Book Rack Makeover

I have a lot of books. Stacks of them, biographies, mysteries, true crime, business related and a few beach reads. I also have a lot of cookbooks which is ironic because I don't really cook. I think I like the idea of cooking and I like looking at recipes, but I just don't take the time to cook. I do bake though, so that is my reason for the cookbook stash and I'm sticking to it. I like vintage cookbooks and I am at the point when I get a new cookbook, one of the old ones have to go. I just don't have the room to store them.

A good way to organize and display books other than a regular bookshelf are small book racks. They can be placed on a table or counter and can become part of your overall decor. I picked this one up at a thrift store.

It is solid wood and the vertical wood pieces can slide to adjust to hold any number of books. It is cute, but outdated, I knew I could make it modern.

It had this graphic decoupaged on the end of each slider. It had to go.

We began by taking it apart. There is no hardware on this piece. The ends simply slide off.

We tried removing the graphic with wallpaper remover, but that didn't work at all so we used paint and varnish remover. It worked and the graphic came off in about 15 minutes.

The base was sanded down and stained with Varathane Mission Oak stain.

The ends were sanded and painted with Waverly chalk paint in the cashew color. The ends were distressed and coated with Varathane Crystal Clear Satin Polyurethane.

When everything was dry, the side pieces were slid back on the base. Now it has a modern farmhouse look, perfect for storing and displaying vintage cookbooks or any other kind of book.

The sliding side pieces allow the books to be securely stored and also leaves a little room for a little added decor.

This bookrack is actually going to be used in one of my booths to display cookbooks. I can adjust the sides as books sell and add new books easily. Don't overlook a thrift store item just because it looks dated. Paint and stain can refresh a piece. This took less than two hours and most of that was drying time.

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