Upcycled Bookcases and How to Avoid Mistakes
Turn a cheap, old, MDF board bookcase into a new upcycled bookcase. Read on to see how you can avoid painting mistakes and save money.
Turn a cheap, old, MDF board bookcase into a new upcycled bookcase. Read on to see my blunders so you can avoid painting mistakes, save money and transform your space
If you have been following me at all you, may have figured out that I am working on a space which we shall call “the small apartment”. We are in the process of downsizing a bit and we will make this space our main living area since it is less footage.
So far I’ve shared some areas of this space with you, the beach table, the trunk and the happy chairs just to name a few. Today I am going to show you an upcycled bookcase project using Old Fashioned Milk Paint, plus show you how to avoid mistakes.
At this point you might be thinking, “what is she going to do now?” You know me and paint, we go hand in hand. Yes, I painted this and another one and I have my reasons.
One, there were discolorations in the wood. If you look at the side of the photo below you can see that it looks like a stair with various shades of discoloration.
Secondly, this is not real wood. It is an MDF, Medium Density Fiberboard product, it’s more of a cheap bookcase.
And thirdly, I’ve talked about how I want to brighten up the apartment and add fun colors to it, just like I did with the happy chairs. The wood was making the room look dark and dreary if you can believe it.
I had two of these cheap bookcases and decided to put them together to make a unit in a corner.
Materials Needed For an Upcycled Bookcase Project
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you purchase any of these products through the links, we receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. You can find our full disclosure here.
- Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Snow White
- Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Pitch Black
- Daddy Van’s all Natural Beeswax and Lavender Furniture Polish
- Paint brushes
I use the Safe Paint version which does not require any bonding agent. In this way I do not end up with any chipping, something that is normally desired when we use OFMP. But in my case I was after a more modern, sleek look. Old Fashioned Milk Paint is very versatile that way. You can read more about my first Milk Paint experience here.
I started with my trusty Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Snow White. I mixed it with equal parts water. Here you can see it on the exterior of the bookcase. It went on nice and smooth.
The interior of the bookcase was another story. It had a different finish than the outside so the paint did not take well to the interior. Maybe it was my fault. I think I should have had less water in the paint mixture. You live and you learn.
Now who would be so sneaky as to make two different finishes for a bookcase?
After the second coat it looked like this. Still not something that I was happy with. And so a little less water was added for the next coats of paint.
By the way, I should mention at this point that I had one bookcase on the balcony of the third floor and the other one in a spare space on the second floor, so you can just image me running up and down the stairs with my paint supplies. I painted each coat on both bookcases before proceeding with the next coat. Yes I got lots of exercise on this project!
It took about 3 coats on the exterior and 4 coats on the interior but I was finally done. I was not able to avoid my mistakes, but at least I learned from them.
However, I didn’t want the exterior to be white. Do you remember my beautiful gray trunk? Well it will be sitting opposite these bookcases.
I decided to paint the exterior gray. And that’s exactly what I got, but in a much softer tone.
I wanted a soft gray so I added a bit of Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Pitch Black to the Snow White mixture and came up with this color. My own custom color. Isn’t it gorgeous? It is barely there. Just two light coats to the exterior only and I was finally done. No more running up and down those stairs.
Oops, let’s not forget the wax! The paint must be sealed in so I used my favorite Daddy Van’s all Natural Beeswax and Lavender Furniture Polish. Ahh that smell!
Of course the best part of the projects is the styling. I added just a few accessories to show off the upcycled bookcases. And more running up and down to find all the accessories from the third floor and bring them to the second where the small apartment is located.
A rock picked from the beach to reflect the postcard rocks in the background.
Now remember this is styled sparingly so you can see the beauty of the bookcase. After today I will be filling this baby up with real objects. After all a bookcase needs to be functional as well as pretty.
You can see I’ve got a nautical theme going on here. So easy to do, I just took a post card and placed it in an old frame which I had redone a while back.
I also painted the edges in the same gray color as the exterior sides. It is a little hard to see that in the pictures but there is a subtle difference.
As you can see the bookcases have glass shelves. Some are frosted and some are plain glass.
I even painted the spot lights on top using the milk paint for a more cohesive look. They were faux gold before… no! I may add lights in the future but for now they’ll stay like this.
This tiny ship was the bottom half of the Winnie Art project. My daughter repainted the plain wood and gave it to her father as a gift.
Can you see the subtle changes in the gray? The last two coats were added with a broad brush and I tried to get variations in there.
This pretty print depicts the ages of a man according to Greek lore. And of course I have way too much driftwood!
I have to say these two pieces in the corner of the room totally transform the space. They are bright and airy, sleek and modern. I don’t really know what the space will look like when I’m done, but I’ll share a reveal with you all. Even though I’m not a decorating blogger I think it’s important to see how paint can really make a huge difference.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about these upcycled bookcases. I also hope that by showing you my mistakes will we be able to learn and not make them. I’m more than happy to make plenty of mistakes for you.
And so that ends my running up and down the stairs for now. Do you also go to such drastic lengths to get a project done, or is it just me?
Other Furniture Painting Ideas
Cubby storage 
Coffee Table 
Nightstand 
Ikea Pine Dresser
I can just imagine what a difference these shelves make in the overall effect of the space. They subtle grey is lovely Mary, and really brings them to the next level. Your styling is fabulous too! Wish the shelves could stay that way lol.
xxx
So do I Doreen but unfortunately all the stuff must go back in. At least now they won’t be fighting with the wood.
Your little apartment is coming along so nicely Mary, it’s going be so lovely seeing all the bits and pieces together. It’s going to look lovely. Thanks for sharing the OFMP tips, I’ve been dying to try it but it’s not available in South Africa and our Rand/$ exchange rate is horrible right now so online is out of the question. So for now I’ll just be admiring all your beautiful projects from afar
At some point Michelle you will get your hands on some of that paint and then the magic can happen. I have a thought maybe your son can bring you some next time he comes back.
Mary they turned out beautiful and the whole corner looks so bright and summerly! I love what some paint can do to furniture and rooms! Trying to convince my hubs to paint our TV unit white… wish me luck! I have to show him your shelves!
Yay! Paint really does make such a huge difference. I was so sick of the wood, and it wasn’t even that dark but it was still making the space look so drab. Good luck with the hubs!
You are not afraid to tackle anything are you? You amaze me! I wanna be like you when I grow up. LOL! Love the post and I appreciate you being so open about a mistake. Dang, I make so many of them till I’d be pointing mine out all the time! I enjoy looking at all your pictures. Have a great day. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Cindy you are so funny. Necessity is the mother of invention right? That should be my motto. I need to change things around in this space but I am on a tight budget so this was the best solution. And you know what it’s actually the best solution because there was no guarantee that I would have found exactly what I was looking for if I had decided to purchase. This way I can make it custom.
All your projects go along together so nice.. and they all breathe Greek air, at least for me 🙂 Lovely re-do, as usual! 🙂
That is what I am aiming for Gabi. A true Greek look but with a bit of a twist! 😉
Mary, the bookcases look AMAZING!!! I love the glass shelves and all the special pieces you have showcased on them!!
Thank you Michelle. It was a real labor of love!
The bookcases look beautiful! Love the glass shelves – they look so good with the gray!
Yay! If you approve then I must be doing something right KariAnne!
I love your shelves! They turned out beautifully! I love the washed look you achieved with the gray on the outside ! The white gives them a more modern look! I love that they have glass shelves and lights ! They look 100 X better than the brown and I bet you have firmer legs from going up and down all the stairs! (bonus)!
Jeannee
Haha! Yes I do Jeannee. Firmer legs but my shoulder is killing me. But we don’t talk about that. 😉 We just look at the pretty pictures.
Love the grey color you used on your bookcases, Mary. It’s so elegant and I love the variations in color you were able to achieve. Can’t wait to see the entire room put together! 🙂
It’s quite a work in progress Mandy. Why even I don’t know how it will look in the end. I am just working with a general scheme.
I have always shied away from trying to refinish MDF. You proved that it can be done beautifully!
I used to be afraid of painting furniture but I have since gotten over my fear. After all if you have something and it makes you unhappy why keep it Michele. We should surround ourselves with things that make us happy. And if you mess up, well, it’s only paint.
Mary, What a fantastic difference Old Fashioned Milk Paint made on the shelves. I really like how you left the inside white and painted the outside the nice soft gray. They look so pretty the way you styled them. I am looking forward to the tour of the new apartment when you get it done.
Thank you Debra. I didn’t go with all white because it would have looked a bit too sterile. Also I have that trunk I did before on the opposite side of the bookcases.
Mary, you are a painting goddess. I haven’t painting furniture in a long, long time, but you make it look so easy, I may just attempt it again, very, very soon!! 🙂
Just stay away from the stairs Kim! 😉
Well, you know the answer to that question….you are not the only one to go to extraordinary lengths to get a project done! The bookcases look splendid now! I love how the paint has totally transformed them for the better! Now you can have a rest from the stair climbing.
Florence it looks like we have been in the same boat for the last few days. But now that’s over and we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.
You’ve done it again, Mary! That looks really nice and I like how you decorated the shelves!
Too bad I can’t leave them like this forever! 😉
Gotta put the books back.
Well, books are good too. Great conversation starter. 😉
Dear Mary,
it always surpirses me how much just a little paint can change and how much more satisfying and inexpensive it is instead of bying new furniture. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from you it’s this: If you’re no longer happy with they way your furniture looks: Ikea notwithstanding – grab a brush first!
Hope you’re having a great day,
Marjan
Marjan even Ikea cannot withstand my paint brush. But yes everything looks better when it is painted the color you want.
Mary, those bookshelves are so chic now. You’d never know they were MDF. You rocked it! And love your persistence. Sharing!
My persistence and the new muscles on my legs from all the running up and down the stairs. 😉
Bravo Mary! You really must have an “in it to win it” mentality when working with milk paint!
You created a beautiful color and your styling is on point.
Yes Lisa you are so right. But it is so worth it to use milk paint, it comes out beautiful.
Such a difference the paint makes! I have some I need to paint too – you inspire me to get to it!
It’s never too late Val.. I had these bookcases for about 15 years but it was only recently that they started to bother me and look dated.
Your bookcases turned out great! I love the glass shelves and the lighting — a nice way to display the treasures that you used to style the bookcases. You got good coverage and a nice color with your milk paint. It pays to persevere! Nice job!
There was no way I was going to give up Carol. I had to see my vision through.
I love your shelves, Mary! And you created such a pretty custom gray … which isn’t easy with that bossy black paint! (Trust me, I know!) And I don’t see any “mistakes”. It’s likely they put an extra coating of something on the interior to keep them from getting scratched. I teach Zumba, as well, and at the start of every class I say, “There are no mistakes in Zumba …. only unplanned solos!” That bossy interior just wanted a little more attention … you made no mistakes. Take care, friend! Cynthia
Haha Cynthia you had me on the floor! That bossy black is spooned out with teaspoons. And the interior was even worse that the bossy black. But I really like your motto! I’ll have to remember that.