Tools and Materials That Will Take Your Built-In DIYs To The Next Level

Built-in furniture is one of the best solutions that combines functionality with form. This can range from built-in book shelves, closets, window seats, dinettes, and plenty more and the best part is that you can customize them as you see fit for your space. While you might live in a home where built-ins already exist, but you can do it yourself relatively easy. Once you’ve done it, there are a few small ways that you can elevate your handiwork and make it look completely professional.

Crown Moulding

Adding in crown moulding, and also baseboards, can really take a project from looking like you’ve done it yourself to a completely professional look. Baseboards cover up any framing you might have added, and crown moulding elegantly covers up any gaps. Just make sure to align the crown moulding to the edge of the frame so that it blends flawlessly rather than looking like two separate pieces.

Laser Level

Using a laser level instead of a bubble level will allow you to check whether things are level for much larger distances, which really comes in handy when installing cabinets and making sure that they’re all aligned. The same goes for when you’re adding in hardware.

Wood Filler

Shelf holes are one of the biggest giveaways for pre-fabricated pieces. While they’re perfect for customizing drawers and shelves, but the holes are such an eyesore if left in the final product. You can fill them up with hole plus, but paintable wood filler is a much better solution. Wait until the filler has fully dried, about 24 hours, and then you can paint over the filler or sand it down to blend it completely.

Paintable Caulk

Using caulk is great to fill in gaps and a lot of DIY work forgets to utilize it. If you do end up using caulk for the final touches, make sure you get paintable caulk so that you can match it to your final paint color. Make sure you use the caulk in between the ceiling and crown moulding, baseboards and the frame, and also shelving and the frame.

Shellac-Based Primer

Make sure you never skip priming, even though it might seem like an unnecessary extra step, especially if you’re using 2 in 1 paint. However, primer will help the finish last much longer. You can get shellac-based primer to use with factory finished frames, like the ones you’d get at Ikea.