HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS !

In honor of this amazing holiday, I have decided to share a project that I consider to be the greatest morale and self-esteem booster – Creating a unique bookcase, which you can proudly say you made in the comfort of your home!

The process is too simple, and the perfect project to dive into on a day you have off from work and life’s other priorities.

Required Materials

Wooden crates

Fine grit sandpaper

Wood Stain

Polyurethane

Corner brackets/angels

Buy or find crates!

Wooden crates may be purchased at any arts and crafts store like Joann’s and Michael s, as well at home improvement stores like Home Depot and Loews. The range anywhere between $6 – 10 each. Now, if you don’t want to spend that kind of money, which I don’t blame you, there is an alternative.

Go to your local supermarket, liquor store, convenience store – basically any store you can find, and ask the employees on duty what their company does with the wooden crates when they finish unpacking, Most places will be more than happy to throw them your way.

I ran into a gentleman who was unpacking mountains of crates, in front of a gravestone and memorial store. I don’t have any shame, whatsoever, so I approached him with wide eyes. Worked out well since he was so grateful to not have to deal with the hassle of getting rid of the crates that he took down my number so he could contact me if he had any extra lying around. Almost a year later, Tim still calls to offer the crates for free.

Free is for me, so I suggest if you agree, then take the small risk of getting crate rejected.

Sand those crates down.

Fair warning – this is the worst part about this project, however, so worth it. With the help of 3M – 150 Grit Fine Sandpaper, I sanded the crates down until they are smoother than a baby’s bottom.

My crates were pretty rough when I got them, so I bought the 150 grit. My main goal was to smooth them down enough where splinters wouldn’t become an issue.

Wipe off dust and make sure crate is clean.

This is absolutely crucial if you want a smooth finish. Any old rag will do to make sure all the dust’s wiped away.

Stain with your desired color.

*Before staining, lay down some garbage bags or old towels to avoid staining anything other than the crates.

I used my favorite stain, Minwax Interior Stain Wood Finish in Weathered Oak (Wal-Mart sells cans for less than $5.)

Apply and reapply as many times as needed until you’re satisfied with the color. Truthfully, I did about 6 coats for each crate, but that’s me and my crazy OCD. I waited about 20 minutes in-between coats, which may seem time-consuming, but because you have other crates to stain, once you’ve finished the first coat on the last rate, its time to apply the 2nd coat.

Seal.

Finish with a coat of polyurethane. I used Satin finish, because I didn’t want too much shine. I used Minwax® Fast-Drying Polyurethane in Clear Satin. Follow the directions on the can. Don’t apply the sealer until the crates are fully dry. Once the first round of the polyurethane’s finished, wait about 4 to 6 hours before applying the next and last coat.

Finishing touch.

When dry, screw on some corner brackets, aka angels. This is optional, but then again if you have little ones or will be stacking tons of books on the crates like I did, then I suggest securing the bookcase to the wall.

Time to decorate!

You just finished creating your very own vintage bookcase that I guarantee it will bring your household compliments for years to come. Have fun with it!

I change the set-up of the bookcase at least once a month. Possibly part of my OCD? But, most likely because there’s endless options to stacking the crates however you wish.

Enjoy!