We built our bookcase from pine, however, most in-stock wood available at your local hardware store will also work. If you want to stain the bookcase, maple and poplar are ideal since they take stain evenly. If you’d like, you can finish the shelf with a few coats of polyurethane to allow the natural beauty of the wood to shine through. You’ll need an afternoon or evening to build the bookcase, plus an hour or so to finish with stain or paint. Make sure you’re comfortable sawing, gluing, and clamping, as all three skills are needed for this project. Editor’s tip: If you’re planning on leaving the wood unfinished, only mark on the edges (rather than drawing lines across the board) to avoid pencil marks. Editor’s tip: To prevent the wood pieces from moving, drill both screws halfway to start before finishing. Be careful not to screw through ladder sides.
