DIY Hidden Bookcase Door on a Budget

DIY Hidden Bookcase Door on a Budget

Add a DIY hidden bookcase door to your space on a budget, no expensive kit needed

Finally the project I have been waiting to complete ever since we moved into this house!

I am calling this portion of the project, part 3 of the hallway makeover. We have been working on this hallway for a little over a week. So far we have replaced the eye sore of a return air vent cover and elevated all the baseboards and door trim.

Now it’s time to address this odd linen storage situation. I’m not even sure what to call it since it’s not a full closet but also not really a cabinet…Just some built-in shelving with a large cabinet door attached.

Regardless of its true name, this storage situation is really awkward looking and needs an update.

So I decided it would be really cool to create a hidden bookcase type door that opened up to the rest of the storage area.

The only problem is that premade hidden bookcase door kits are really expensive…

So I decided to DIY my own hidden bookcase door instead and save us a bunch of money.

Supplies Needed for a Hidden Bookcase Door

There are a few ways to go about creating a hidden bookcase door so depending on your project you will have to choose what will be best for you.

You can either use a premade bookcase unit and add the hinges and trim to it, or you can build the door from scratch.

Our new bookcase door will not be a standard size so we had to build it from scratch.

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Hidden Bookcase Door Supplies:

• Hidden Hinges
• 1×6 Pine Boards
• Thing Plywood of Beadboard Paneling
• Square and Level
• Brad Nailer

I highly recommend the hidden hinge set we used, it came with templates and pretty good directions.

Prepping the Hidden Bookcase Opening

To start prepping our linen storage area for the new hidden bookcase door I removed the old door and trim work.

Next I made sure the opening was completely square and level everywhere. This is super important or the hidden door will not open and close correctly. I added shims and scrap wood pieces to the existing boards to achieve a plumb opening.

Then I made a template the width I wanted the bookcase door to be out of cardboard. I used a screw to attach it to the bottom of the opening where the hinge will be. Then I tested if the cardboard template could open and close without touching the sides of the opening.

Once I found a length that would clear the opening I used that measurement to build the bookcase off of.

Building the Bookcase Door

For this bookcase door I used 1×6 pine boards. I cut the top and bottom boards down to size based on the template I made.

For the two side pieces I measured the height of the opening and subtracted 2-3/16″ from that measurement. Two inches for the thickness of the top and bottom pieces and 3/16″ because that’s what my hinge called for.

After all the pieces were cut I sanded the boards with 220 grit sandpaper to prep them for when I was ready for stain.

Attaching the Hinges

This is the portion of this project I was slightly nervous about, attaching, well prepping the slots for the hinges.

My hinge set came with 4 different hinge parts, two for the top and two for the bottom. It also came with 4 templates to use and some pretty decent directions.

I laid the templates in place and followed the directions for the depth of wood that needed to be grooved with the router. One thing that really helped me was labeling each piece of the bookcase wood and marking which side the hinge would be on.

Another thing that made this project easier for me was removing the top frame board of the opening and routing it for the hinge before reinstalling it. Routing upside down just didn’t seem like the best way to go about that…

The biggest piece of advice I have for this portion is to make sure the hidden hinges you choose come with templates and good directions. Check the reviews for the hinges and see what real people had to say about the install process.

Assembling the Hidden Bookcase

After the hidden hinge grooves were cut I started to assemble the hidden bookcase structure.

I used adhesive and nails to set the pieces, then I double checked that the corners were square before adding two 1-1/4″ screws to each end.

Next, I added two more 1×6 pine boards to the inside of the bookcase unit for shelving.

After the hidden bookcase structure was assembled I grabbed some scrap beadboard panels I had and used those for backing. You could also use a thin plywood sheet ripped down to size.

Attach the backing with more adhesive and finishing nails to the back of the bookcase unit.

Right now it looks kind of plain but the bookcase will look fancier once the trim goes on I promise!

Installing the Hidden Bookcase Door

Finally I attached all the hidden hinges to the bookcase unit and the opening using the screws they provided.

Then I slid the unit into place and made sure that it would open and close without hitting anything or dragging on the opening. Don’t misunderstand, this step was awkward and I required Adam’s help to navigate the bookcase unit into place while I stood on the ladder and adjusted the hinges as per the directions.

By the end of this portion of the install I was just so relieved that everything worked out, it didn’t matter that I was slightly sweaty from the effort.

Here is the hidden bookcase installed but trim-less. It looks scary right now but it is about to get better I promise!

Trimming the Hidden Bookcase

Trimming out the hidden bookcase will vary slightly based on your application.

Our hidden bookcase door is above our large air return vent so all the sides can’t have the same size trim boards.

The bottom trim board is a 1×2 pine board and the other three boards are 1×3 pine boards. The board on the right side is attached to the bookcase door but the other three boards are attached directly to the wall around it.

Be sure when attaching the trim around the bookcase door that the door can still swing open smoothly without hitting any of the trim pieces.

To make this hidden bookshelf trim a little fancier I added a 1×6 board to the top and a small piece of detailed trim to the bottom of that board. Then I topped the 1×6 with a 1×2 board, matching the door trim in the hallway.

After all the trim pieces were attached I filled in all the nail holes and caulked all the seams.

Finishing the Hidden Bookcase Door

Now that the hidden bookcase door is built, installed, and trimmed out, it’s time to finish it!

I will be honest, I think painting the entire bookcase door would have been easier but since the beginning of this makeover I envisioned a dark wooden bookcase.

So I went with Early American stain by Minwax. I applied multiple coats to achieve an even stain color on all the pieces.

I even stained the bead board which I was not sure would turn out right but it ended up looking exactly how I wanted it to!

DIY Hidden Bookcase Door on a Budget Reveal

Finally our DIY hidden bookcase door is complete and it might be the coolest thing I have ever DIY-ed!

I am in love with how grand it looks and all the character it adds to our hallway. I also really love that I didn’t lose any storage but instead gained a cute spot to add some decor.

The shelves are the perfect size for small decor pieces and you would never know that there is a ton of linen storage behind it.

This hidden bookcase door actually flows well with our DIY large return air vent cover too so that is a huge bonus.

I will say the most difficult part of this project is making sure the initial hinge measurements are correct, take your time during that part to make sure everything is set up correctly.

The rest of this DIY project is really simple and saved us so much money compared to the pre-made hidden door kits.

Next up we will be adding wallpaper to the hallway ceiling and changing out the door hardware. Follow along as we wrap this budget hallway makeover up!

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How To Update Baseboards and Door Trim on a Budget

DIY Budget Friendly Air Return Vent Cover

How to Build Built In Bookshelves on a Budget

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