Small Unfinished Bookshelf - July 24, 2011

Bookshelf Before
(if you look closely at back of shelves, you'll see the mold)

Bookshelf Before

I found this little unfinished bookshelf at an antique store just up the road.  Kyle will need a small bookshelf for his schoolbooks in a few weeks, so I was on the hunt for something just right...I can't believe I actually found something so perfect for the little space in his office.

I was taking our two Golder Retrievers to the vet on Friday, and decided to go a totally different route to change up the scenery a little bit.  I literally drove by two antique/thrift stores on my way there that I never knew existed...coincidence?  I think not.

This little bookshelf had some water damage on the top and inside the shelves.  The shop owners had a little waterfall sound machine sitting on it, but they didn't realize it was causing mold to grow on the inside of the shelves...yuck, yuck, yuck.

Water damage on top, mold growing inside...yucky!

I sanded most of the mold away, but you still have to kill it completely.  I made a 1 parts bleach to 10 parts water mixture in a little spray bottle and with a toothbrush (no, not Kyle's) scrubbed the moldy areas...sprayed and scrubbed, sprayed and scrubbed, sprayed and scrubbed.  Took a little elbow grease and some time, but bleach will completely kill the mold, you must kill it or it will return!  Especially on wood.  I made sure to let it completely dry over night so it would be ready to paint the next day!

Bookshelf After

Bookshelf After

Top of Bookshelf After (no more mold!)

The next day, I checked the entire piece to make sure it was mold free after drying over night.  It was, the bleach mixture was successful!  I painted it a color called "Promenade" that we had leftover from painting one of the bedrooms, a light green-blue.  I love this color, and love even more that it's not going to waste.  After two coats of paint, the bookshelf for Kyle's new office is now complete!

Bookshelf After

Bookshelf After (perfect fit!)