How To Repurpose Vinyl Gutters To Create A Nifty Mounted Bookshelf
Dynamic book display and storage are important elements in any well-designed nursery, playroom, or kids' room for instilling a lifelong love of stories and reading. Children's books often benefit from being displayed front-facing, where their vivid images can captivate the attention and imagination of young readers. While there are many options for keeping books visible and reachable from low heights, YouTuber @brandongaronteam recently showed off a great way to create bookshelves from vinyl gutters readily available at home stores. It's also a great upcycling project for leftover gutters from home projects.
Vinyl shelves provide a great alternative to wood shelving, offering lighter, more durable storage without sharp corners or climbing risks that are posted by other kinds of shelving. They are also easy to clean and provide a deep recess, making pulling out and putting books away easy for small hands. With 10-foot lengths of gutters available for under $10 from places like Home Depot, these shelves are a cost-effective DIY with great visual impact.
Creating a vinyl gutter bookshelf
Begin by measuring and plotting the placement of your shelves, making sure to place supports and screws along the studs for a sturdy hold as much as possible. You can use painter's tape to mark out the placement of the shelves or use a line of chalk and a level to mark out where they will go. Using scissors or a sharp knife to cut the vinyl, segment the gutter into pieces the desired length of your shelves. You will also need end caps for each shelf, as well as mounting brackets and screws sold specifically for these gutter systems.
Once you have determined where your brackets will be placed, screw them in with a screwdriver (@brandongaronteam recommends a handheld over a power one due to the layout of the brackets). The vinyl gutter slides easily over the brackets, locking them into place. The final step is adding the end caps to the gutters. Another version of these shelves, shown by DIY blogger Sunshine on the Inside, uses L-shaped pieces for a corner, attaching them with lateral lengths to each side with clear silicone caulk before hanging. Instead of using brackets, she attaches them with drywall screws placed directly through the gutters and wall.
Getting a custom look
Paint the gutters your desired color for a more custom look with spray paint designed specifically for vinyl. You can also size up or size down depending on your space needs, using a tiny corner or large span of wall space for wall-to-wall display shelving using the entire 10-foot gutter length. While kids' books can be light, make sure to take into account the weight of heavier books to avoid the shelves sagging or coming off the wall, particularly if you use screws instead of the dedicated brackets to attach them to the wall.
These shelves are perfect for storing kids' and picture books in children's spaces or displaying books and artwork anywhere in your home. They also make a stylish reach for magazines and other publications in an office or home library. Because they are deep and spacious, they are also great for holding other items in a kid's room, like puzzles and small stuffed toys. The wall-mounted format clears space on the floor, which can make the room seem larger and less cluttered.