Car (Ute/Truck) Bookshelf

I drew up a design and then measured out the space where I wanted it in my sons room to work out what size to make the structure. With the measurements and using my original drawings as a guide, I then sketched out the design to its actual size on the floor with some chalk to make sure everything looked in proportion. 

Next, was a trip to Bunnings (our local hardware store) to get all of the materials. Once I had all my materials I started cutting up the wood to size and screwing it all together. I made sure to constantly use my square & tape measure to check that everything was straight.

For the windscreen and the door I used wood glue, clamped it and left overnight to dry. 

For the back tray I left the top panel off to create a ‘pocket’ for the books, and then added a shelf further down (behind the front panels) for the books to sit on.

Once the structure was complete I gave the whole thing a light sand and clean to prep it for the stain.

Originally I was going to use a walnut stain but after testing the colour on a scrap piece I wasn’t too keen on it, I was after more of a black/grey look.I’ve white washed a lot of furniture in the past so I decided to try the same affect but with black. I simply mixed some black paint with some water (I did around a 50/50 ratio), and then used a rag to rub it onto the wood. For the bottom panel (the bumper), I added a little extra paint to my mixture to get a darker affect. 

Next, I attached the door using some small hinges and then did the same ‘wash’ affect on it except I added some white paint to the mixture to make it grey.Note: I removed the door again to paint it, however I wanted to make sure it fit and closed properly before I painted it, just incase I had to recut or sand it.

Once the door was attached, I cut up some more wood for the shelves. I used the same type of wood but with a smaller width to allow that extra room for the door to close. I stained them with the black/water mixture and then attached them to the inside of the door frame.Next, I used white wall paint and a fine brush to do the writing on the door. 

Once all the painting was done, I sealed it with a liming white sealer/stainer to get that extra ‘weathered’ wood look. I used a rag to apply it, lightly rubbing it in over the entire structure.

I then added some stick on ‘push’ nightlights, one at the front and one at the back. These I bought from Bunnings again, they have adhesive strips on the back, and to replace the batteries you just twist the front cover off.

For the wheels I used some mdf place mats I found at Bunnings. I glued two together to add some thickness and then painted them with chalkboard paint. It probably would have worked out cheaper to buy a small sheet of mdf and cut the wheels out myself but I figured for a only a couple of extra dollars this option would save me a lot of time.

 I then drilled a hole into the centre of the wheels and in the bottom panel of the structure. I attached the wheels using long bolts with two nuts on each, one on each side of the panel, leaving a small space from the head to allow the wheel to spin. 

Lastly I added a door handle (I almost forgot it) and then it was finally ready to be hung it on the wall.To do this I used a total of 6 heavy duty angle brackets, 3 at the bottom and 3 at the top (behind the door and in the tray so that they are not visible). 

My project was now completed and ready to be filled with books and cars! 👌🏻Check out my instagram page @_prettyliving for more of my projects 😄