WEEK TWO&THREE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE - SPRING 2022 - OFFICE

One Room Challenge: Week Two & Three – Office Renovation

I would love to tell you that last week enough progress did NOT occur to warrant another blog post, but the truth is SO MUCH happened that I just did not have time. So this week you are getting a double dose. It’s week three of the One Room Challenge and I’m seeing the light at the end of the built-in bookcase tunnel.

The past two weeks have consisted of turning IKEA Billy Bookcases into custom built-ins that scale one wall of the office. In my original design plan, I wanted to use the IKEA Billy Bookcase that was 31 ½ x 11 x 79 ½, however, it STAYS sold out and we had to change the plan to include six of the 15 ¾ X 11 X79 ½ instead. I also grabbed six of the height extension units 16x11x14 to take the bookcase ALMOST to the ceiling. I have put together a few IKEA pieces in my day and I will say the Billy bookcase was one of the easiest to follow. Remember to cut out any outlets you may have behind the bookcase. These are easily moved forward and hidden within the bookcase.

Once I had everything assembled it was time to secure the bookcases to the wall permanently. I attached a 2x4 to a stud in the wall and put together a riser that looks like a “ladder” for the bookcase to sit on top of. Once the first bookcase was screwed into the 2x4 and the riser we could add each subsequent bookcase. I attached them to the previous bookcase to the right and the riser below. (I hope this make sense, and if not you can always refer back to my saved Instagram Highlight ORC to view a video.) If you decide to leave your flooring under the bookcase just know your trim around the bottom might not match up perfectly with your wall trim, I ran into this problem on the right side. It isn't terribly noticeable though.

To make the Billy Bookcase look more custom we trimmed the entire unit. I purchased a new RYBOI brad nailer, it is the new AirStrike 18-Gauge Brad Nailer and I would sell my first born for this thing, I LOVE IT. After a day of wood filler and caulk the bookcase really started to look top notch. I recommend using wood filler and THEN sanding before applying caulk. I started with a sanding block, but honestly it's too much work and quickly moved to my hand sander.

I understand filling all of the holes in the IKEA bookcase freaked a lot of people out. I got plenty of comments saying "NO, how will you move the shelves around." My intent was always to make this bookcase look like a fully built from "real wood" permeant structure. Unfortunately having little shelf holes would kill that vibe. Don't be scared to do this, wood filler can easily be drilled away if you choose to move your shelves in the future.

After sanding my life away and putting on a coat of primer (I like this one) it was time for paint. This paint color has my TIKTOK viewers freaking out! It’s called Borscht by Sherwin Williams, and I’m using the Emerald line Urethane Trim Enamel in the Satin finish. Borscht is a Russian Soup made with Beets (Yes, the vegetable) which gives this lovely paint color its name.

Typically, you would want to use a grey tinted primer for darker or moody colors, but I had a gallon of primer from previous projects and honestly, I’m cheap. So instead, I’ll pull up my boot straps and do the work of slapping paint on this bad sally for three days. It’s going to be oh so worth it in the end though. It is important to note that urethane paint works differently than your typically emerald line for walls. You’ll notice the paint can go on looking thin, this is normal and it is very buildable and strong. Allow you paint to cure for at least one week before placing items on top to sit for an extended period of time.

This week we will finish up this bookcase and move on to our next exciting project. I do have to knock out painting the walls white (kinda boring) and THEN WE WALLPAPER THE CEILING! – Que the dramatic music.

Now if you have actually made it to the end of this blog post head on over and check out all of the other amazing OneRoomChallenge spaces! There are some really good ones this year.

This content is brought to you by:

Chuy - The Rottie & Rico - The Frenchie