Face Frames and Leveling

So now it’s time to get the bookcase boxes up – which is REALLY going to start making the room look like a Library. SO EXCITED.

First, this corner of the room is REALLY not level. When we had the floor redone, we opted to keep the “character” of the uneven floors. If we had wanted to level when we put the new floors down, it would have made a strong case for needing to take all the woodwork off the walls, and we didn’t want to do that. So we decided we could level the bookcase in place.

You can see how shimtastic we had to be here.

And with so many shelves and so much weight, we wanted it to be right.

First, we though about shimming, and then wrapping the feet with a quarter round.

That would have been easier, but I wasn’t as crazy about the look. So instead, Doug made a custom shim to extend the feet of the bookcase. Each one was built for each leg, and some even had to slope within themselves. More work, but once I painted them, they really disappear and look phenomenal.

Next up – these boxes need to go up!

We dry fit each one in place first.

And we made sure that the distance between each box, and between the two corners, meant an equal amount of marble on all sides.

Doug was super worried about getting the corner square but it was really pretty perfect once everything was all screwed together.

Seeing if everything is level! So far, so good. HOLY HELL these are big. I was seriously worried at one time that “only one corner” of bookshelves wouldn’t make the room look like a library, and now I’m convinced that if I read one book a day from these, I’ll be dead before I’m done with the first box. So I should probably put all the good books in that one. Just in case.

To attach them to the wall, we added L-Brackets to the cabinets, where the studs would be. These will in the small gap between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling, and will be hidden behind the crown moulding. We had to install these to the cabinets on the ground, because there wouldn’t have been enough room for a drill above.

Here they are in place! Again, all the shims to make everything level.

 

Yay!!!

 

When you sit on the floor, you get an even better idea of how grand these feel.

 

Next up, Face Frames! On our “Decorated for Christmas Porch Workshop.”

Making sawdust and progress. This might be the closest we get to snow this year. Sorely lacking at this point, and I’m so mad about it.

I pre-painted two of the pieces of face frame, so that way, once they were installed, I wouldn’t get wet paint near the marble.

Setting them up, ready to be pocket-holed and screwed.

I took this picture because it was a perfect collection of things we needed for the build, just being dumped where we left  them, and it’s almost comical how perfectly staged it looks.

 

Pocket holes are pretty.

Lining everything up!

It’s like when you add the perfect accessory to an outfit, and can’t believe HOW MUCH BETTER everything looks by adding one thing.

Snug as a bug!!!

Glued and Nailed in!

With both sides in, the marble and bottom puts on their rain coat because NOW I CAN PAINT THE TOP!!!

 

All the red paint. From now until eternity. Probably.