How to Redo a Bookshelf

I finally learned how to redo a bookshelf! I have to give a big thanks to the hundreds of pinners on Pinterest and bloggers out there for inspiration. Here are the steps I used to put some life back into my old bookshelf.

1. Sand bookshelf. Before I sanded the shelf, I removed the thin piece of plywood on the back. I used a cheap, but efficient hand orbital sander with 40 grit sandpaper. I only removed the paint from the top shelf because it is way too time consuming to remove paint with a sander. I sanded the rest of the bookshelf so that only a smooth surface remained. Then I wiped down the shelves to prepare it for painting.

2. Spray paint bookshelf. You could also hand paint it but it was cheaper to use spray paint with a primer  included. I used 1.5 cans of a Winter Gray spray paint for this bookshelf. It's one of my new favorite colors.

3. Staple fabric to the plywood board. I measured the plywood board and made sure to buy a couple extra inches for the length and width of the fabric. I ironed the fabric to rid creases. Then, I neatly laid the fabric out on the plywood board, securing it with duct tape. (It's important to maintain some of my redneck family traits.) Finally, I used a staple gun and stapled the fabric and plywood board all into place at once.

I removed the duct tape and that's all I did! It was very simple and only took a few hours, minus time to dry the paint.