DIY Network

Steamer Trunk Bookcase From "From Junky to Funky" episode DFJF-107

In this segment, Designer Samantha Gleisten dresses up an old steamer trunk to offer the homeowner a place to store and display her book collection.

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This steamer trunk has been revived with paint, new hardware and chair legs creating a unique bookcase.

Materials:

Steamer trunk
Dining room chair legs
Cleaning supplies
Polish
Metal cleaners
Steel wool
Shoe polish
Dashboard cleaner
Baby oil
1" x 1" piece of wood
1/2" plywood
Wood stain
Paint
Sandpaper
Drywall
Drywall screws
Pliers
Scraper
Steamer
Table saw
Sander
Paintbrush

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

1. Clean the trunk, inside and out (figure A).

   Inside: Wash with soap, water and bleach. Leave an open container of kitty litter to absorb any mildew odor.

   Outside: Polish the metal pieces with assorted metal cleaners and steel wool. Clean and shine the exterior using shoe polish, dash board cleaner and baby oil.

2. Remove any unneeded internal pieces with pliers.

3. Strip the trunk internals. In this case, steaming the inside of the trunk and scraping the glue and wallpaper paste out was most effective.

4. Add shelving brackets (figure B). Use 1" x 1" pieces cut to approximately four inches.

5. Cut the wood for shelves out of 1/2" plywood (figure C).

6. Nose and stain the shelves.

7. Paint the interior of the trunk.

8. Attach the shelves to the trunk with drywall screws.

9. Create a base in which to attach the chair legs to the trunk using 2 x 4's cut to size.

10. Attach the chair legs through the 2 x 4's now located on the inside of the trunk.

11. Cover the base with an additional shelf, cut to size and stained.

12. Add a lip along the front of the bottom shelf to further hide the 2 x 4's.

Legs:

1. Measure the underside of the steamer trunk.

2. Lay out the dimensions on your tabletop with masking tape and a pencil. This will act as a template to work from.

3. Cut the back off the chair. Make sure your cuts allow for a level surface for the steamer trunk to sit on.

4. Disassemble the chair and sand the old finish off of all pieces. Make sure to scrape the glue out of all joints. Scraping the glue will help you avoid the headaches of cracking wood when you reassemble the chair.

5. Cut down all chair stretchers to shrink the dimensions of the chair so that it fits inside of your template.

6. Reassemble the chairs with dowels and glue.

7. Finish the chairs with a chosen stain and protective finish.

8. Add framing to the bottom of the inside of the steamer trunk to add structural support, and a sufficient amount of material to hold the screws for attaching the chair legs.

9. Attach the chairs to the base of the steamer trunk with screws, and then put the bottom shelves in place. If you planned well, your bottom shelves should cover all of your screw holes.

Project Expense:

Trunk, chair legs: Free
Wood for shelves: $12
Paint, stain: $15
Materials: $10

Total: $37