A bookcase made with fruit crates is easy, simple, original and very functional. To give an idea of the dimensions, starting from a crate with standard measurements (50 x 30 x 27) with 6 fruit crates you can obtain a bookcase with these measurements: 100 centimetres wide, 80-90 centimetres high, 30 centimetres deep.
Once you've built the bookcase, using the procedure we suggest here, try to place the heaviest books on the lower shelves, and make sure the boxes are of uniform size, to ensure greater stability of the bookcase.
Necessary material
- Some fruit crates
- A rasp or sandpaper of various grits
- Four adhesive felt pads for furniture
- Natural dye, composed mainly of linseed oil: forms a water-resistant coating, but allows the wood grain to show through
- For assembly you may need wood screws (4-6 centimetres), bolts or additional wooden strips to make the bookcase more stable.
Method
- First, check that all the bookcase boards are secure and not wobbly, especially the side ones (the bottom won't bear weight; it only serves to support the structure). If there are any protruding nails (for older crates) or staples (for newer crates), remove them and replace them with small support nails.
- The next step is to remove any imperfections in the wood: They're usually made of unfinished pine and tend to splinter easily. This material is also very porous, making it difficult to paint, so it's a good idea to use a rasp or sandpaper to remove any imperfections, especially on the two short outer sides and the inside.
- Once you've finished the boxes, it's time to paint them. If you prefer to leave them natural, skip this step. The sides to paint are the two short sides and the inside of the box. Take the box you finished on one of the long sides and paint that too. Stack the boxes one by one to let them dry. If you're using oil, let it absorb and dry for about 24 hours.
- Now that the paint is dry, all that's left to do is stack the crates. Take the first crate and attach four felt pads to one of the two long sides, which will be in contact with the floor (your parquet will thank you). Then stack the other crates on top of the first, keeping the bottoms against the wall. If the stack wobbles, consider securing the crates together using screws or bolts, or, if you prefer, use some string to tie the slats of two crates together: this should make everything more stable.
- Sometimes it's necessary to touch up the paint in the most visible areas, especially between the slats or on the sides of the back, where the wood absorbs most. You'll notice this once the bookcase is leaning against the wall.
- Reinforcement may be necessary, as fruit crates are not designed to support heavy weights. Simply add a wooden board, cut to size, to the bottom of the box, screw it in or glue it with vinyl glue.
Keep in mind that the best boxes are those made of solid wood, not the thin, collapsible ones.
The photos are taken from the Labrocheuse blog.
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