This fully assembled, solid wood bookcase is as simple and sturdy as it comes! Put the adjustable shelves to work in any room - wherever you want the function to meet timeless style. We suggest the home office, bedroom, or living room...maybe all 3.
- Frame Material: Wood
- Shelf Material: Wood
These are good shelves for the price. We bought two of the unfinished versions. Both arrived with a couple of minor dings and a small crack, probably from shipping. We were fine with it, so I'm not sure what customer service would have done. They were small enough for us to overlook, but I think they would have fixed up fine with wood filler if we'd tried that. The packing didn't use any styrofoam, just cardboard for absorbing impact. I like that, because it makes it easier to dispose of the materials, but I get the feeling it may make the dings more likely.
I applied water-based pre-conditioner and water-based stain (both from Varathane - I think the stain color was called "dark walnut"). I also did two coats of water-based polyurethane, just using the Ace Hardware store brand. This is the second finishing project I tried recently and we were reasonably happy with the results, though I'd do some things differently if doing it again. Also be aware that it's tricky getting the stain on the assembled shelves. Brushing on the polyurethane took some practice and patience to do because you have to wait a while between coats. I've used spray lacquer on some other projects before and since, and it's much faster and easier to do so I'd probably recommend that if you don't mind spending a little more.
One thing - the stain did come out pretty blotchy because these are pine and I've read pine is prone to blotching. We were fine with how they ended up looking, but if you're insistent on a particular look and have little experience with finishing (like me), you might do some research to be sure you'll be happy with the result. I think a lighter stain color would have probably looked better. I've also read that "gel stains" work really well for pine and other blotchy woods, so that'd be something else I'd try. I've seen some people apply spray shellac on pine that gives a nice amber color, too, so that's another option I might have considered. And of course, painting would be easier and turn out nicer if you prefer that look (which is probably more what these are intended for).. Anonymous. . 2022-05-08 22:31:51