DIY Weekend Project: Build a Simple Bookshelf from Reclaime…

Why Reclaimed Wood?

There is a quality to reclaimed timber that no flat-pack or new-cut wood can match. Old timber has character — the marks of its former life, the depth of its grain, the subtle variations in colour that only decades of use and aging can produce. A bookshelf built from reclaimed wood is not just a storage solution; it is a piece of furniture with a story, and it will be the most characterful thing in any room.

In Kenya, reclaimed timber is available from demolition sites, second-hand timber yards, and occasionally from families clearing old farmhouses or colonial-era buildings. With basic tools and a free weekend, you can build a bookshelf that will last decades and look better with every passing year.

What You Will Need

• 4–6 planks of reclaimed timber, approximately 200mm wide and 25mm thick (length to suit your wall)
• Sandpaper — 80 grit and 180 grit
• Wood stain or clear varnish
• A clean cloth for applying stain
• Heavy-duty floating shelf brackets (two per shelf)
• Wall plugs and screws appropriate for your wall type
• A power drill
• A spirit level
• A tape measure and pencil

Step 1: Prepare Your Timber

Lay your planks on a flat surface or across a pair of sawhorses. Begin sanding with 80-grit sandpaper to remove rough spots, loose fibres, old paint or surface dirt. Work always with the grain — never across it. After the initial sanding, switch to 180-grit for a final, smooth finish. Run your hand along the surface: it should feel uniformly smooth with no splinters or rough patches.

Step 2: Stain or Finish

Pour a small amount of your chosen wood stain onto a clean cloth and apply it in long, even strokes along the grain. Work section by section to avoid lap marks. Allow the first coat to dry completely — typically two to three hours — before assessing whether a second coat is needed. Reclaimed timber often has beautiful variation in how it absorbs stain, which adds to its character rather than detracting from it. Finish with a coat of clear varnish if you want additional protection against moisture and marking.

Step 3: Plan Your Layout

Before drilling anything, plan the spacing of your shelves. Consider what you will store — books, plants, decorative objects, kitchen items — and space the shelves accordingly. A common mistake is to make shelves too close together. Standard book height is around 250mm; allow 280–300mm between shelves for comfort. Mark the wall with a pencil at each shelf location.

Step 4: Find the Wall Studs

In a plastered masonry wall — the most common type in Kenyan construction — you can drill anywhere with appropriate masonry drill bits and wall plugs. If you are working with a plasterboard partition wall, you must locate the timber or metal studs behind the board and screw directly into them for a strong fixing. Tap the wall and listen for a change from hollow to solid sound, or use a stud finder.

Step 5: Install the Brackets

Using a spirit level, draw a perfectly horizontal line at each shelf position. Drill holes at your bracket positions, insert wall plugs, and screw your floating shelf brackets firmly to the wall. Test each bracket by pressing down firmly on it before resting a plank on top. If a bracket moves at all, it is not adequately fixed — add a larger wall plug or move to a different position.

Step 6: Mount and Style

Rest each plank on its brackets and, if the bracket design allows, secure it from beneath with a screw through the bracket into the underside of the plank. Stand back, check with a spirit level that everything is straight, and make any final adjustments. Then comes the best part: styling the shelves with your books, plants, ceramics and objects. Leave some breathing space — shelves that are too densely packed lose their visual appeal. Less is always more.