Child Item

How do i build a book wall on my 3m high staircase landing?

Hi all! We have just bought our first home and are making dreams come true☺️ Its a sturdy build from the end of the 70s and we love it.

We have a wide staircases and a landing in between floors where I would like to build a budget friendly book wall.

All the walls are double brick with plaster over, so I don’t know if I will be attaching screws in brick or accidentally in-between in the mortar.

I’m guessing because of this it would not be a good idea to put up the shelves/planks/wood with strong brackets only (2m of books +wood would be pretty heavy).

Rather than putting two long planks on either side and shelves in between I’m thinking to cut two shorter pieces of wood to put in between each “layer” as support and then attach the support wood with screws through the shelf and each long plank/shelf. I’m hoping this will prevent later sagging.

I have attached two rough sketches of ideas of how to do the support wood in between each shelf. Since I’m not quite sure how to attach them if they all go in a straight line I thought I could alternate location of where I am attaching them.

I want it to look nice but not be to complicated to make. Im going to stain the wood before I attach it all together and I would like Bunnings to cut the pieces for me. I have also attached photos of the wall, it’s currently some empty bookcases standing there to see if it would annoy us to lose the space but it’s not.

I got several questions and would really appreciate lots of help with this.

First of all, is this a good idea?

I most likely do the alternating support wood in between so I can attach them easily with screws from both sides as I go along. How would I best attach the shelf to the wall? Can I attach the sides using some kind of brackets? What screws and drill do I use for attach it to the brick?

What kind of wood is best to use for this?

What thickness should the shelves be? And should I have thicker support wood than the shelves are thick?

Is there 20-25cm wide planks/wood that I can just get cut to correct length?

Grateful for any advice, even if it’s something I haven’t asked but you think I should know or if you have a better idea of how to build a book wall in this space. I have basic tools and an electric screw driver/drill and a tall ladder and happy to learn.

Many thanks,

Find more posts tagged with

Tools and Materials

Furniture

Building and Construction

Comments

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @DIYorDYE. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about building a bookshelf.

Congratulations on purchasing your first home! What an extremely exciting time this must be for you. I'm sure you have plenty of plans ahead, and we can't wait to hear about them.

Your plan seems pretty solid. Alternating the support is going to be the easiest way to install them. My biggest concern would be the space between supports and the weight of the entire bookshelf on the bottom shelf. All weight transfer to the lowest point if unsupported elsewhere.

You won't be able to use this building method as a freestanding structure, and you'll need to install brackets on the individual shelves to help support their weight and pin the unit back to the wall. I've added a few renderings below to illustrate. The top shelf can be fixed back to the wall with several small brackets, so the unit doesn't topple over. Then, each shelf will need to be supported in the middle to stop it from bowing, as 19mm Pine will struggle with your proposed width. Initially, it will be fine but could sag over time. I'd suggest placing the mid-bracket behind the shelf instead of fixing it on top like I've depicted on the uppermost shelf, as this conceals it in the absence of books. Alternatively, you could reconfigure your design to have a mid-support as well.

I'd recommend installing wall plugs into the bricks to connect the brackets to the wall. For your application, whether they are in brick or mortar, they should be fine.

DAR Pine will likely be the best choice for the unit as it can be cut to length in-store and comes in a suitable width. You'll need a hammer drill to place the holes in the bricks, and these kits come with a drillbit and correctly sized plugs. You'll need shorter screws for connecting the bracket to the shelves.

Please let me know if you have further questions. I can't wait to see you get started.

Mitchell

DIYorDYE

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/22494#Comment_22494

Hi Mitchell,

All of this information is amazing! It’s super helpful & have given me the confidence to get stated.

I think I will go for your suggestion of adding the extra support in the middle as well. Will that make it doable to use the 19mm DAR pine you have linked to or does it need to be thicker?

Will this size wood also be good for the smaller shelf support?

Also, our staircase got thickish carpet, can I put the first shelf flat on the carpet or do I need to cut the carpet away from where the base goes?

I have every intention of this being thoroughly attached to the wall and will attach the mid bracket on every shelf in the way you suggested.

Many many thanks!

MitchellMc

Hi @DIYorDYE,

19mm Pine would certainly be suitable if you add the central supports. You can also use it for the central supports.

I believe you'd be fine placing the first shelf on the carpet, and there is no need to cut it away. I think by the time you've constructed the unit, the carpet will be sufficiently compressed down, and the weight of the shelf will be transferred to the ground instead of hanging off your fixings.

The mid bracket was to support the shelf from bowing under the weight of the books. If you use the central supports, you are free to place the additional brackets where it's most convenient. The most necessary brackets are those at the top, which will stop the bookshelf from toppling forward.

I can't wait to see you get started!

Mitchell

DIYorDYE

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/22524#Comment_22524

Hi, many years later I am now ready to start this project, installed because I realised the back wall lean outwards at the last top 1m. Would it be safe to attach brackets at top level to the sides of the shelves?

Also, is there a cheaper alternative to 19mm dar pine that you recommend (that I can stain)?

many thanks,

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/79189#Comment_79189

Hi @DIYorDYE,

Attaching brackets to the sides should also work. The shelving unit needs to be pinned back so it can't topple forward, and this can be done on the sides. Perhaps you'd like to attach a few of the shelves down the unit to the side walls instead of just the top shelf, for security's sake.

Pine is likely the cheapest solid timber that you could use for this project. MDF is also an option. It's not a solid timber, but it can be stained. You'd need to cut the planks out of a sheet.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

Child Item