapped and the edges were hidden in the back.
Final thoughts:
Start to finish, each book case took about 1 hour and 15 minutes, including assembly time. I prefer the look of the wrapped edges but am happy not to have crooked fabric on my second attempt.
Total Price:
2 bookcases $40
Spray adhesive $6
1.5 yards of fabric $15
Total Cost $61 (not including tax)
Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Difficulty: 2/5 pins
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