# Ideas for trimming out built in bookcase



## personalt (Mar 10, 2008)

I am building a bookcase on a wall that has a 6' door to outside. I want to have a bookcase on each side and 'transom' bookcase that spans the top of the door.

Very much similar to this one

http://www.onsuttonplace.com/wp-con...french-doors-with-built-in-shelves.jpg?1ac40c

My original plan was just to 
1)make a simple box with a face-frame
2)Trim with crown on top
3)life off floor slightly and carry the baseboard molding in front of bookcase

I think I would like to make it a bit more 'fancy' but I am stuck for inspiration. I searched the internet for bookcases and but ever one I have been is basically just trimmed out on the bottom with baseboard and the top with crown. Anyone got any cool ideas or do anything more involved when trimming out a bookcase.


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

I did something similar in our master bedroom.

I built bases for the cases to sit on that would be trimmed after they were installed. This gets you over the issue of trying to stand up an 8' bookcase in an 8' room. Instead of a case connecting across the top I built a valance that stepped back to hide the curtain rods.

I used design ideas from a bookcase I built that was in Wood Magazine many years ago, several design elements that I really like that change overall design of the pieces.


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

personalt said:


> Very much similar to this one
> 
> http://www.onsuttonplace.com/wp-con...french-doors-with-built-in-shelves.jpg?1ac40c
> 
> .


That picture shows them using what looks like a 1 1/2" faceframe on their bookcases.

They 'could' have done something like this to make it more gooder:










Panels / doors went inside all of these recesses but you could just run some trim pieces and it look fine as well. All depends on how much time you want to dump into it... :yes:

1 1/2" give you plenty to do cool stuff with but 'more' gives you greater opportunities. Notice flutes in pictures that shoot summ posted... He had 'room' on his face frame to do more. :yes:


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## Oneal-Woodworking (Apr 14, 2013)

shoot summ said:


> I did something similar in our master bedroom.


Very nice... :thumbsup:


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Do you want it all book cases. You might make a lower section perhaps deeper with doors on it with book cases above it. You might also consider putting glass doors on the book case part. Might eliminate a lot of dusting.


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## personalt (Mar 10, 2008)

doing the face-frame on the exposed sides is a decent idea. this is especially true since that simple raised panel look is very similar to my kitchen cabinets which are in next room.

I dont think my wife wants bottom deeper or with doors. making it deeper would cause it to go too far out in to room and cause us to have to re-work a lot of other stuff.. but I certainly like the ones with a bottom cabinet and counter.


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## personalt (Mar 10, 2008)

I am starting to do some more planning on this.. If you were doing it like this would you make the face-frame that is near the walls wider then the ones in the middle? I would imagine you want the face-frame along the wall to overlap the box so that you can deal with crooked walls. But I am not sure you want an overhang in one the other side of the box(that is open to the slider). In order to keep the frame in center of the box I would need to make the frame wider along the wall. not sure if that would look weird.


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

Build the book case carcasses to fit the space so your face frames are equal. I think it would look a little weird if thicknesses were different enough to notice it. Btw, you likely won't get your face frame to mate the wall unless you scribe it and cut the face frame to the wall profile (but hard to do at that length). I would use something like a thin cove trim piece that will bend to mate to the wall.


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## personalt (Mar 10, 2008)

interesting. I was worried that if I made the face-frame flush with the box I would likely run in to an issue because I am sure the corner of walls behind the cabinet is not 90 degrees due to the compound. I figured I would want to extend the stile to allow for a non-perfect corner.


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

Keep your carcasses square...and don't extend the face frame out to meet it. Get it close and use a trim piece.


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

I overlap the face frame about 1/4" on the wall side and scribe it to the wall, takes a little more time, but looks way more professional. Using trim there instead looks like a homeowner job(IMO), and how do you address the molding at the top and bottom with cove?(more homeowner job appearance)

There is a bit of work fitting a cabinet(properly) to a corner.

Most corners aren't square, and there is typically some mud build up in the corner as well so they are a bit rounded. Overlapping the face frame helps move you out a little from this, and gives you a little margin. Otherwise you might be dealing with up to a 1/2" gap or more. In some instances I will still have to ease the back edge of the carcass to compensate for mud in the corner, and for out of square walls. 

Depending on the walls, and the cabinet style, I might also cut the back in a little deep which leaves some material to scribe on the area by the door that will be visible.

This is the difference in Custom made, versus buying boxes and using trim to cover up the poor fit.


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## sancho57 (Oct 23, 2011)

Here is a site with a variety of book cases. Though not built in they can give you some ideas

http://foter.com/explore/shaker-bookcases


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

The face frames on this built-in unit will overhang and be scribed to the wall on both sides. Trim applied top and bottom. :smile:


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

Im curious about the thin gap between the upper and lower cabinet? I assume that's not intended for storage, the height difference will be trimmed? I want to see how that looks finished.


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## asevereid (Apr 15, 2012)

bauerbach said:


> Im curious about the thin gap between the upper and lower cabinet? I assume that's not intended for storage, the height difference will be trimmed? I want to see how that looks finished.


If I were to guess, I'd say it's for a countertop material, or for a face frame to cover.


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## bauerbach (Mar 25, 2012)

Ah, that sounds reasonable for a countertop. I was thinking maybe it would get trimmed up in an elaborate way. Good stuff.


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

shoot summ said:


> I overlap the face frame about 1/4" on the wall side and scribe it to the wall, takes a little more time, but looks way more professional. Using trim there instead looks like a homeowner job(IMO), and how do you address the molding at the top and bottom with cove?(more homeowner job appearance)
> 
> There is a bit of work fitting a cabinet(properly) to a corner.
> 
> ...


Sure, I don't disagree your way shows more craftsmanship but I do not think the other way makes it look diy. My kitchen was installed by one of the better kitchen shops in the area and they did this too.

I guess just like handcut dovetails look better than machined ones.


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

was2ndlast said:


> Sure, I don't disagree your way shows more craftsmanship but I do not think the other way makes it look diy. My kitchen was installed by one of the better kitchen shops in the area and they did this too.
> 
> I guess just like handcut dovetails look better than machined ones.


Lot's of ways to get there, and everyone has a personal preference and opinion. You will never find that on one of my projects, and I would never suggest someone do it that way. In the end the person asking for advice has to decide the look they want, and the effort involved to make it happen.


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

Agree fully...


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