Laiva bookcase turned fancy

Materials: Laiva bookcase, 2 boards 9.5×65″, piece of plywood 28×24″, 2x 26″ of crown molding

Description: I bought the Laiva bookcase very cheaply ($20 on craigslist), but wanted a more expensive look.

By adding a board to each side of the bookcase, plywood backing, and crown molding trim to the top and bottom, it now looks great!

To add the boards to the sides, I drilled 3-4 small holes along the inside of the bookshelf, on each side of the board and screwed them together. You can do this from the outside, but then the screw would show. Also it’s better to have the screw ending in the board you place (real wood), rather than the Ikea wood-like material.

For the plywood (to cover the back of the bookcase), same thing; screwed in smaller holes along each side of it, and put small nails in to attach it. There is still 3-4″ of empty space in the back with a 24×28″ plywood piece attached, but the 24×28″ plywood board is only $5 at the store and if you put books/DVDs on the shelf, it will cover the space as long as it’s on the bottom.

Lastly, I attached crown molding which was about $2.60/ft at Home Depot ($10 total). I painted it black BEFORE attaching to the bookcase. I screwed in small holes on either side, and nailed it together with small nails. I also hot-glued the top, with a wedge of cardboard, to give it a tilted angle. This isn’t necessary but looks pretty.

Enjoy!

~ K. Betcher, Michigan