If you are a collector or read a lot of books then sooner or later you will probably need more bookshelves. If you go out shopping you may be disappointed by what the stores have to offer these days. If your looking at newly constructed bookcases, you will probably find that most of them are made out of particle board and covered with either picture paper or 1/32 inch thick veneer. If you are looking for something more sturdy and timeless you may choose to hunt for antique bookcases. Even when they are made out of solid wood the drawbacks to mass production are readily apparent in the quality. True, they are great pieces to keep, use, and pass along to the kids so they may be worth the price, but if you are looking for beauty and benefits of antique bookcases there may be a less expensive alternative. If want to find a happy medium between expensive antiques and new junk, there is an alternative that gives you the quality of antique wood, a great antique look, and can be put together for a very reasonable price.

If you shop at a large architectural antique store that also handles vintage lumber and door trim you will be able to put a fabulous antique looking bookcase together with a minimal amount of effort. The materials for a seven foot tall by seven foot wide solid antique wood bookcase with antique beaded wood or tongue and groove back, antique trim and a nice header piece, will only cost you about $400. If you are willing to work with painted wood, it will cost even less. This will allow you to build in Long Leaf Pine, the best of all pines, and be able to assemble a bookcase in about four to six hours. When completed this would also be a piece that you could proudly pass along to your family to be kept for the rest of time. Of course you will want help to carry it as it will be heavy, but it will hold all the weight you want to set on its shelves without falling apart.

The construction is actually very easy and can be made to look good with a minimal amount of skill. Some architectural antique stores, like the one in Gonzales, will actually have samples of bookcases on hand and be able to give you some pointers one how to build one. They can also help you figure out the quantity of materials that you will need for what ever size you want to build. Keep in mind that if you are building or remodeling a home, the appraiser won’t add the full value of a bookcase into the value of a home if it is built in and attached. On the other hand, if it is custom built for a space and is not attached, the new buyers will probably pay you what it is worth rather than see it leave and have build new bookcases to fit the hole.

Using the antique door trim is one of the secrets to having the bookcase look like a genuine antique when you are done. Furthermore it makes it a lot easier to hide some of the imperfections that might show up if this is your first time to try one of these types of projects. Keep in mind that you can save so much by building one of these yourself that you will be able to justify paying for nearly all of the tools to build it and still come out paying less than buying a bookcase of comparable quality at a store. Admittedly, since the antique Pine is so hard it would be easier to use a nail gun, you can build it without but you may need to drill some of your holes before you try to hammer the nails into the wood.

Once you figure out the process and make your first one, you will probably find yourself making more for other rooms or for friends and family. While they are surprisingly easy to construct, they are amazingly expensive to buy in a store so they are worth every bit of the effort. Just like the dining room tables built from antique lumber, the materials are less that one quarter of the selling price in the store and these sorts of bookcases and tables start at a $1,000 each and go as high as $3,000. Save yourself some money, have some weekend project fun, and savor the gratification and pride that comes from people admiring what you have accomplished, even if it looks a lot harder than it really is to build.