Have you ever seen a wall unit in an upscale apartment or home and said, “I would love to have that” Well, guess what: you totally can. A built-in wall unit is a simple do-it-yourself project that any homeowner can complete with a bit of time and effort. Plus, building your own shelving unit will save you money compared to buying one from the store. Most importantly, though, it’s so incredibly satisfying to build something yourself. Read on for our step-by-step guide to building a built-in bookcase from scratch.
How To Make A Built In Wall Unit
The first step to making a built in wall unit is to measure and draw up a plan. You’ll want your storage space to be as efficient as possible, so make sure you get the measurements exactly right before moving on. Next, build the frame and walls of your wall unit. Then add shelves, doors, cubbies and drawers. Finally, install your shelving unit in place by attaching it with screws through the bottom of each shelf (you may need some help for this part).
Now that you’ve created an amazing piece of custom furniture from scratch—you can enjoy it for years.
Step 1: Measure and draw up a plan
- Measure and draw up a plan.
Measure the wall you want to build into, making sure to leave enough space for doors and drawers.
Draw your plan on graph paper or cardstock so you can transfer it to the wall easily. Use this drawing as a guide for cutting your lumber and assembling the frame of the built-in unit.
- Build frames for walls and shelves or cabinets (if applicable). The frames should be made of pressure-treated lumber that’s at least 2″x4″ inches thick, with 2×6 runners in between each shelf (or cabinet) to prevent sagging over time.[1] Glue them together using deck screws so they’re sturdy enough to support heavy items like bookshelves full of novels.
Step 2: Build the frame and walls of your wall unit
To build the frame, you’ll need to find the studs in your wall and use a level to make sure that it’s straight. You can use a stud finder to locate the studs and hammer in some nails below them. Then, you can slide all of your pieces into place and screw them together using an electric drill with screws long enough to go through both pieces of wood at once.
Once you’ve attached all of your pieces together, it’s time for trim. Use clamps or scrap wood to hold everything in place as you work around each edge with a nail gun (or hammer if no power tools are available).
Step 3: Add shelves, doors, cubbies and drawers
- Add shelves, doors and cubbies to the walls.
- Add a door to hide a TV.
- Add a door to hide your closet or bathroom.
- Add a door to hide your kitchen or laundry room (or both).
Step 4: Install your shelving unit in place
- Install your shelving unit in place.
- Make sure you have the right tools for the job. This can be anything from a hammer, screwdriver, and socket set to a power drill and measuring tape. If you’re going to take on this project yourself, it’s worth investing in the necessary equipment before starting the process so that you don’t end up having to stop mid-way through because of an incompetent tool selection (and potentially damaging your wall).
- Make sure you have enough materials on hand before getting started—you’ll need wood pieces of various sizes (to fit into each other like puzzle pieces) and nails/screws to secure everything together once they’ve been placed on top of each other according to measurements taken during step 2 above; additionally there may be some additional materials needed depending on how large or small your built-in unit will be (e., etc.). For example: if this is going into a smaller area where there isn’t much available space then consider using lighter weight materials like particleboard instead which won’t weigh down on top so much when filled with items inside (like bookshelves full of books). Conversely if building outside under shelter away from rain then heavier duty lumber might apply better due weather conditions such as wind gusts blowing across rooftops without sufficient protection against them blowing apart an exposed structure.”
It’s easy to build a built-in wall unit with these simple steps.
To make a built in wall unit, you’ll need to measure and draw up a plan. If you don’t have the tools or skills to do this yourself, hire an architect to help you out. Once your design is complete, you can build the frame and walls of your wall unit using 2x4s or another type of sturdy lumber. After that’s done, add shelves, doors, cubbies and drawers as desired. The next step is to install these shelves in place on the wall so that they’re flush with it (if necessary).
Conclusion
Once you’ve built your wall unit, you can use it for storage or display. You can also customize it to fit any space in your home—just follow the basic steps outlined above and make sure that all of the pieces fit together perfectly before attaching them in place.
