Visual Shelving

      So I saw this pin on Pinterest and thought it was a great idea. (below is a pic of the pin, click here to follow the pin to the site)

 

      I wanted some shelving in my living room area for some books for the kiddos. However, standard shelving, where all you see are the spines of the book, don't seem to entice the kiddos that much. Especially thin books that all you see is a color because the spine is too small to write the title on. Plus my kiddos are currently too young to read, so even spines with titles offer little to no excitement.

      They really need to see the front of the book to get a feel for if they want to read it. (we have a standard, "spine view" type shelf in the playroom, and they rarely look at those books.) I wanted shelving that would allow a front view of a variety of books to be seen all at once, so the kiddos could pick some at their leisure to look through themselves or bring to mommy to read to them. This shelving was it. I installed this shelving at their level, so it's always right in sight, and most importantly within reach and visually appealing to lure them in for a closer look. I change the books out regularly so that they don't get bored of the same ones all the time, and in turn end up not looking at books at all.  I did go through some trial and error when building and picking my shelving,which i will get to later.

      I also wanted this shelving to display photo albums and scrapbooks for both company, and the kiddos to be able to go through anytime they wanted to. We don't have a coffee table for albums to sit upon or under, and I hated that they were up in my room, or in a box, never being looked through. What was the point of making the albums/scrapbooks if they never got looked at? Now they are displayed, and easily gotten to.

(for the 'how to' and my trial and errors, click the 'read more' button below)

      To make my shelving, I went down to my favorite local hardware store, and looked through the available vinyl rain gutters. There were two types of vinyl gutters available, one with a flat edge (on the wall side) with a very decorative front, and one that was more rounded, or 'U' shaped, and lacked visual appeal.

      I went with the flat edge, more "pretty" rain gutter for two reasons: 1- I knew I would be installing the photo album shelving on the landing on my stairwell, and the kiddos book shelving above their work table area, so I felt the flat edged one would leave more walking room/headroom. 2- it was more decorative.

      While looking at the brackets, there were multiple types to choose from. There was a concealed type bracket, standard bracket, and a 'heavy load' bracket. Although I really hated the idea of having to see the bracket, and wanted to use the concealed bracket, I ended up going with the heavy load brackets. I chose the heavy load brackets because my photo albums are heavy, and just in case the kids yank on their shelving, there would be additional support if necessary.

      So, I picked my rain gutter style type, bracket type, and now all I had to do was pick the end caps (remembering to get a right and left side, for each shelf I was going to have, because having the flat back gutter, rather than the u shaped gutter meant that there would be a right and left side) and the glue to attach them. Now there were also two types of caps to pick from. There was a 'wrap around' type cap (not technical wording here)- which meant that it basically went around the back, bottom, and front of the gutter, and would be seen. The second option was an interior cap- which meant that the front of the shelf would be seamless, and more visually appealing. The interior cap is the one I wanted at first, but upon closer examination, and a little forward thinking...

...if my kiddos pulled on the front of the gutter in an attempt to get a closer look/pull themselves up, or pack the shelf too full, then depending on the strength of the glue, it could become unattached, and need repair. But most importantly, it may leave raw and sharp edges for possible scrapes or injuries. Never having worked with this glue nor this gutter system before, along with the fact that it is meant to be on a roof, out of prying/over stuffing situations, I decided to go with the 'wrap around' end caps. Plus this meant that i saved $8 because i didn't need to buy the glue.

      So, now I had all my supplies, I checked out. In total, I walked out of there spending about $60. This may seem like a lot at first. BUT... that is total price for 4 shelves, and I can take them with me and use them again whenever we move. If I would have just bought 4 shelves from the home interior department, it would have well exceeded that price. Plus I would have had much deeper shelving that stuck out a lot more, and not had the 'front view' display I was needing. I'd have to buy or make something to hold up the books and albums from falling over (book ends). Plus, I had already looked there and they didn't have all the widths I needed available, so I'd have to make the shelves, and sand and stain/paint them-which can get quite expensive. So, cheaper all around, and exactly what I needed. Now for the 'trial and ERROR'.

 

      So I cut up the vinyl gutter to my desired widths using my miter saw. (weird witdths I know, the measurements are due to my occasional weird stud placement, it's a very old house, and availability of room between obstacles)

2- 36" Wide

1- 28" Wide

1- 19 1/2" Wide

 

      Then I located my studs, installed my heavy load brackets, and made sure they were level using my 3' level.

 

      As I attempted to insert the gutter into the brackets I realized it didn't fit. After a bit of trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, I realized the heavy load brackets I bought were for the 'U shaped' gutter, not the flat back gutter. Grrr- So I had already drilled all my holes into my RENTAL house, so I could either uninstall those brackets, go get the new ones and install the proper ones, or get the other gutter. I went down to my hardware store to weigh my options of work required and price options. Turns out, there are NO heavy load brackets available for the 'pretty gutter type'. So now I could go with standard load brackets, and keep the pretty gutters (which also meant uninstalling, reinstalling, and more holes at home) or I could go with the less attractive, more secure (and less work) new rain gutter. I went with durability rather than visual appeal. It wasn't much to buy another gutter, and I figure maybe I can use the one I already have for shelving, or who knows what else, another time.

 

      So I went home, cut my new gutter to length, and installed it into my brackets. Once the brackets were mounted to the wall, it is basically a snap in system. I like that because it is easily unsnapped so i can clean out the gutter shelves over the garbage (so many crumbs accumulate in there, ughh). Also, I can clean the front of the shelves without the brackets getting in the way and dirt getting caught behind them. Also another 'trial and error': it was easier to put the end caps of the shelves on before installing into the brackets although it could be done either way, so yet another reason to be happy they were easily snapped in and out.

      So, now my rain gutter shelving is in, the kiddos (and I) love it, I have gotten many compliments on them, and my husband is happy 'cause it was super cheap, and he didn't have to do anything. lol.

(Above: album shelving on stair landing. Below: kids book shelving above their work area)

      If you like this idea, feel free to pin it, or contact me if you have any questions. If you think someone else will like it, please share it.