Unlike me, Sonia is a person who loves to own books.
Me? I like to read books and then get rid of them, which is why the library is my favorite thing. You can read books without storing them!
On the rare occasion when I need to buy a book, I almost always immediately resell it on eBay.
Anyway, I’d gotten her a Pottery Barn bookshelf (pictured above) off of craigslist a few years back, but it was a pretty small bookshelf and the shelf heights were not adjustable. That made it hard to store things like tall binders.
So, I went on a mission to find a bigger, paintable secondhand bookshelf.
I perused Facebook marketplace for a while, and then rather randomly, a free bookshelf popped up on a local freecycle-ish group I’m in.
It was partially covered in gray chalk paint, which was probably pretty lucky for me. The half-finished chalk paint made it just ugly enough to not get snapped up right away!
It did have a little bit of damage in a few places, but not enough to discourage me.
Sonia and I went to pick it up with our minivan. And it’s a good thing we have a minivan because holy moly, this bookshelf was quite a big bigger than I’d imagined.
Luckily, it fit in the van. Mad props to my Sienna for its hauling capacity; I have fit a whole sofa in there, a huge dresser, and now an enormous bookshelf.
Mr. FG and I hauled the bookshelf into the backyard so I could start refinishing it.
Remove shelving
First, I unscrewed all the shelves and removed them because I knew that would make the sanding and painting process so, so much easier and quicker.
Sand all the surfaces
I used my Bosch orbital sander for this, always! And I hand-sand things like corners or trim work, since the orbital sander is no good there.
I gotta tell you, chalk paint is kind of a bear to sand off. And I was even lucky with mine because the previous owner had not put the wax topcoat on.
I cannot even imagine trying to get the wax off, and this project has taught me that I should not take on finished chalk-painted items in the future.
Too much work!
Wipe every surface down to remove dust
Sanding dust gets everywhere and paint/primer does not like to stick to dust.
So, I used a damp rag to get all the dust off.
Brush/roll on a coat of primer
I used Zinnser 1-2-3 primer, which is the same stuff I used on all my projects. It’s water-based, but it holds up really well, the same way oil-based primer would.
And water-based means easy cleanup!
Caulk any gappy areas
When you paint wooden furniture white, any small gaps between pieces suddenly look like obvious dark lines.
So, it helps a lot to run some caulk in those areas. Then the furniture ends up with a nice solid white finish.
I use DAP latex caulk; I’ve tried cheap no-name caulk and it is terrible. It’s not worth the savings at all!
Brush/roll on a bazillion coats of paint
I used my trusty Benjamin Moore Advance paint, satin sheen, in Cloud White.
I use a small microfiber roller and a couple of small paintbrushes when I paint furniture.
A big wall roller would be unwieldy, but the little roller works great for the flat surfaces of furniture. And the paintbrushes are great for the edges.
I do multiple thin coats of paint, with time for drying in between. Thin coats are more durable, and it’s easier to avoid runs and a gloppy finish if you do thin coats.
Patience is a virtue here!
Remove the paint from the hardware
Chalk paint is pretty hard to remove even from hardware. I tried boiling water and several other DIY methods, but I eventually ended up just using an SOS pad and elbow grease.
Let everything dry for a few days
The Advance paint doesn’t fully cure until a few days have gone by, and since bookshelves get a fair amount of wear and tear, I wanted to be careful!
Once it the finish was nice and hard, Mr. FG and I carried it up to Sonia’s room, installed the shelves, and Sonia got to work filling it up.
The after photos
Since the shelves are adjustable, we were able to make one of them high enough to house Sonia’s records.
The bookshelf is so big, even Sonia has not managed to fill it up entirely.
(She probably just needs a little more time. 
)
Oh, remember that damaged corner? I just painted it all white, and it’s almost invisible here on the carpet.
So, I think I will just leave it instead of repairing it.
Good enough is good enough!
Also, there’s a small portion of the trim by one shelf that’s damaged, but since it’s all white, it’s very hard to see.
$0 for a $999 bookshelf
I googled the numbers on the tag, and this is a Thomasville bookshelf. It’s not made anymore, so I couldn’t get a good idea of how much it would have cost initially.
However, as a point of comparison, this white Pottery Barn bookshelf costs $999.
So, I feel pretty darn good about this project, even when you add in two days of labor.
And I bought no supplies for this project at all; the rollers, brushes, paint, and primer were all leftovers from previous projects.
So, my out of pocket cost was $0.
About the paint I used:
Benjamin Moore Advance paint is expensive (!)
This paint isn’t remotely cheap, but it’s worth it.
- It self-levels (reducing brush and roller marks)
- It’s water-based (easy clean-up!)
- The dried finish is tough, durable, and wipeable
Also, when you consider how much it covers, it’s a great bargain.
I bought this gallon bucket for $85 and it has covered (click on links for photos):
- a large dresser ($25 from Goodwill)
- two twin beds (a deconstructed bunkbed, purchased back in 2001)
- an Ethan Allen nightstand ($25 on craigslist)
- another night table ($25 on Facebook Marketplace)
- this bookshelf (free from a Facebook group)
I couldn’t have bought even a single solid wood nightstand for $85, and this bucket of paint has covered six pieces of furniture. Definitely worth it!
Seriously, this paint is worth every penny.
And now my bucket is officially used up, which means my next project will require a paint purchase.
I dooooo have this ugly black Ikea bookshelf in our home office that I’d like to replace with one that I can paint white.
Time to stalk bookshelves on Facebook marketplace, I guess!
Elizabeth says
Bookcases are important to librarians, but books even more so!
Ohio Farmwife says
Nice job, Kristen! I was tickled you made mention of the DAP caulk. I worked at DAP in the corporate office eons ago. I liked my time there and I miss all the samples of caulk and FunTak.
Kristen says
Dap caulk is just the best!
Stephanie says
Great work!! Love your befores and afters…❤️
Rebecca in MD says
Your painting projects are so inspiring. I agree, the Ikea bookcase would look much better painted white.
We used Benjamin Moore paint to paint our out-of-date oak bathroom vanities and they turned out fabulous. We also used Zinnser 1-2-3 as the primer and highly recommend it! I really don’t understand why paint is so expensive………
Erika W. says
You do beautiful jobs: skill + patience! Congratulations. It’s hard to express my admiration fully in writing.
Kristen says
Thank you! I think it’s largely practice rather than skill, though.
If you keep doing something long enough, you can usually get pretty good at it!
Julia says
The bookcase is beautiful! And we also love Benjamin Moore paint. I love when a great project costs me nothing. Good score on the free bookcase and the vision to turn it into such a lovely show piece.
A Hendricks says
Beautiful job, as always, love it!
Elizabeth says
When a librarian reads your blog, she can’t help but notice that the books on the shelf in the before picture don’t match the books on the shelf in the after picture. And because librarians are curious people, she gets curious.
Based on what I saw, I’d recommend Megan Whalen Turner, Emily B. Martin, Sherwood Smith, and Robin McKinley to Sonia.
Kristen says
Ha, that’s because we did not get rid of the original bookshelf! She kept that one; this new bookshelf is in addition to the old one.
So, all the short books go on the old bookshelf, and everything that’s on the taller side goes in the new one.
Elizabeth says
Ah! Thank you for satisfying my curiosity. That makes sense. We had a bookshelf built to spec for us this year and you can be sure that we were very specific about all the measurements — which were based on the sizes of our books.
Melinda & 3 boys says
Your comment made me smile and laugh, Elizabeth! I have three sisters who are librarians and it sounds like a comment they would make.
kristin @ going country says
Robin McKinley is such a good writer. I just re-read “Beauty,” her re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and was reminded how much I enjoy her writing. Need to get some more now . . .
Elizabeth says
Beauty and her Damar books (The Hero and the Crown & The Blue Sword) are my 3 favorites of hers. I keep meaning to re-read Chalice.
WilliamB says
The first thing I did was read the spines, too. I’m an SF & F reader from before I was younger than Sonia. I have two recommendations:
1. Lois McMaster Bujold; she writes SF & F and for Sonia I suggest the Five Gods books. The first one, The Curse of Chalion, just sucked me right into that world and spit me out at the end of the book, having given me one of my most enjoyable reading experiences ever.
2. Rosemary Kirstein Steerswoman series. The heart of the books is the scientific method. Be warned: she’s only published 4 of the planned 7 and to call her a slow writer is to call a tsunami a big wave.
priskill says
Wow — it look fabulous! And love that Sonia has Ol’ Blue Eyes in her vinyl collection ;)!
JD says
Eats, Shoot & Leaves! Another fan! I love that book.
The shelf looks great. I understood that chalk paint means you don’t have to sand – if that’s right, that may be why they used it. That understanding also made me think that any chalk paint would tend to hang on really tight. I might have been tempted to chalk paint right over it. But what you did looks really, really good, so it was well worth the effort.
I love finding nice furniture that just needs some love, and maybe some paint. The hunt for just the right old piece is a lot more fun to me than buying it new.
I love painted furniture. I read (and own) “The House in Good Taste” by Elsie De Wolfe, and loved some of the painted furnishings she used.
Oh, yes, I am a book owner. I love going to my shelves and picking up a copy of a good book to read again. I only keep the ones I really love, but, I love a lot of them!
Lindsey says
You have more patience than I do—what a great job!
Beverly says
I love that Sonia loves books, a girl after my own heart! And her taste in authors is great too – Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors!
The bookshelf looks great too.
Millicent Borges Accardi says
You took so much care and time for every small step, I was waiting to see how you would handle the chewed up corner of the bookshelf, and then you left it? I’m super lazy with home projects and there are probably 100 steps you did that I would have skipped but that munched chewed off corner would have given me a pain. If you had repaired it? What would you suggest? I have this great 1950’s lounger with a wooden handle that was chewed by my dog and I have sanded it but. . . it still looks yucky. Any suggestions? Caulk? What would some options be? Thanks! and keep up the good work– Oh and I love me some Thomasville. That WAS a good find.
Kristen says
My dad suggested wood repair epoxy paste when I asked him about it. I have never used it myself, but I trust his recommendations since he is a very experienced woodworker.
Isn’t it funny what things bother some people and don’t bother others? I have no logical explanation for why I chose not to fix that corner. I think maybe I just was feeling “over” the project and tired of the shelf sitting in front of my bedroom door. Ha.
Ruth T says
It sure is a beautiful bookcase! Nice work!
Denise says
I love Sonia’s taste–Sinatra, swoon—and it looks beautiful painted. I might have been tempted to leave it in it’s post-sanding, pre-painted state. I once had to have my contractor hand a half-stripped door so that we could get a renovation job permit closed. I loved the way it looked, so I left it. Got so many compliments on it!
Denise says
*hang, not hand.
Connie says
Curious . The IKEA shelf can’t be painted?
Kristen says
It would be tough to do that! I think it’s what they call foil-laminated; it’s particle board with a fairly plasticky coating on it. I am skeptical that paint would stick well enough to handle bookshelf wear and tear.
Battra92 says
I like her little Cuphead plush on the shelf. Also her room is a heck of a lot cleaner and nicer than any room I had as a teenager.
Kristen says
Sonia laughed when I told her about your comment; Sonia’s a person who likes to have a lot of stuff, and she’s a creative sort too. So there are usually art supplies and sewing/knitting projects all over, plus clothes in various places in her room.
I don’t take pictures of it when it’s messy, but I’m sure she would be the first to tell you that her room is rarely perfectly clean!
Kris says
My daughter is also a creative person. I laugh about the trail that follows her. Thread, fabric scraps, pencil shavings … she tries to be neat but I think her brain is more occupied with her projects than it is with being tidy. Our daughters would have a lot in common!
Battra92 says
Yeah, we’ll go with creative for me. It sounds so much better than the adjectives my parents used to use about teenage me.
Kris says
Funny! I do get after her when she leaves needles on the floor from her sewing projects. Overall she’s pretty good about tidying up so I try to avoid nagging her about it.
Melinda & 3 boys says
Ooh… cost of furniture story. I bought a couch thirteen years ago at a garage sale for $40. My roomies and I decided it was the comfiest couch ever!
Since then, I’ve gotten married, had three kids, and hosted hundreds of people through my house (most of whom sat on that couch). DH has repaired the bracing a few times, but it continues to hold up.
My kids found a small crevice in the couch last week and found THE CHECKBOOK FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER. What?!?!
The guy had a phone number on his checks, so I texted him and got a response. He told me he bought the couch for $1000 at Macy’s and had it for two years before it got sold at the yard sale.
Whoa… We would never be in a place to buy a $1000 couch, but I’m delighted to have it! Frugal win for me!
Bonnie says
Love it!
WilliamB says
Two years?!?
Becca says
This guy replaced his brand new couch after two years but kept the same phone number for fifteen? Wow…
Melinda & 3 boys says
I love our Siennas for transporting things too! Last week, a friend was selling a used (small) chest freezer for $25 and getting rid of a solid wood dresser for free and we got both in the van of the van… at the same time.
I am dreadfully apprehensive about overhauling furniture. Some day, I will pull up your blog posts and go step by step…
Kristen says
I had never done it before until…I tried it the first time. By now, I feel extremely confident about my furniture-rehabbing abilities, but I had no experience when I started. I just gave it a shot.
And the lovely thing about trying this out on old, ugly furniture is that you can hardly make it worse! When there’s nowhere to go but up, the pressure is off.
Kaitlin says
Did you do refinishing when you had littles? I have a 4, 5 and 6 year old: two of them are schooling, and one has so many special needs. I can’t imagine getting it done in a few days. I feel like it would take weeks!
Maggie says
I also have a question among the same lines: did you do these (amazing!) projects when you lived in a smaller space? We don’t have a basement like that so it’s hard to know where to even do these things and let paint dry etc.
Kristen says
I didn’t do any furniture refinishing when we lived in our townhouse, although I did paint walls and such. You don’t need a space for walls to dry! Ha. I do most of my painting out in our backyard but it got rainy in the midst of this bookshelf project, so I brought it inside and used a tarp to cover the floor. I definitely prefer to paint outdoors, though, because I don’t have to be as careful.
Kaitlin-I started painting furniture when Zoe was probably 2-3 years old. I did it during naptimes, and mostly in the summer, not during the homeschool school year. But none of my kids have a special need, much less multiple special needs. So I don’t think this is at all a fair comparison, and I think if you never, ever paint furniture, that is utterly understandable!
And for that matter, I don’t think anyone should feel like they have to paint furniture. I provide the instructions for people who are interested, but it’s totally fine to just enjoy the before and afters that someone else does.
I often enjoy watching people do projects that I will never do!
WilliamB says
Something I wish someone had told me, is that putting it back together can tough. I’ve refinished 5-6 pieces and that’s never been easy for me. The last two tables I did were both a big challenge! One because it was homemade – not quite square but close enough that I didn’t think to individually identify the pieces when I took it apart.
The other I did individually identify the pieces and it still took me an hour to figure out how to put it back together. I did it wrong twice and had to take it apart again. That one looked something like this: https://www.campingworld.com/quik-fold-side-table-96709.html?msclkid=73304418eb4f16f7df052411e925987d&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=SHB%20%7C%20Mid%20Margin&utm_term=4580634169431506&utm_content=CW%20-%20Mid%20Margin%2020%25-40%25&gclid=73304418eb4f16f7df052411e925987d&gclsrc=3p.ds
Anne says
I quite like the bookshelf, it has a traditional look with the top trim. However, I would NEVER pay $999 for a bookshelf. I have four six footers in my house and the most expensive was under $150.
Your making lovely things for your childrens’ rooms is another department of frugality. When they are adults they will always remember having a nice environment in their personal space as they were growing up. It’s one part of feeling loved.
Kristen says
I would obviously not ever pay $999 for a bookshelf either. Ha. $0 is a perfect price for me.
On Pottery Barn’s site, they have the bookshelves styled, three in a row, with a matching corner unit on each side. The three bookcases alone in that arrangement would be $3000! Yikes.
I do hope that our efforts to help our children make their rooms comfy for them will make a good memory of love for them.
Lindsay says
Kristen, my mom bought me a pottery barn desk for my first home and for my first BIG job in a new city. It was a VERY expensive gift but it is perfect for the space and ABSOLUTELY beautiful! I know that most in this group wouldn’t actually buy stuff from Pottery Barn but to continue to say that people should feel bad about spending that much money doesn’t seem very positive. In my opinion?!
Kristen says
Oh, I’m not saying that everyone else should never buy from Pottery Barn. I’m saying that I personally would not pay that much for a bookshelf, for a few reasons.
First, I know there are solid wood bookshelves aplenty on my local Facebook Marketplace.
Second, I have the time, skills, and inclination to refinish a bookshelf that’s ugly.
So for me personally, it would not make sense to buy a $999 bookshelf.
But I have certainly spent that much on other things, such as camera gear! And we saved up and spent quite a bit on our dining room table and chairs from Crate and Barrel (I did not want to buy secondhand chairs and refinish them. Too much wobble possibility and chairs are a pain in the butt to sand and paint.)
What we each choose to splurge on will vary, and as long as it’s in the budget and fits with our priorities, I think it’s all good.
Karen. says
Yes. This.
RG says
I just HAD to comment because I love the Mistborn series and I spy several Brandon Sanderson volumes in your daughter’s bookshelf! She’s got great taste!
Kristen says
Oh yes, she loves his books!
Beverly says
RG – I love almost everything Brandon Sanderson has written!
Jennifer Y. says
Awesome project – it looks great!
K D says
Another great job and thanks for sharing. You are an inspiration.. I’m glad you found the furniture for free. I think a Thomasville bookcase will last a long time.
Milly says
Wow! That is amazing… you are inspiring me to find some furniture and FINALLY try this out. I’ve always been a Sherwin Williams paint fan, but you have inspired me to research this BM Advance paint. Do you use it on your walls as well? The self leveling piece is interesting… I’ve always been a flat paint person and done it myself. We have a two story foyer, though, and we hired someone to paint it who convinced me to use eggshell I think? I hate it. I can’t clean it and I can’t just touch it up with paint like my good old flat paint.
Kristen says
I have not used Advance for my walls; I just used regular latex paint for those.
The self-leveling feature of Advance paint is great because it gives you that extra smooth finish you want on furniture. Walls are not such a big deal.
I have used flat paint on walls before (only bedroom, never bathroom or kitchen), but I never paint furniture with flat paint. You want a hard, slightly glossy surface that is wipeable.
N says
What a beautiful bookshelf! Sonia is very lucky–and needs more books!
We’re also book people. My dad is a skilled carpenter and made our main bookshelf, which is worlds apart (and GINORMOUS at 10′ x 4′) from the flat-pack bookshelves we have scattered throughout the rest of the house. One of my many long-term frugal goals is to score better replacement shelves second-hand to gradually replace the flat-pack variety. I can only hope to have your luck, Kristen. The one you found is awesome and well worth everyone’s efforts!
Ellen says
Looking Good!
Jody S. says
Kudos to you for going the extra mile to make it look pretty! We are book people. We are book people who are always looking for a place to put another bookshelf, and when we find another bookshelf, we’re lucky to give it a good cleaning before piling it high with books. I consider books a necessity, and if a room doesn’t have books, it feels empty to me. That being said, if I don’t like a book or if I don’t think it has any redeeming value or if I simply don’t need it anymore (like a textbook), I don’t hesitate to get rid of it.
WilliamB says
I, too, am a book person. Last year I realized that my bookcases have a 2″ raised edge around the top. You know what that means? It means I can use the top as another shelf.
kristin @ going country says
Can I even believe this was free? Definitely. Because how many people would go to all that effort to make it look nice enough to put in a house? Not many. But you did! Yay, you!
Also, I have to admit I’m jealous of how big it is. Although I am not generally a buy books kind of person, either, I don’t have a library nearby and I DO have a household with four voracious readers (I’m sure the youngest two will join us when they can actually read :-). I buy a lot of books on Thirftbooks, and they are taking over our house. I just discovered the University of Chicago Press’s book sale, and my husband was very excited. I may need another bookshelf just for all the books about geography and climate that he’ll buy from that . . .
kristin @ going country says
Whoops. That’s Thriftbooks, obviously.
Anne says
Yes, I also am helping to pay the mortgage over there at Thriftbooks. I probably order every two weeks.
Lindsay says
Kristin – I was just going through some of my books from my childhood and it made me think of your boys and I thing they’d love The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. I am not sure if they can get them from the library and if not totally worth the cost from Amazon! <3
Lisa says
I absolutely loved Enid Blyton’s books as a child. I scoop them up whenever I find them secondhand. Such fun (completely unrealistic) adventures for children!
kristin @ going country says
Thank you! I have never read Enid Blyton, though I have heard of her. My favorite books to give my children are the ones I loved as a child. Having now mostly exhausted that category, I will now move on to books OTHER people loved as a child.
Off to investigate!
Suzan says
I love the makeover.