How to Build Built-In Shelving in an Alcove

An alcove built-in turns dead wall space into the most useful storage in the house. The trick is shimming for a level finish in an unlevel wall.

Measure the alcove top, middle, and bottom — almost no alcove is square. The narrowest dimension governs your cabinet width; the rest you fill with scribed trim later.

Build the shelf box as a single unit if it fits through the door, or as a base cabinet and upper shelving unit if not. Use 3/4" plywood (birch or maple) for the carcass with dadoes routed for each shelf — dadoes are stronger and easier to install square than pocket-screwed shelving.

Slide the unit into the alcove and shim it level front-to-back and side-to-side using cedar shims. Screw through the cabinet sides into wall studs (find with a stud finder, drill pilots first). Add a face frame of poplar 1x2s glued and nailed to the front edges to hide the plywood and provide a finished look.

Scribe-fit a 1x4 trim board on each side and across the top to close the gap between the cabinet and the alcove walls. Caulk, prime, paint — looks like it was built with the house.

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