20 Best Wood For Bookshelves (2022 Updated)

Very sturdy bookcase. The finish is lovely and the shelves can hold substantial weight. For the price and the size this thing is fantastic. A note on assembly. It is not overly difficult, but you absolutely need two people.

Each piece is heavy on its own and it takes one person just to hold pieces for another person to attach the screws. Also, you must absolutely assemble this piece in the spot you intend to put it. Its very heavy to move once assembled.

The directions for this project were HORRIBLE and nothing was labeled. At the very end we had to take the back off and redo the the top and bottom pieces because they were uneven. Although we thought we we paid attention to the pictures, we ended up missing a step of attaching the mouldings because 2 steps were combined in one picture and it wasn’t CLEAR.

This step would have made the top and bottom pieces line up properly- it was just a clusterfu** and headache- after all that work. Hope this helps someone out when they assemble theirs. Otherwise, the bookcase is gorgeous.

I, myself, would’ve added stickers with “A” “B” etc. and a few extra words to help the consumer- it would have made a world of difference.

This shelf is perfect for our living room that has a lot of tall windows. The shelf is really nice looking, and functional, without covering up the windows because it is nice and low. Also it was one of the few tables in the right gray that I wanted.

It doesn’t have a ton of storage space, but enough for books, magazines, and a nice surface for decorating. This is a great addition to the room without overwhelming it. Unlike some of the other reviews, it appears to be made quite well and is a great value.

Pros: Great value, perfect height.

This bookcase would be very nice, but when it comes with multiple pieces dented and corners dented and crumbling it is very frustrating. It costs too much to arrive with so many issues. Every shelf had a big dent right in the front and center.

The top piece had two corners damaged. There were other pieces with dents and corners cracking/damaged that were less noticeable once put together.

I couldn’t wait to write a review on this bookcase. I read previous reviews before I purchased it and they were all on point. The company needs 5 stars just because they seem to understand just what the customer wants.

I am female, 64 yrs. old and put this bookcase together by myself!!!. Two people would be great to assemble this, but I had to handle it alone. The quality is fantastic, it is heavy, nice paint, heavy adjustable shelves, stylish and most of all easy to assemble.

The only thing that I had difficulty with when assembling was one of the screw casing, which was defective, but other than that everything was well labeled, and easy. I really appreciate how well the instructions were and illustrations which made it so easy to assemble.

I simply love, love this bookcase. I may order another one. If you are looking for a great product, reasonably priced, easy to assemble, choose this one, you won’t be disappointed. I give it a high five!!!!! Perfect for me.

I couldn’t find the one I have on here. I got this book shelf two years ago and it is still holding strong. I put my favorite books a long with a row of my daughters and use it for decor in my dining room.

I ordered it from Amazon. I love it and it’s nothing fancy but it can be fixed up however you like.

Owning five older Sauder bookshelves that we were quite happy with, I bought two new ones. One was to specifically hold an existing set of Easton Press’ 100 Greatest Books. Admittedly, these are heavy leather bound books.

However, the older Sauder bookshelves easily handled them. After I put the two new ones together and moving the older ones to another room so as to have the same two in one room, after a week I saw the adjustable shelves were sagging.

Customer Service was sympathetic but offered zero solutions. They just kept saying there was a 30 lb weight limit on the adjustable shelves. I find it odd that the old shelves had no problem handling the weight but the new ones do.

I can only assume Sauder has gone cheap and somewhere along the line has started using lower quality materials. Sad to see another good American company go to the dogs.

The instructions were detailed and easy to follow. The components, hardware, and tools were complete. Assembly is easier with two people. One drawback: the pins for the hidden cams could be a bit longer for added stability.

We bought two bookcases. The first one we assembled as a complete unit on the floor. When we tried to raise the shelves, the upper and lower sections separated, stripping the holes a bit. So, we separated the units, and lifted and placed the upper unit on top of the lower, and then retightened the hidden cams (bookcase looks good and feels solid).

For the second bookcase, we will assemble the upper and lower sections separately,* and then place the upper on to the lower, tighten the hidden cams, and add the final screws to secure the back panels.

*I feel confident with this approach because the individual components come together so well.

I like the color, but the pieces don’t fit great together – there are noticeable spaces between the parts. Also, after you put it together and try to stand it up, you can feel that it is not very sturdy.

This is because the two main sections of the bookcase (top and bottom) are held together by four long screws, but I’m afraid that if you try to move it a normal way (like if you laid it down on the side and one guy holds the top part while another holds the bottom part), the wood will rip around the screws.

This is because the wood is not great quality – I’m not an expert, but it looks to me like the wood is made out of wood pieces, not single planks of wood. Which is fine for the price – I mean, if you want single planks of wood, I highly doubt that you could get it at these prices.

So that’s why I gave it 3 out of 5 stars – the end product is fine, not great. I wish the pieces would fit better together and that the two main parts weren’t held together by just four screws.

I love these shelves and would buy them again. The shelves are solid, the color matches my other furniture, they were easy enough to install, it all went without a hitch. They’re really heavy though, so I had to unpack the box on the sidewalk out front and bring it in piece by piece! The only thing I wish were different is that at least one of the shelves have a different height.

They’re all exactly the same distance apart, so if you have some taller books or knickknacks, they won’t fit. But at the price I got them for, I am not complaining!.

I ordered 1 of these with the intention of buying more, but I’m stopping where I’m at. It seems sturdy enough and the leveling pads could come in handy if the floor was off level, but my unit had dings on all 3 of the adjustable shelves, all on one corner where they were packed together.

Apparently all 3 were dropped while packing. The sides are interchangeable, which is a good thing, since both of them had dings as well, but by orienting them correctly I managed to hide the dings. I spent 40 minutes online with Staples Chat Live and she ordered me a 2nd unit to replace the initial buy.

The problem there is that what I wanted her to do was order just the 3 shelves, but as I was typing in the correction she ended the chat, so I called Staples and spent 5 minutes with them, explained the problem, but she couldn’t stop the shipment in time.

What I was expected to do was unbox the whole unit (and that’s not easy the way that it’s packed without tearing up the box), pull out the 3 shelves that I needed and then re-pack it for a return. Customer service did however provide me with Hon, the manufacturer’s parts number, and I called them and got the 3 shelves that I needed.

Furthermore, the radius edges don’t line up exactly with either the sides or the top, as they’re a small piece of real wood. I expected better quality for this price, but it’s just not there. I received the 2nd unit that Staples shipped and opened it to discover that it had minor flaws as well.

Overall, it’s not worth the money, but I have it and it’s together. It got 3 stars because it does seem quite sturdy and as long as you don’t go over it with a close eye you can’t find the flaws.

I got this bookcase to hold all of my heavy legal books. I contacted HON to confirm that this shelf could actually hold 100pounds per shelf. I have at least 60 pounds of books on this shelf and I don’t have any problems.

The bookcase is very sturdy. The engineered wood is of excellent quality. The back panel is made of board and is thick as well. Assembly was easy. I assembled it alone and it took me 2 hours. (I was really taking my time.

) Since it is pretty heavy, having someone else to help you would be ideal. I also recommend using a power screwdriver. Oh, and the instructions are wrapped in the back panel. I thought they hadn’t included the instructions until I looked there.

I have no complaints. I would definitely purchase this item again. It’s well worth the higher price.

Nice and sturdy, quick and easy to assemble. Product comes well packaged and in very very good condition.

The size and color of these are good. The overall quality is OK. They’ll work for my home office. Two warnings1. These are NOT solid wood, although they show up in the “solid wood bookcase” searches.

They’re particleboardMDF with a veneer. But the veneer seems pretty solid, and the pieces (walls and shelves) are pretty thick. I also like that the back is one solid piece that’s about 316” thick, so it looks nice.

2. The screws that they provide (that connect into cam bolts) go in very tightly and the heads are very soft. Even using a screwdriver and working carefully I started stripping some of the heads and ended up having to use robogrip pliers to finish tightening them in (3-5 full turns, so I wasn’t close).

I really needed this color so I went with this. If I didn’t have such a specific color need, I would’ve preferred truly solid wood or plywood, with better quality hardware.

My bookshelf arrived later than expected but when the van that transported this bookshelf arrived to my home, the driver informed me that the box it came in was in such bad state that I would likely need to consider refusing it.

He open the truck doors so he could show me the box it came it. It was such a mess and completely damage. I rejected the shipment and had to contact Houzz to let them know that I could not accept delivery.

Thank goodness I was home and did not have it left on my front door. Houzz asked me if I wanted another shipped but I decided I did not want to do that and requested a full refund. I have ordered before from Houzz and never had this happen.

I think it was a just a bad shipment and I do not think it has anything to do with ordering from Houzz. Just unfortunate.

This bookcase looks nice and is very sturdy. The middle 2 shelves however are not adjustable and leave only a 9. 75 inch opening. This opening is too narrow to stand most books on end so that their binding can easily be read.

I needed a shelf like this for my home office to aid the control of added paper due to remote working. Perfect height and width – nice quality for the money. My only disappointment is that the metal has a blue over color of blue which cheapens the overall look (and doesn’t go with other furniture in room).

Nothing in description indicated that the color would not be as in the photos (aged iron). I’m going to attempt to change the color of the metal with paint. I recommend if you don’t mind the blue color.

The shelf is fantastic, but the description is lacking. The dimensions are off because the width does not account for the bars on the end. Therefore it is closer to 66” rather than 64”. Additionally, the iron work is described as pewter and looks more charcoal/black; however, in person the color is much more blue.

All of this was fine for us, but I do think it is worth mentioning.

Very professional looking and heavy duty pieces of furniture. There are 38 pieces of wood plus related hardware in the kit, and it took me 4-5 hours to assemble. These are 3 separate free-standing pieces of furniture.

If they are grouped together, then plan on shimming the bottom(s) so there are no gaps from the floor to top; i. e. , all vertically parallel aligned. Be sure to secure them to the wall at the top.

I ordered 2 units. I love these, they came in so useful with me being a book hoarder and my books were everywhere. I also homeschool 3 children and have many books for that purpose. The units were very easy for me to put together and were a lot heavier than I had thought they would be.

Very pleased with the product. Arrived in great shape and all pieces where there. very well packaged.

This cabinet unit exceeded my expectations. It was challenging but simple to assemble. The instructions were among the best I have ever encountered. They were easy to follow. The illustrations were right on point, The completed unit is built like a military tank.

I am happy and thrilled with the completed project!.

I bought this for my home office. I had an old roll top desk and wanted a bookcase to match. National business furniture sent me a wood sample and it matched great. It came sooner than I was expecting even with me ordering it in December (it came before Christmas).

I had a problem with delivery company since it was a different company as I requested in house delivery. I called National business furniture and they quickly settled the problem and the bookcase was delivered quickly.

Am very happy with my purchase.

These bookcases are very attractive and are perfect for our space. We were especially impressed with how carefully they were packaged for shipment.

Perfection from ordering to delivery to assembly to final look. Packaging was more sustainable than most. The screw holes are completed and the screws are metallic. Easy assembly. Some thought went into manufacturing and packaging this product.

My only disappointment is that the height of the shelves was not available in the description. I did not correctly estimate and could not use it in the way that I expected.

Even better than I expected! A nice, sturdy, attractive piece that works wonderfully in my breakfast for extra storage. I was somewhat disappointed that no assembly directions were included, resulting in taking my husband and me almost two hours to assemble.

I have a small room where I watch TV and want something to sit under my wall-mounted TV that won’t take up much space. The open design helps the table to not feel like it’s taking up a lot of space. The open shelving will allow me to purchase baskets or some other type of modern storage.

This a high quality bookcase. The wood is so nice, I decided not to paint it, but look for the simplest way to preserve the surface looking as natural as possible. It’s very heavy. The opposite of cardboard.

It doesn’t take up much space, but should hold a good number of books. I like that you can adjust the height on a couple of shelves. It’ll be great for the guest room I’m setting up for my grandchildren.

It’s not so hard to assemble, but it was a bit tricky to line up the pegs when putting on the second side. I suggest you don’t tighten the bolts all the way till both sides are on. To finish it off properly, it’s best to use a power drill.

It allows you to be able to screw the two adjustable shelves in place, but I don’t think that’s necessary.

originally ordered 2. now added a third one. Very well packaged. No damage. No missing hardware. Easy to assemble. Very solid hard wood construction. Back panel is a solid piece but the usual thin compressed product which most furniture today uses.

Good news is there are two solid wood strips to support in the back and the panel slides into grooves for more support. Hardware for assembly consists of heavy metal screws with washers. Very easy and sturdy.

Not as cheep as some shelves but doesn’t look cheep. Looks great. Hint: I started by putting the top piece flat on floor and attaching sides. Then add the bottom. Basically build upside down. Was easier for me.

The bookcase is reasonably attractive, sturdy and fairly easy to put together, although the instructions are very limited and contain no information on staining/painting. There is no website to check for further information on assembling, only a phone number (answering machine, I left a question, but never received a return call).

I was to assemble the top, bottom and stationary shelves to one side, then attach the other side. If I did it again, I would assemble as instructed, except for the top. After the shelves and bottom are attached to both sides, then turn upright and attach the top.

That way there won’t be a space the sides to the top of the case, it would look more professional. Also the screws for the backboards (which are flimsy) are self drilling. It would have been nice to note that in the instructions.

As far as finishing, I would look online for further info. I stained my island water, but didn’t use a stain prep product and the staining ended up slightly blotchy, but it still looks nice. PLUS, the only tool needed is a phillips screwdriver.

No drill needed. I will likely buy another parawood piece from IC.

I was very impressed with the quality, design and workmanship of the bookcase. The packaging for shipping was excellent as well. This product exceeded my expectations and if I had more room in my home, I would order another one or two bookcases now.

I highly recommend purchasing from Martin Furniture. I have ordered so many items on-line that disappoint with poor quality and this item was the exact opposite – really terrific and I love it!.

I bought this headboard because I needed a place to put things, but don’t really have space in my bedroom for nightstands. This headboard not only fits the bill, but it looks great. I can store my books, magazines, glasses, creams, lotions, etc.

in what amounts to four good sized cubby holes and two bed-long shelves. The best part about it is the shelves are reversible. You can put them either to the left or the right, depending on how you want to set up your bedroom.

Now, while the directions “require” you to have 2 people to put this together, it’s not exactly necessary. Just lay it on the floor and manuever everything into place as if it were standing. I put it together alone, and didn’t have any real problems.

Note: this unit is NOT for people who use their furniture hard. You do get what you pay for, as in it’s made of MDF with an espresso veneer. But if you don’t abuse your furniture and you read up on how to keep MDF clean (Don’t soak it with water or cleaning fluids!!! Use furniture polish wipes.

) it should last for years. Also, if you’re going to put together furniture, invest in a rubber mallet to tap the “wood” into place without damaging it, a small, lightweight hammer for nailing in cardboard backings, and a palm sized cordless screwdriver – great for tight spaces and getting in the many, many screws that come with these sorts of DIY projects.

It’s the best way to make sure the furniture goes together securely and doesn’t wobble.

This product was packed well and does not require any assembly other than putting the shelves where you want them. The reason for 4 stars is that there are some of the components that are not solid hardwood and are made of the fiber/particle board.

I was looking for a basic 6-shelf bookcase to replace one I moved to another room; nothing fancy, and it’s for an extra room we don’t use much any more so the appearance isn’t critical. It’s a nice, solid bookcase.

Everything was clearly labeled, and the instructions were fairly clear. (I did have to study them a bit to make sure I knew exactly what to do, but I figured it out without any real trouble. ) I have two general concerns (which is why I just rated it average): 1) One of the sides had a really bad scratch; one of the adjustable shelves was scratched, and the back had a damaged corner (although in a place that doesn’t show when the shelf is assembled).

If I really cared, I would have called to get replacement pieces, but as I said this is for a room we don’t use much. If this was for our living room, I probably would have tried to get replacements.

2) The assembly was straightforward, *except* that I couldn’t get the screws to for the back to go in (except for the two that had holes pre-drilled). They should pre-drill holes for all of them! I ended up using nails to make holes for the screws, and I *still* couldn’t get the screws all the way in (maybe I need a better screwdriver); in the end I hammered the screws in the rest of the way, which worked fine.

I have one minor complaint as well: the wood pieces had numbered stickers on them to identify them (which was helpful), and the stickers were hard to get off and left residue of glue on the wood! I will probably be able to wash it off, but why can’t they use a less permanent glue? (At least where it was possible the stickers were on the side of the wood that doesn’t show, so I just left those on).

This is a very good bookcase, and a real value for the price. Kind of tricky to assemble because the instructions are not great. Several little finicky things I had to figure out for myself, such as the shelf pegs.

Better images would help. The whole back screws on, which adds strength. Needs better packing, because when I got it the back was falling apart, and some of the contents were sloshing around. This resulted in some of the veneer getting scratched, which I really didn’t mind, but others might.

But all in all a super solid piece. I recommend it.

The construction of the bookcase seems solid enough. The shelves and side panels are level and even. The adjustable feet are a very nice addition. The color is lighter than expected, but looks nice. I would consider this to be on the very light side of Espresso and recommend being careful if matching with darker Espresso furniture.

The shelves are fixed, yet the manufacture deemed it necessary to include side panels that have adjustable holes pre-drilled. Overall, I would rate this product as just as an okay purchase at full price.

I’ve bought a number of these bookcases over the years, usually from bricks and mortar stores. Now that I’ve set them up, these bookcases will likely serve their intended purpose and not collapse under the weight of books or anything like that.

Still, I have to say that they are inferior in quality to the others I own: the wooden side supports are thinner; the construction is flimsier and the finish is so light (I’m not referring to the color here, which is fine) as to make them almost indistinguishable from unfinished wood.

So, I’m satisfied with the purchase, but a little disappointed by the quality of these bookcases.

This is a classic design for shelves, easy to set up and use. I have bought similar shelves from other vendors before, and used them for years. These were much cheaper, and as expected, they use noticeably thinner cuts of wood.

They sway under the weight of my books. I do not expect them to last as long as my other ones. Nevertheless, for what I paid, I am satisfied.

I bought two of the honey oak folding book cases. They required no assembly or tools, instead, they were ready to use straight out of the boxes. One thing I discovered is you can access items from the shelf below by lifting the shelf above them.

They are also stackable but I have mine side by side. These would also go nicely in a tiny house since they are not bulky but very sturdy since they are solid wood.

I wanted something modern and not bulky to display favorite items and books in my bedroom. This is perfect. It’s sturdy and looks expensive. There is plenty of room to display art pieces and books. The dimensions are great because it’s not too tall and I was able to hang a picture above it.

It replaced a regular tall bookcase that just didn’t look great in a bedroom. I love this piece.

I love it! I was worried about the quality but I worried for nothing! Beautiful color, quality and perfect to show off some of your prized treasures! Pieces were also clearly marked which made it easy to assemble.

I own 8 of these wonderful Java folding bookcases, 4 sets of 2 stacked shelves, and the quarter-circle corner tower that tragically is no longer available. They flank the long desk in my office and have an awesome impact without being heavy-looking.

I bought the first set in 2003 as a single gal who needed something easy, mobile, and because I love the look of the airy, open shelves. They look as good as that first day. Over time, I’ve added a husband, all of his books, and 6 more Java sets.

They’ve moved to 4 different houses and been rearranged several more times than that. They’ve held up perfectly and we have every square inch of them loaded with books, including some VERY thick, heavy books.

I hope they never stop making these because we have 3 kids who now need shelves in their rooms and I don’t ever plan to stop buying books. I just wish the quarter-circle option was still available! It’s the perfect end-cap to the stacked towers.

If you happen to have two lying around in a storage room somewhere, I’ll gladly take them off your hands.

I first bought these shelves 5 years ago. I’ve been amazed at their sturdiness, years of supporting medical texts and stacks of RPG books and still no sign of bowing in the middle. They’ve also traveled well, literally across country from SC to WA.

The two stack is easy to disassemble and fold down, then restack once you’re at your new place. Overall just very happy with these and I’ll be buying more soon since there’s room for more books now.

It’s been a hassle since I picked it up at the store. The carton it came in was too big to fit in the trunk of my mid-size car. Unpacking it from the carton made a huge mess, and the unit was filthy.

The shelf surfaces and edges are very rough. I used all-surface wipes to clean it, and the shelf edges shredded the wipe. Even the shelf surfaces were difficult to clean well because they’re not smooth.

The bottom is particularly rough. I have it sitting on carpet, but I would never consider putting it directly on a hardwood floor. I have other similar folding bookcases, purchased elsewhere, and they are of much higher quality than this one.

I would take it back if not for the inconvenience. I’m not planning to stack it so can’t really speak to whether it is sturdy when stacked. The Container Store usually has good-quality products, but this is junk.

I only gave it 2 stars because I think it will work OK as a bookcase. If other customers got the same product, I’m baffled how it has an average rating of 4. 8.

These did not turn out as expected. I bought the wall unit and two additional bookshelfs. They were made in Viet Nam and the workmanship was atrocious. The major parts are made from low quality engineered wood.

The sides were not straight they were bowed. The finish was very rough. I needed to adjust the shelves and after removing one found the pin on the shelf bracket would not fit the other holes drilled in the side.

They actually drilled the wrong size hole or used the wrong size bracket. I simply had Havertys come take them back.

I truly love the entire collection of Martin’s Landing. We got the book cases, desk, file cabinet, and chairs. It’s an executive collection and makes you feel so professional and important to be using such quality furniture.

The chair is comfortable and the desk and file cabinet have a lot of room for storage. The cherry wood color is vibrant and just needs dusting and polishing to maintain the rich look. I would recommend the entire collection to anyone.

Very Nice addition to my office, it is sturdy yet soft and classy. The cabinet are well made and adds storage space for unsightly items. HP Printer fit on the unit and can store all supplies in cabinet below.

All instruction for attaching to the wall were with unit and easy to follow. very pleased with this purchase.

The Kamloo is a superior product line that comes with a very reasonable price tag. This new Shelf that I purchased is a wonderful compliment to my other Kamloo items that I purchased from 1StopBedroom.