I bought a house in 2011, and I didn’t like the way the door looked in a dining room that leads to the crawl space and a little broom closet. So instead, I built a bookshelf on hinges and painted it white and so with the help of the plans from Inset Bookshelf Doorway plans I was able to create some more bookshelf space within my house for my Fiance, who is an avid reader and Librarian. I apologize for the lack of pictures as I had no idea it would turn out so well. It was actually relatively easy using a circular saw, a kreg jig, wood glue, wood filler, and a spray painter, I thought it turned out well. At first, I measured the doorway, and adjusted the plans to meet my needs taking into account that a 2x4 is actually a 1 3/4 by 3 3/4. This was the hardest thing for me to adjust to is the actual wood size. From there, I started building out the frame. Once that was complete, I added in the shelves with the Kreg Jig to make sure that it was all flush and hidden. Lastly, I added in 1/4 inch sheet wood for the back. Now it was time to prep. I took wood filler and filled in the sides, where the drill holes were, and since I could not get sheet wood long enough for the whole door frame to make sure everything was smooth so I used wood filler and puddy to fill in the space in between. Once everything was dry, I used my Ryobi paint sprayer and may have over-done it on the first pass, since this was my first time using it. After cleaning it up, I applied another coat and I am pretty happy. Finally, I finished it off with a magnetic pin to lock it in place so it appears to be shut and all you have to do is to push to open. Future updates, per the Fiance's request is to use a book with string through the back to unlock it in a gated fashion. I hope you guys enjoy, and I apologize for the lack of overall detail. This was done over a year ago and I have since cleaned out my notes.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint (Behr Premium with primer) - Semi-Gloss finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner