How To Make A DIY IKEA Children’s Bookshelf

The wooden bookshelf from IKEA, that is pictured on all the Montessori playrooms, is so hard to come by so I’m going to should you how to make a DIY IKEA Children’s Bookshelf. I have literally waited for two years for this bookshelf to come back in stock but I don’t have to wait anymore thanks to this DIY!

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This IKEA bookshelf has been on my wishlist for over two years! IKEA is about two hours from me so I definitely have to make a day trip out of it. I have been there a handful of times in those two years and every time I go the bookshelves are always out of stock. It is such a popular item because it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye so it can look great in any room.

It is popular in Montessori playrooms because it showcases books beautifully so they are displayed more like a piece of art and the children can see which book they would like to read. I added two in my daughters room and with the leftover wood I was able to make two more which were a little shorter for my living room. I think it will be fun to keep books displayed in the living room for the different holidays and seasons. Currently we have a lot of Easter books displayed.

Materials You Will Need

• Two 1”x3”x6ft pine boards
• Four 1/2”x2”x24” pine boards (if you are only wanting to make two bookshelves you will only need two of these)
• Four packs of keyhole fasteners (two packs if you are only making two bookshelves)
• Box of #6 1 1/2” wood screws
• 3/32” drill bit
• Small box 2” Wood Screws (the star bit for your hand drill will come with the box of screws)
• Drywall Anchors
• Measuring tape
• Hammer
• Miter Saw
• Hand drill
• Electric hand sander
• Level
• Pencil

Steps For Making This DIY IKEA Children’s Bookshelf

Step 1

Measure out and cut 24 inches on your 1”x3”x6ft pine board using your miter saw. Repeat this step. They will be the same length as your 1/2”x2”x24” pine boards you bought.

Step 2

Measure out and cut 6 inches on your left-over pine board. Repeat this step two more times. The last piece you are left with won’t be 6 inches so you will make your next 6 inch cut on your other 1”x3”x6ft pine board.

Step 3

Double check that all your pieces are lining up correctly. If anything is slightly off you can use your hand sander to level it out. I very quickly went over the edges I cut to get off any of the rough parts using my hand sander. I didn’t round out the edges at all.

Step 4

Assemble your pieces of wood on the ground so you know where you are going to be pre-drilling your holes for your screws. I did two screws on the bottom and one for the piece of wood for the front.

Step 5

Pre-drill your holes using your 3/32” drill bit. This will ensure the wood doesn’t split when you put the screw in.

Step 6

Screw the side pieces into the bottom piece of your bookshelf. I left about 1/16 of an inch overhang on the sides but that is optional.

Step 7

Attach the front piece of wood onto your bookshelf. You will want to use a measuring tape to make sure it is evenly spaced on both sides or it will be crooked. I had a 2 1/4” gap in between the middle piece to the bottom piece. I pre-drilled one hole on each side of the wood for the front piece as well.

Step 8

Attach your keyhole fasteners to the back of your bookshelf. Make sure they are even on both sides.

Step 9

Pick out where you would like to hang your DIY IKEA childrens bookshelf and measure out the distance from keyhole fastener to keyhole fastener. Mark your areas on your wall and make sure it’s level. I pre-drilled my holes for my drywall anchors using my 2 inch screws. After my screw went in I rubbed it back and forth to make the hole big enough for the achor to be hammered in. Make sure you don’t make the hole too big or your will have to start over. Gently hammer in the anchor to make sure it doesn’t break. Screw your 2” screws into the anchors.

I went with these 2 inch screws because the original screws that come with the drywall anchors don’t fit into the keyhole fasteners.

Step 10

Mount your DIY IKEA Children’s Bookshelf onto your screws!

Optional Two Additional Smaller DIY IKEA Children’s Bookshelf

With the leftover wood I made two smaller bookshelves. I wanted to get the most out of my money and I had the perfect area in my living room that I actually needed more narrow bookshelves for between the windows. The measurements I had for those were 21 inches for the base and front piece of wood and 5 1/4 inches tall for the side pieces. Follow all the same steps above for these shelves and you will also need to make the additional two cuts to shorten the front piece of wood. Goodluck and leave a comment below if you have any questions!

Pin It For Later

Thank you for reading & if you try this DIY, make sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram! @our1sthomestead

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Until next time,

Ellen