How to Prepare and Arrange a Bookshelf in Your Home

Constructing a bookshelf for your home can be a complicated project requiring craftsman skills. Before building a bookshelf in your home, there are many factors to consider, for example, you'll want to know exactly where you are going to put the bookshelf and prepare purchasing all the required materials you need ahead of time.

Decide exactly where you are going to put in the house. Most bookshelves for home uses are wooden shelves. Some books can take up a lot of spaces, for example a custom bookcase can take up a lot of space wall. This can make your room smaller.

First thing you should consider is the capability of loading. Make a good estimation on how far apart to place shelf brackets and shelf supports when building a bookcase. It's safer keeping your shelf length at about two to three feet off the ground in your home. Depending where you're going to put the bookshelf, overloading can take place by the weight of plenty of books.

If you want a longer bookshelf, it'd be best to add a second bookcase. Don't make the shelves too far apart when you're building a new bookshelf. Books are only about 8-10" tall, so when shelves are apart you will have large gaps at the tops. Determine the optimum spacing of your bookshelf (depends on the size of your books) and mark the spacing on the sides of the bookcase.

Decide on the area which has the most strength capability. The area most suitable for placing the bookshelf is near the beam because the beam can support the ability to carry the heavy weight more than the other area.

Weight consideration considered vital for constructing a bookshelf in your home. Generally, floor platforms can't hold up the weight more than 150 kg. / square meter but the bookshelf with contain full of books has estimated weight of about 500-1000 kg. / square meter. Your floor will eventually damage, for example, curve, crack and may collapse. If you overloaded the books on your bookshelf, for example, on the first floor, it will just damage the floor. The upper floor of your house is considered more dangerous. The weight should be carefully examined prior construction.

There are boards for bookshelf for you to choose, either in plain or finished boards, with painted and unpainted, depending on the room you use in you home. If you buy plain boards, do not forget to buy stain or paint to finish them.

Make sure you have all the right materials you need, for example, paint, stain, a measuring tape, an electric drill and screws to hold the brackets in place. Your shelf bracket must have appropriate width for the boards you are going to use. Take the time to double-check all measurements. Remember to measure twice so you only have to cut once. Lay out the pieces as you would to assemble them.

You can then decide to either have an open shelving system or a closed bookcase, ant paint or stain your bookshelf.