As a former English teacher and book lover I have always wanted a DIY little free library in my yard. As my little one got a bit older and absolutely fell in love with books I wanted a way for he and I to share our love of reading with our community, so I started my hunt for something to turn into a little free library.
Finding A Magazine Publication Box For Your Little Free Library
After several months searching Facebook Marketplace and inquiring about unused realty magazine boxes that I saw in convenience stores, I finally stumbled upon a beat up old magazine publication box cheap on Marketplace.
The first step to bringing life to your magazine box Little Free Library is to paint it!
How To Prep Your Little Free Library For Painting
Before painting, prep the surface of your little free library by sanding it. You don’t need to sand too deep, you just want to rough up the surface of the plastic enough so that the paint adheres better to the plastic. This will keep your paint from easily wearing and chipping in the weather.
After sanding, cover the window of your little free library with scrap paper or newspaper to prevent overspray on your window.
Painting Your Little Free Library
After you’ve roughed up the plastic with sandpaper and covered your window, start painting! I used Rustoleum spray paint in Antique White. It took 2 coats of paint to cover the entire box.
Jazzing Up The Window To Your Little Free Library
Many people want the windows of their little free libraries open to see the books inside, but I wanted to add a bit of texture to mine. I measured the inside size of the window and cut out a piece of scrapbook paper. My magazine box had a holder for adding something to the inside of the window. If yours doesn’t you could paint mod podge on the inside of the window and adhere your scrapbook paper to it before it dries.
To create the logo on the outside of my little free library I downloaded this free floral book SVG from Caluya Designs, added text, and used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out permanent vinyl for the front of my little free library window.
Filling Your Little Free Library With Sand
I needed to fill my library with sand to keep it stable in the wind and prevent theft. Unfortunately, the library that I bought was missing the cover for the hole where the sand is poured.
I had an old Rubbermaid container that was warped so, after filling the library with 50 lbs of quikcrete play sand, I used a pair of wire cutting shears to cut a piece off the lid of the Rubbermaid container to fit the hole.
I screwed the new piece of plastic over the hole in the library.
Grand Opening!
Finally, I filled my little free library with books for our grand opening!
Feedback
Did you DIY your own little free library? What did you use and how did it turn out? Let me know in the comments below!
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