Built-in bookcase and Home Theater Unit


Materials: 3 x 15" Billy Bookcases, 2x Billy height extenders, 2 x Billy doors, 2 x Benno DVD Rack, 1 x Hemnes Storage Bench, 1"x2" moulding, crown moulding and baseboard to fit your perimeter, Brad Nailer and nails, Liquid Nails adhesive, level, saw, 1' particleboard screws, caulk and paint

Description: We have an extremely small, 100-year old downtown house that has a teeny tiny living/great room -10' x 10'. Every inch of space counts! We decided that the look of built in bookshelves would be a suitable way to give ourselves extra storage and multi-task while still looking great.

1. Assemble 2 Billy bookcases, including adding the height extenders and put them on opposite ends of your project

2. Assemble the Benno DVD racks and place them against wall beside the Billys (both on the side facing the middle)

3. Trim your 1x2 moulding so that you can build a support ledge starting from the side of the left Billy across the front and side of the left Benno, across the back wall, and up the side and front of the right Benno ending at the side of the right Billy

4. This is the part where you can decide how wide you want your unit to be (we used the whole Billy). If you want it shorter, then you'll have to saw off some length). Assemble the third Billy, nailing the shelves in place on the sides, as this unit will be mounted horizontally

5. Secure the Billys against the wall - make sure they are levelled - and Liquid Nails the Bennos to them. The Bennos go flush against the wall

6. Attach the moulding ledge as described in Step 3, with the mouldings immediately below the height point where the Billy extenders meet the parent Billys

7. With another person, hoist the third Billy horizontally between the height extenders, resting on the Benno tops and ledge that you just installed. Have that other person keep holding it against the wall while you take a few particleboard screws and, using the shelf-mount holes in the Billy extenders, fasten the extenders to each end of the third Billy

8. Install the crown moulding and baseboard to the unit

9. Caulk every single gap on the unit, caulk it to the wall, and remember to caulk the crown moulding to the ceiling

10. When the caulking is dry, paint unit and the back of the wall where the TV will go so that everything looks built-in

11. Assemble the Hemnes bench, leaving out the front panel on top of the drawers. (You will be able to hide all of your home theater/cables/satellite boxes there). Place the Hemnes bench between the two Bennos

~ LittleMy17, Ottawa

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