Top Pinned Project: IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack

Are you on Pinterest? I just recently starting pinning my content over there regularly. Side note- you can find me here. And yes, I know, I’m late to the party! I just haven’t had the time to make it a priority until very recently, but not to worry, I’m there now.

Anyway, after pinning my content for a few months, I decided to look at my analytics to see what everyone was liking the most.

And WOW was there an overwhelming favorite.

My most popular pin is my IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack. Like nothing is even close.

So of course my initial thought was that I really should be sharing my IKEA Billy Bookcase hack more often. Because unless you have been following me from the start of the blog, or you following me on Instagram, you likely haven’t seen it.

So today I’m sharing an abbreviated version of my original IKEA Billy Bookcase hack tutorial with you all!

For the step-by-step tutorial version, see my original blog post here: IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack – Wall Of Built-ins

IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack:

After building and moving in to our home, we had a blank wall in our den that we wanted to have filled with custom built-in shelves. After getting a bid from our local cabinet shop, we decided to DIY the project and save a bunch of money.

Here is the blank wall we started with.

Because we wanted the shelves to appear built-in, my husband built a base for the shelves to sit on so they could appear more substantial.

After the base was built, he attached trim pieces to the walls and ceiling, so he would have something to attach the shelves to.

After the shelves were attached, we used molding to trim out above, below and in between each shelf.

We then caulked everything, filled nail holes, sanded & painted part of it. The doors were purchased as part of the bookshelves, so those, along with the back of the shelves and top 2 shelves didn’t need to be painted. Reminder- this is the super abbreviated version. I go into much more detail in the original IKEA hack post.

And voila! Our wall of built-ins! My husband is an electrician, so he did the lights, but again, we go into more detail regarding these lights in the original post.

And it only seems fitting that the “after” photo be the one from my most popular pin:

Again, this is the super abbreviated version. For the full step-by-step tutorial, head to the original blog post: IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack – Wall Of Built-ins

You can shop my home here.