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Rolling Library Ladder

I have been obsessed with adding a rolling library ladder to our home forever. Since moving into our home over three years ago, we planned to build a wall of bookshelves in the office.  Meanwhile, all of our books were spread out through the house in closets and every nook and cranny we could put them in.  It was nearly impossible to find anything. Awhile back (while I was frustrated about having a book closet instead of a coat closet), I sketched up a plan. It looked so normal on that piece of paper. We debated DIYing some built-ins but ultimately decided to hand it over to a professional. We hired a guy to build them, and he built most of the shelves in his workshop.  He brought the shelves in and installed them in a day – the same day I was gone all day at the Indianapolis Home Show presenting. I came home to these gorgeous but GIGANTIC bookshelves.  I was slightly overwhelmed when I saw how large they are (you can click here to see how I tackled painting them). After realizing the massive size of these shelves required a rolling library ladder (at least that’s what I told my husband), I quickly embraced my mammoth-sized bookshelves. I partnered with Custom Service Hardware and together we created the perfect library ladder for our office. On their website (www.CSHardware.com) is an easy order form online where ladders are customized.  There are so many options – including the hardware finish (I selected black): These wheels roll amazingly well on the carpet (check out the video at the end of this post). There are also several types of wood to choose from (I selected the walnut): Our ladder is a 7-foot ladder with a 108-inch rail. The ladder was precut to size, but our rails came in (2) 6-foot sections.  This way we were able to place the seam in the center of our bookshelves (instead of offset).  We used a splice kit to connect the two rails (which is not noticeable at all).  To cut the rails, we had a friend help us since cutting the aluminum required a metal fine-tooth blade. I stained the ladder and my husband and I assembled it together which was a very simple project. I stained the walnut ladder with a dark walnut stain.  It brought out the wood grain and looks absolutely gorgeous. My husband hung the rail for me while I was running around doing other things.  CS Hardware provided great instructions, but hanging the rail did require some time and precision.
If you are looking for a library ladder (or barn doors, hidden bookcase doors, cabinets, mantels, or anything else you may need for your home), you need to check out Custom Service Hardware.  I was so impressed with everything from their gorgeous quality product to amazing customer service to fast shipping. Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home. Find me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Pinterest *This post is a sponsored post by Custom Service Hardware.  I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own.
Paint

Wagner Paint Sprayer

I have officially finished my biggest painting project so far, and I am so glad I had the Wagner paint sprayer to make the project easier. Since we moved into our home over three years ago, we have talked about building bookshelves in our office. Office Bookshelves | Wagner Paint Sprayer My husband comes from a long line of book hoarders, so we have a TON of books.  When we moved into our home, there were no bookshelves. For three years, the books have been hidden in closets, cabinets, lockers – if you opened a door on anything you were greeted by a stack of books. We originally planned on building the bookshelves ourselves but were a little overwhelmed and decided to hand them over to a professional. We hired the contractor who remodeled our bathroom to build the shelves. I sketched a plan for the bookshelves for our contractor, and he built most of the pieces in his workshop.  He installed them during one of my Home Show days.  I came home later that night to a gorgeous (but much more gigantic than I realized) wall of bookshelves. I was slightly overwhelmed and quickly contacted Wagner to see if they would partner with me on this project.  I couldn’t imagine how I would get a massive piece painted without a heavy-duty paint sprayer. This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy. I used Wagner’s FLEXio 890 paint sprayer and was very impressed.  I am all about storage, and I love how the sprayer all stores away inside the power box. I wanted the bookshelves to blend into the space rather than stand out more. I used Valspar’s Soulful Grey (formerly Valspar’s Woodlawn Colonial Gray).  My favorite thing about this sprayer is that I didn’t have to water down the (latex) paint.  It was WONDERFUL! The power cord and air hose are so long that I never had to use an extension cord (despite having to use a ladder to reach the top of the bookshelves). The only trouble I had was when I didn’t pay attention to the nozzle.  I eventually realized that I need to wipe it down fairly consistently.  Also, with the amount of paint I was spraying, I did end up need to rinse the nozzle a few times.  If you don’t stay on top keeping a clean nozzle, you can end up with splatters. Luckily once I cleaned the nozzle I was able to quickly fix (spray over) and fix my splatters. When the bookshelf was done (I primed one afternoon and painted the next), I rinsed off everything and put them away in the power box.  They are ready for my next project! Here’s a little video to show you how quiet but powerful this sprayer is: I’ll be sharing the bookshelves reveal very soon (and I’m excited to have room in our coat closet for coats)! Are you new to my blog? Go HERE to see my home tour and HERE to shop for items I use in our home. Find me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Pinterest *This post contains affiliate links and is a sponsored post by Wagner. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored, all the opinions are my own.