Shelving suggestions?

M

monkey0804

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I've a shelving dilemma! And this site has been sooo helpful with other queries here goes....

We want to shelve a wall, floor to ceiling, in our dining room. It's got a rad on it, so we have to shelve around that and we have am internal door opening back on to one end that we have to accomodate also. It's for books (thousands of books!!!) so need to optimise space by having relatively narrow shelves (reg book size), with option of adjusting for larger books.

I've seen nothing in the shops that would work, albeit some great looking stuff.

Husband made fab built in painted MDF shelves in last house with adjustable shelves. But is reluctant to take it on here - it was a big job and we have less free time now. Are there clever options out there that might work for this scenario?

Thanks in advance.
 
I seen before in a show on TV , a family with many books with no more room to put them, So they ended up building a shelving about 18" from the ceiling all around the room, it really looked different but quite nice,
 
Hi there, thanks for the suggestions. We have boxes and boxes and boxes of books that my husband has collected over the years, that we haven't unpacked yet (2 years later!). While that sounds great, it really wouldn't hold enought books. But we might incorporate that too.

THanks anyway.
 
I had to build a load of shelving from MDF recently (also for lots of books) and got all of the pieces pre-cut by www.woodworkers.ie in Harold's cross. All I had to do was drill the pieces and screw them together (a few hours work per bookcase). I made free-standing bookcases and attached them to the wall in a few places to make things easier.
 
bankrupt said:
I had to build a load of shelving from MDF recently (also for lots of books) and got all of the pieces pre-cut by www.woodworkers.ie in Harold's cross. All I had to do was drill the pieces and screw them together (a few hours work per bookcase). I made free-standing bookcases and attached them to the wall in a few places to make things easier.
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Did you go for plain MDF or a veneered or melamine faced board? I always love those DIY/ changing rooms type programmes on TV where they transform a room with "plain MDF sheet", building shelving, entertainment s=centres etc. - except they never tell us how much bloody work is required to transform it- i.e. painting the damned stuff!:(
 
Carpenter said:
Did you go for plain MDF or a veneered or melamine faced board? I always love those DIY/ changing rooms type programmes on TV where they transform a room with "plain MDF sheet", building shelving, entertainment s=centres etc. - except they never tell us how much bloody work is required to transform it- i.e. painting the damned stuff!:(
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Just plain MDF, didn't bother to paint it.
 
painting the damned stuff
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In the middle of it. I am told I need to

sand
clean
paint water-based undercoat
sand
clean
paint finishing colour (hopefully just one coat)
sand
clean
varnish (water based)
sand
clean

I have 5 of the 11 steps done and waiting to choose final colour. Not looking forward to finishing it, but am told it will be worth it.
 
If you are sanding MDF you should make sure to wear a mask during the process as the dust is lethal.
 
Just to add to the above- dust from MDF is a known irritant so beware. Also I wouldn't recommend the use of water based primers or undercoats (such as Dulux Quick Drying Primer) on MDF or hardboard- they raise the grain and give a poor finish. Better off using oil based paints, thinned down with white spirit- MDF is so absorbent that these paints dry quite quickly anyway. An exception to the above is water based (acrylic) varnishes which I have used to good effect on MDF- they don't appear to raise the grain as much. For rubbing down between coats I'd recommend steel wool.
 
Hi

OK, I'm a bit ignorant of these matters...! but I am looking for a floor to ceiling bookshelf and carpenter suggested MDF. Is that the standard material used? Is 'real wood' really pricey now or something? He said it would be painted etc but I keep thinking of those cheapo MFI units from years ago!!
thanks

S
 
MDF is better than real (solid) wood for this sort of thing as it is dimensionally stable, economical, easily cut and joined and doesn't require cabinet making skills to make a good job. MDF takes paint great too. In contrast solid timbers (depending on species) are available in limited lengths and widths, there's a lot of waste (due to knots, shakes, waney edge, cupping, wind etc), it's damn expensive and good carpentry/ cabinet making skills and tools are required to produce a good job. Finishing is more problematic. Furniture made with solid timbers must be designed and constructed to take account of the inevitable movement that takes place as wood shrinks and expands with the seasons. It's been said that if the cabinet and furniture makers of yesteryear had modern materials like MDF etc available to them they would have used them, especially as a veneer substrate etc.
 
i would go solid wood but then if you are capable joiner and like an expensive finish then thats what I'd do but mdf is damn easy you can't miss really
 
So you've survived 2 years without digging into those boxes? Would that suggest you don't reall need them and could give 75% of them to a charity shop? I too have a habit of piling up the books but gave a lot away before going away for a year and have not regretted it.
Of course you will still need the shelves as your husband will just keep buying the books...
 
Can anyone recommend a decent carpenter/cabinet maker to make fitted shelving/storage unit? Am looking for book shelving and storage. Am based in sth county Dublin.

Thanks
 
Baz2005 said:
Can anyone recommend a decent carpenter/cabinet maker to make fitted shelving/storage unit? Am looking for book shelving and storage. Am based in sth county Dublin.

Thanks
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Debonaire furniture design is good. Call Clinton 012010983 or 0863580524.
He did a job for a customer of mine who can't say enough about him (good stuff that is.)
I have no interest in this company.
 
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