Grace Woodwork
Built-In Shelves and Bookshelves
Bookshelves beside the fireplace, a wall unit around the TV, a desk wall in the spare room, shelving in the closet or the garage. Built to your walls in our Kilgore shop and fitted in place.
Shelves that look like part of the house
A built-in is a piece of furniture that belongs to one wall. It runs to the ceiling or the window sill, it is trimmed to the room, and it does not wobble or leave a dusty gap behind it the way a store bookcase does.
Built-in bookshelves often go beside a fireplace, around a TV, under a staircase or along a home office wall with a desk worked in. Closets, pantries, laundry rooms, mudrooms and garages get the same treatment in a tougher painted finish.
Older East Texas houses are good candidates because their walls are rarely straight and their alcoves are rarely a standard size. Building to the actual opening, rather than buying the nearest size and filling the gap, is what makes a built-in look original to the house.
Where built-ins work best
Beside the fireplace
Bookshelves above, closed cabinets below, scribed to the brick.
Around the TV
A wall unit that hides the cords and holds the media, with open shelving on each side.
Home office
A desk top with shelving and cabinets above, built along one wall.
Closets and pantries
Fixed shelves and cubbies that use the full depth and height.
Laundry and mudroom
Cabinets, hooks and a bench by the back door.
Garage
Sturdy shelving and cabinets for tools and storage.
Planning a built-in
Start with what will live on the shelves. Paperbacks, record albums, display pieces and baskets all want different shelf depths and spacing, and the shelves should be adjustable where it makes sense so the unit still works when your things change.
Then look at the wall. We measure the opening at several heights, check for outlets, switches, vents and windows, and find the studs so the unit can be fastened properly. A long shelf that carries books needs support at shorter spans than a shelf of light decor, or it will sag over time.
Finally, the finish. A painted built-in matched to the trim reads as part of the house; a stained one reads as furniture. Either way it is finished in the shop and touched up after it is installed.
If the room also needs new kitchen or bathroom cabinets, see custom cabinets. A freestanding bookcase or desk is on custom furniture.
From measurements to installed shelves
- Photos of the wallSend a picture and rough measurements; tell us what will go on the shelves.
- Measured in personWe measure, check the walls and agree the design and finish.
- Built in the shopThe carcasses, shelves and doors are made and finished in Kilgore.
- FittedInstalled, fastened to the wall, scribed and trimmed, then touched up.
Common questions
How much do built-in shelves cost?
It depends on the length and height of the wall, whether there are cabinets with doors along the bottom, the wood and the finish. We measure, then quote. A simple run of open shelves costs far less than a full wall unit with doors, lighting and a desk.
Can you build shelves on both sides of a fireplace?
Yes. The alcoves beside a fireplace are a natural place for built-in bookshelves. The shelves are scribed to the brick or the wall so the gaps disappear, and we keep the clearances a fireplace needs.
How deep should built-in shelves be?
It depends on what goes on them. Books need less depth than display pieces, a TV or baskets, and lower cabinets are usually deeper than the open shelves above them. We set the depth for what you plan to store, and for how much the shelves can stick out into the room.
Can built-in cabinets be moved later?
They are fastened to the wall and trimmed to the room, so moving them is a carpentry job rather than something you pick up and carry. If you think you may move, a freestanding bookcase built to the same size may suit you better, and we build those too.
Do you build closet, garage and laundry room shelving?
Yes. Closets, pantries, garages, laundry rooms and mudrooms all get built-in shelving and cabinets, usually in a tougher painted finish than a living room piece.
Send a photo and we will tell you what it needs.
A phone picture is plenty. You will hear what the piece needs, what it will cost and roughly how long it will take before anything starts.
- HoursMonday to Friday, 9am to 5pm
- The shopKilgore, Texas, working across East Texas
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