Mini Makeover for a Book Display Shelf

I love my son’s elementary school library (media center). But, you already knew that after I gave part of the library a room makeover transforming it into a magical forest. Anything I can do to help kids get excited about reading makes my heart happy. I recently received an email from the librarian asking if I could help fix some drywall rips and holes in the computer room. Since it’s summer, she’s been working on changing the room around and wants to paint it before school starts up. I told her I’d love to help. This week we worked together with the principal and his Dad to patch the drywall. While I was there, I walked past this little book display shelf and realized I never shared the mini makeover with you.

It was okay as it was, but the problem was the bottom two shelves weren’t tall enough for most of the picture books.

See what I mean?

To make the book display shelf work better for the library, I decided to give it a mini makeover. I cut off the middle shelf by sawing through the two screws holding it on.

I tapped the remaining piece of the screws through the back of the display shelves.

To save time, I used Patch plus Primer to fill the holes and gouges.

After the Patch plus Primer dried, I sanded it smooth and used painter’s tape to mask off the sides of the shelves.

Next, I applied two coats of black chalkboard paint with a foam roller and used a brush around the edges.

For a smooth surface, I sanded lightly between the two coats of paint.

After the chalkboard paint dried, I removed the painter’s tape and seasoned the chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk on its side over the entire surface.

The students like to populate the display shelf with their favorite books and leave a little review.