A kid’s bookshelf with customized front

I wanted to use a “MOSSLANDA” picture ledge from IKEA as a book shelf for our little peanut. But I wanted to give it a custom front for a unique look. You can use any kind of shape to customize yours, maybe waves, balloons, leaves or a skateboard. I used the shape of a cloud. We painted the wall in a light blue. The pink cloud would fit perfectly into the “cloud corner”.

Materials and Tools:

• Pencil
• Scissors
• Cardboard
• Plywood
• Tape
• Hammer
• Grinding machine or paper (a machine would be better)
• Mask and gloves
• Jigsaw
• Saw
• Drill
• Wood dowel
• Dowel marker
• Wood glue
• Brush
• Pink paint
• Screw clamps

Optional:

• Router for finishing the edges
• Cutting heads

Steps:

1.  Make a template of the shelf front design from cardboard. I marked the edge of the shelf with a pencil and used pot lids in different sizes to draw the shape of the clouds. Cut out the template.

2. Place the template on a piece of plywood and draw the shape onto the plywood. To get a clean cut with a jigsaw, use tape to cover the outlines.

3. Sand down the edges. I used a router with a 45 degree cutting head to smoothen the rough edges, so our little girl won’t cut herself on the edges.

4. Mark and drill the holes for the dowels. The dowels will be used later to mount the plywood to the shelf. Be careful not to drill right through the plywood. Then mark and drill corresponding holes on the shelf.

5. The plywood and shelf are not very thick. Shorten the dowels to fit.

6. Sanded down the surfaces and paint the cloud. I applied 2 coats.

7. After the paint dries, apply wood glue onto the holes and the surfaces which touch each other. Insert the wood dowels and put both parts together. Apply some pressure and use clamps to keep both parts snug till the glue cures.

8. The shelf is done! The last thing to do is to mount it on the wall, according to the instructions by IKEA.

See the full step-by-step instructable.

~ by Alex aka Stish

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