DIY Arched Built-in Bookcase - genesistecnocasa.com

How to build a DIY arched built in bookcase with drawers

There is always one project in a room makeover that sets the stage for the rest of the design. It’s the first design decision I make and then the rest of the room is designed around that one project.

For this dining room makeover that project is these DIY arched built-in bookcases.

I knew from the very beginning I wanted some beautiful arched bookcases stained the same color as the board and batten in our recently updated entryway.

We built super simple arched bookcase shelves in our living room a couple of years ago so it just made sense to carry that design feature into the dining room.

This time though I knew I wanted to also add drawers to give us more storage in the dining room.

Arched Built-in Bookcase Supplies:

3/4 x 12″ x 8′ Paint Panel Boards (for the base)
5mm Plywood (or very thin plywood for the backing)
3/4 x 16″ x 6′ Paint Panel Board (for the arch)
1×3 Select Pine Boards (trim pieces)
Corner Molding

Dining Room Before

When we first moved into our home we installed this stone wall in the dining room. It has served us well the last couple of years but I was ready for a change.

So the first step in making over this dining room was to remove the stones and put them in their new home, our outdoor gym.

There was a lot of wall damage from the stone panels but the bookcases will cover almost all of it so I did not waste time repairing every screw hole.

Building the Bookcase Base

In the past I have used MDF for the base and that works great if you are wanting to paint your bookcase. For this project I wanted the bookcases to be stained so I opted for paint panel boards.

I chose these because I did not want to rip a large piece of plywood and they already come in the width I wanted these bookcases to be, 12″.

To start building the base, cut the two side bookcase pieces down to the height of your ceiling minus 4″. The minus 4″ is so you will be able to stand it up once it’s built, so it’s pretty crucial.

Next cut the paint panels down to the length you want your shelves to be. Our bookcases are two different widths so each side has different shelf length measurements.

Each bookcase has five shelf pieces, the one at the top and the one at the bottom are just for stability though. So only three of the five shelves will actually be shelves.

Adding the Shelves

I placed the bottom support shelf on top of two 5″ scrap wood spacer blocks and secured it to the bookcase walls with wood glue and nails.

Make sure to have a square and level handy when installing the shelves.

Next I added the top bookcase shelf piece flush with the top of the bookcase.

For the actual shelves I used 18″ scrap wood spacer blocks to set the distance from the top of the bookcase and in-between each shelf.

The spacer blocks make it so much easier to place the shelves in the correct position without having to measure each time.

Adding the Plywood Backing

For the bookcase backing I used 5mm plywood cut down to size. Any thin plywood will work fine, the lighter the better.

One thing that really helped me during this project was the Kreg circular saw rip jig. My mom bought it for me and it was really simple to set up and much safer than trying to rip large pieces of plywood by myself with a table saw.

I attached the backing with wood glue and smaller finishing nails.

Securing the Bookcase to the Wall

After the base was built, I stood the bookcase up and put it in position on the wall.

To secure it to the wall I attached a long scrap 2×4 board to the back top of the bookcase.

Once it was attached to the bookcase I used long wood screws to attach the 2×4 to studs along the wall.

Use a level while attaching the bookcase to the wall to make sure it attaches in a level position.

How to DIY an Arch Cabinet

Creating the Arch

This is my second time cutting out an arch, the first time was for our living room shelves.

I used the exact same pencil and string method I used before.

Start by finding the center of the 16″ wide paint panel board. Then use a screw or screw hook to mark that spot at the bottom of the paint panel.

Next I traced one of the 1×3 trim pieces at each end so that I could mark how wide I would need the arch to be at the ends.

Then I took a string and wrapped one end around the hook screw and the other end to a pencil. To get the string length I held the string out until it touched the line I made with the 1×3 trim board.

Finally, very carefully and slowly draw the arch.The pencil should land at the inside trim mark on both sides of the board.

Cutting the Arch

Once I was happy with the way the arch looked, I used a jigsaw to carefully cut it out.

My best advice is to cut as close to the inside of the line as possible, it’s better to cut too little than to over cut.

After the arch is cut out it probably won’t look perfect, unless you are expert level with the jigsaw saw (I am not).

Luckily you can sand any imperfections and make it look like a smooth arch. If you have a lot of wood to take off start with 80 grit sandpaper and work your way up to 220 grit to smooth the arch evenly.

Attaching the Arch to the Bookcase

To give the arch something to attach to at the top, I used scrap wood screwed into the top of the bookcase.

Then I used wood glue and nails to secure the arch to the sides of the bookcase.

Special Note: If you plan on having two arched built-in like we do but the width of the bookcases is not the same there is an extra consideration. Because of the different widths the arches can’t sit at the same spot on the bookcase and look even. The larger width bookcase arch won’t be able to be set against the ceiling so another paint panel section will need to be cut to close that gap. Wood filler and sanding will make sure the two pieces blend together though!

Trimming the Arched Bookcase

Finally it’s time to make this arched bookcase look built-in.

Adding Smooth Side Panels

If I wasn’t planning on staining this bookcase I might have skipped this step, but I really want the bookcase to stain evenly.

So I ripped down more 5mm plywood to cover the side of the bookcase facing the window. I attached the plywood with wood glue and small finishing nails.

This really just made the sides look smoother and more finished.

Install Baseboards

Next I installed the new baseboards. I like to use 1×6 pine boards as baseboards because they are wider and thicker than standard baseboards.

I installed the new baseboards throughout the room so that everything matched.

The baseboards at the bottom of the bookshelf should be level with the top of the bottom shelf. This way there won’t be any weird ledge.

Installing Arch Bookcase Trim

Now that the baseboards and arch are installed the rest of the built-in can be trimmed in.

I used 1×3 pine boards for the long side trim pieces, attaching them with wood glue and finishing nails.

Next I installed the shelf front trim using the same 1×3 boards. Level the trim with the top of the shelf pieces so that they are flush.

Tip: I sand each piece of trim before I install it, it’s so much easier to sand everything while it’s laying flat.

At the very top of the bookcase I installed a piece of corner molding between the arch and the ceiling to give the whole thing a finished look.

Adding Drawers to the Arched Built-ins

Drawer Building Supplies:

1×6 Boards (larger drawers)
1×4 Boards (smaller drawers)
1×10 Board (larger drawer face plate)
1×6 Board (smaller drawer face plate)
5mm Plywood (drawer bottom)
1×3 Spacer Piece (optional)
Drawer Slides
Knobs/Hardware
1″ Pocket Screws
Wood Glue

Finding Drawer Measurements

I really wanted to have some hidden storage in the dining room so I opted to add three drawers instead of more shelves.

Every time we build drawers we use this same easy method. If you would prefer to have inset drawer fronts here is a simple tutorial to achieve that look!

Start by figuring out the dimensions of your drawers. I wanted two larger drawers and one smaller drawer at the top.

These drawers will be 12″ deep (because that’s the depth of our bookcase) and the length can be found by measuring the space inbetween the long side pieces of trim and subtracting the width of your drawer slides. Ours were 1-1/2″ together so I subtracted 1-1/2″ from the length measurement.

For drawers remember the face plate can be larger than the actual drawers. Using smaller pieces to build the drawers and one larger faceplate piece saves a bunch of money.

Cutting Drawer Box Pieces

Start by cutting the drawer pieces down to size. When the drawer pieces are attached together the long pieces will attach to the inside of the shorter pieces so the width of that wood needs to be subtracted from the length measurement. For example if the length of your opening is 45″, you will subtract the slide width (-1-1/2″) then subtract the side piece thickness (-1-1/2″) so your drawers will be built 42” long.

Once you have the long and short drawer pieces cut, router a 1/4″ groove in the bottom of each board. This is where the drawer bottom will go.

Next drill two pocket holes in each end of the long drawer pieces. If you don’t already have a pocket hole jig, this one is great and a perfect beginner tool.

Assembling the Drawer Boxes

Now it’s time to start assembling the drawer boxes. Start by attaching one long drawer piece to one short drawer piece with wood glue and 1″ pocket screws.

It’s extremely helpful to have right angle clamps when assembling drawers, these are the budget friendly ones I have.

Next attach the other long and short drawer pieces together so that you have two drawer piece sets built.

For the drawer bottom measure the interior of the drawer box and add a 1/2″ to the length and width so that it will sit snugly inside the groove you cut.

Cut the drawer bottom out of 5mm plywood or another thin plywood.

Slide the drawer into one of the drawer sets you assembled earlier, then attach the other set to the first set using wood glue and pocket screws.

Check out the complete tutorial for mounting drawer slides here!

Trimming the Drawer Face Plates

For the face plates I used wider boards than the drawers themselves. I cut the face plates the length of the drawers plus 2″ so that they would overlap the cabinet on each side by 1″.

Then I sanded the boards with 220 grit sandpaper so that they were nice and smooth.

I really wanted these drawers to have fancy face plates just like our office drawers.

So I used this small trim to frame the face plate. This small trim cuts super easily with my miter shears, then just attaches with wood glue and clamps.

Finishing the DIY Drawers

Attach the face plates to the drawer boxes by screwing them in from the inside of the drawer.

I used shims to set the distance between each drawer front but you could also use playing cards.

Finishing the Arched Built-in Bookcases

Finally it’s time to finish up this arched built-in bookcase!

I filled all the nail holes with stainable wood filler and sanded those areas smooth.

Then I used a Hickory Gel stain to stain the entire bookcase. This is the same color I used on the board and batten during our staircase/entryway makeover.

I did two coats of stain total then sealed it with a polyurethane.

How to build a DIY arched built in bookcase with drawers

After everything was dry, I attached these beautiful brass knobs to the drawer fronts. I used these on our built-in kitchen IKEA cabinet too so I knew they would be perfect for these drawers.

I used two knobs per drawer since they are long. To evenly place them, I measured the drawer front length and divided that number by 3. That measurement is where you will place each knob on both sides of the middle of the drawer.