DIY Floor-to-Ceiling Built-In Bookshelf (Beginner-Friendly Guide + Supply List)

We live on our forever property—13 acres of rolling hills in the best spot you could ask for. But our house? She’s the “for now” kind. Cute. Cozy. Ours. We dream about building our next (and hopefully last) home here someday, but in the meantime, we’re making this one work hard for us. I’m a big believer that you can love where you live without going broke, and that “cute + comfy” doesn’t have to wait for your dream house.

That’s what this blog is about—our story, our DIY wins (and fails), and the ideas we steal from Pinterest and then…make slightly more chaotic. So, welcome to my first DIY blog post! Say hi in the comments, or just creep quietly and bookmark this for later—I see you.

There were two things in this house that needed to get off the floor:

1. My growing stacks of books.

2. My denial about not being a woodworker.

So I built a bookshelf.

Not just any bookshelf—this one is a floor-to-ceiling, 15” deep, fully committed wall of wood that now holds my Bibles, my spicy fantasy novels, and honestly…my entire personality.

If you want to make your own (and avoid at least 60% of my mistakes), here’s exactly what I used—tools, materials, measurements, and all my unsolicited advice.

What I Used

Paint & Finishing

• Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze (satin)

• 2” polyester flat multipurpose brush

• 1.5” cabinet foam roller

• Painter’s tape

• Masking paper (optional)

• ALEX fast dry white paintable latex caulk

• Medium 120-grit sanding sponge

Tools

• Tape measure

• Bar clamps (marry them)

• 8” square (non-negotiable)

• Clamp + straight edge (for cuts that don’t make you cry)

• Electric saw

• Jigsaw (for cutting around base trim)

• Hand saw (for removing window trim)

Wood

• 3 – ¾" sanded plywood sheets (for sides + shelves)

• 5 – 1x2x8 (edge framing)

• 1 – 1x3x4 (shelf front trim)

• 4 – ¼x2x4 (top + bottom trim)

• Assorted extras & scraps for cleats/supports

Measurements & Layout

• Ceilings: 8 feet

• Shelf depth: 15” (had to notch around window trim)

• Shelves rest on 1x1 cleats screwed into the sides

• Trimmed edges with 1x3s for a finished look

• Top/bottom border is ¼x2 for a clean frame

Lessons Learned (the hard way)

• Measure twice. Then twice more. Ceilings aren’t always straight, and confidence is not a tool.

• Clamps + square = your sanity. Use them every single cut.

• Breaking down full sheets of plywood is a two-person job. Shoutout to Grady for keeping all my limbs intact.

The Build

I started with a “plan” (read: a sketch on scrap paper that made sense to no one but me). Cut the plywood, framed the sides, added cleats, leveled each shelf as I went, and kept everything in check with clamps. Once the structure was up, I caulked every seam (this step is the difference between “custom built-in” and “garage sale find”), sanded, and rolled on Urbane Bronze—which I now want to paint my entire life in.

Final Thoughts

She’s dramatic. She’s functional. She holds dragons and devotionals (separately, because balance). This little corner is now the main character, and I’m not mad about it.

If you’re new to DIY, here’s my take: you’ll mess up, you’ll make extra trips to Lowe’s, and you’ll probably invent new swear words—but you’ll end up with something you’re proud of.

If you want a printable supply list or cut sheet, let me know—I’ll make one. Until then…go build yourself an emotional support bookshelf.