Can we talk about how long it takes to actually fix a leaning bookshelf?

I spent a solid 45 minutes trying to level my old particle board shelf with folded cardboard shims and it still wobbles when I put a hardcover on it. The other option was buying a $30 metal bracket and wood shims from the hardware store, which took maybe 15 minutes to install and worked perfectly. So here's the debate: is it worth wasting time on the cheap, jury-rigged fix or should you just spend the money and do it right the first time? I'm leaning toward the second approach now, but I also have a stack of cardboard I feel bad about tossing. Has anyone else had a simple shelf issue turn into a way longer project than it should have been?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew551mo ago

Yeah man, I've been there. I spent two hours trying to fix a wobbly desk with scrap wood and ended up just buying a pack of furniture levelers for 8 bucks. Five minutes later it was solid. The cardboard shims always seem like a good idea until you realize you're just going to have to do it again in a month.

robert_bell1mo ago

Haha @drew55 you're speaking my language! I did the exact same thing with a nightstand last summer. Cut up a cereal box, stacked it under one leg, thought I was a genius. Three weeks later it was worse than before because the cardboard just flattened out. Ended up buying those little adjustable feet for like six bucks and now the thing is rock solid. Isn't it funny how we'll waste hours trying to avoid spending pocket change? I swear half my DIY projects could've been solved by just giving up and buying the right part from the start. You'd think I'd learn, but nope, next time I'll probably try to level something with a wadded up napkin.