Upcycled Bookshelf Remade into a New Plant Stand

A friend of mine had 4 collapsible bookshelves that she was going to send to the city dump. She didn’t want them any longer and I decided to take them. All four of them were stained in a dark walnut color which doesn’t work with my home decor. I decoate in a coastal and beach theme.

The first thing I did was clean them! They were dusty as they had been in storage. Next, they were flimsy since they were collapsible. I went to Home Depot and purchased some brackets and attached them underneath each shelf to make them more stable. It’s no longer collapsible and added strength.

To get the wood stain off I used a palm sander that my husband lent to me. Took me about an hour to get the stain off of the areas that I was able to use it on. I had to use regular sandpaper on the spindle parts of the shelving unit. I then dusted them all off again.

I picked up a gallon of a coastal gray color of semi-gloss paint that has a tint of blue to it. A great color to work with my color scheme. I gave each one 2 coats of paint. I left them dry for 2 days. I then went back over them with 2 coats of a clear sealer. Why a sealer? Well, to protect the painted finish!

Two of my new plant stands aka bookshelves are sitting out on our front porch holding plants and seashells. I used plastic zip ties to attach them to our front porch railing. This way if the winds kick up or a storm comes through…they’ll remain stable! I love how they turned out!

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