The Bad & the GOOD with Billy Bookcase Part II

Falling in love often means heartbreak. Billy was no different. Just like having to kiss a few frogs to find Prince Charming (Where he at already? Dayum!), I had to return the corner bookshelf for my library to look its best. When I tell you, I was devastated…

That corner piece was my favorite part of the Ikea bookcases’ aesthetic. Without consulting my brother Cliff, I figured he’d be able to build a mini-corner bookcase to utilize the corner space.

He later confirmed he could. That’s why I mention this in Part 2, the GOOD. Pause and read Part 1 the BAD, if you haven’t already.

Two-toned Billy looks beautiful. Gorgeous. Amazing. Don’t you dare call him dark and light blue. He’s Midnight Navy and Lapis. It was a process selecting two blue hues that look good together. You don’t realize how many shades there are until you’re perusing a fan deck.

It’s like when you go to the nail salon and have to select a color from dozens of painted fake nails. If you’re indecisive like me, you spend a ridiculous amount of time debating between two colors that are barely discernible from each other. The nail clipping and scrubbing parts of my pedicure are almost done and I’m still deciding.

Well, imagine making that decision for your favorite room in your new home. I recruited Fredo (real name Karl), the paint store attendant, to help me choose when I spent lunch break (or two or three) at the store. I could take swatches home, but the in-store fan deck has more selections. Plus, I liked having an immediate second opinion. He’d shown me some of his home projects, so I trusted his taste.

The first time I walked into the store, Fredo was testing different shades and finishes of green for a home stenciling project. I knew we’d get along. Green is my favorite color and future color of my bedroom…when I decide on a shade(s).

The original plan was to color-drench the library in blue: walls, ceiling, and bookcases. But I liked the idea of having a different color backsplash. Also, I was having trouble deciding whether to go dark or light.

I hate gloss finish, but it makes sense for the shelves. They’ll be easier to dust. I tolerate glossy walls in the bathroom. I make the walls sweat when I shower. Dried water against matte doesn’t look good. I guess I’ll have to go with a semi-gloss for the kitchen cabinets, also for cleaning purposes.

But I digress. Back to the library.

Midnight Navy in eggshell for the walls, Midnight Navy in satin for the bookcase exterior and shelves, eggshell Lapis for the backsplash and ceiling.

Little did I know that painters use something called a shield when they don’t use tape. Picture a spatula 10x its regular size. Cliff also had a smaller one. It’s held against the part you want to protect, and causes laser-straight edges. It’s as sexy as a man with a fresh shape-up.

I thought I wanted beautiful, crisp lines of demarcation, but when I saw how pretty the Midnight Navy splatter looked against the white backsplash, I imagined it would look even prettier against the Lapis.

It looked funky and artsy.

 I had my brother stop spray-painting the exterior to do the backsplash first.

He wasn’t too pleased with that decision. It meant having to pour out the paint and wash the one working spray gun. I said I’d do it while he took a break.

He taught me how when I had to clean the other two spray guns that, unfortunately, were nonfunctioning from not being cleaned by prior users.

I’m proud to know how to disassemble, assemble, clean, fill, empty, and adjust a spray gun’s nozzle. Basically, how to use a spray gun, but you need to see all that entails. My tub looked a mess after cleaning, but nothing baking soda couldn’t handle.

While we’re at it, I also now know how to use a power sander, and charge portable power tool batteries. Have I used my power drills yet? No. Cliff did. He also came with his own. I learned the hack of placing tape in a V-shape on the paint gallon to make a spout for easier pouring. Of course, I’ve painted before. Brush and roller. My brother was impressed with my 10+-year-old roller extender. It has soft padding. How you like me now?

Not funny, funny: Cliff walked into the bathroom and admonished me for cleaning the spraygun while it was still plugged. I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course, he teased me in a brotherly way that even I had to laugh.

We took turns pointing out ways to work smarter, not harder, which led to more teasing and laughter. Sometimes in my attempt to help, I slowed him down.

“My name is Cliff. I have muscles. I can move things by myself.” I teased.

I asked a lot of questions, which seemed to annoy him perhaps because he thought I was doubting him. On the other hand, and more often, questions allowed him to nerd out, sharing his knowledge and passion. While his wide eyes glistened with excitement, mine s glazed over, even though I was happy to see him happy.

“Cliff, I don’t speak German.” He’d laugh and get the picture. I had to say the same to Karl at the paint store.

In Part 1, you learned about some of the delays that ate into our time, like having to make a trip to Lowe’s (or was it Home Depot?). I kicked my brother out Saturday afternoon so he could drive back to Boston to rest before his double shift the next day.

I could handle anything left undone, which was mostly touching up lighter spots, moving the bookcases into place once fully dry (I broke a sweat), and cleaning up. My apartment was a mess of painter’s tape, protective floor covering, disposable gloves, yellow microfiber towels, tools, and other do-dads he brought, anticipating other projects. Wallpapering the bathroom will have to be another trip.

Though some ideas were inspired by social media, I wanted and do have a unique library that reflects my taste. I bought a rug months ago, but think I’ll shop for another. I have decorative pieces like photos, bootleg art pieces I’ll print and frame myself, and plants I want to add. There are no windows or outlets, so I have grow lights and portable, rechargeable power packs in my Amazon save-for-later cart.

It was fun having my brother around, not only to work on home stuff, but having company. I called him to grab high things rather than having to search for one of three step stools. I enjoyed cooking traditional Haitian meals for him. I think he’s a fool for not taking advantage of living in close proximity to our aunts and uncle, but I understand he works a lot. (No, he’s not a bachelor living off fast food and delivery, but his girlfriend isn’t Haitian.) I felt validated when he asked for seconds, especially one afternoon when he asked for leftovers from the day before.

There were plenty of silly moments. We’re grown, but we’re siblings. Teasing is a love language. He clowned me for seeing my buttcrack just as I teased him for seeing his buttcrack. We barely watched TV before he started snoring.

I mentioned my gratitude in Part I, but it bears repeating. I’m grateful my brother spent his off days (again) to work on home stuff. The first trip months back was to set up my gallery wall. I have cement walls, so it was feat. This time he set up my library. It’s been a shared dream/goal for a few decades. I always planned to be a homeowner. He always planned to do the renovations. I pay him with three warm meals per day, icy hot back massage, and cold water. I’m a room temperature girlie.

A small part of me had doubts about the library’s outcome. Not only because of the setbacks, but sometimes the mental picture doesn’t match reality. How many times has that happened with a planned outfit? It would’ve been easier had I stuck to white. All-white room and white bookcases, but that’s boring (to me). Kudos to you if you like it.

My last apartment had zero white walls, except the closets. Not this time.

Billy and the library being blue is intentional. Our late brother loved blue. He hated to read. I painted my library blue because that’s the type of sister I am. Keeping that same sibling energy.

I didn’t tell Cliff until after the project was done and he was leaving. He laughed. Both my boys have ties to my favorite room, the first room (semi)completed in my new home.

(Most of) my book babies are free! There’s still some unpacking to do. I have bookcases in the living room.

📖 "Curiouser and curiouser!"

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The BAD & the Good with Billy Bookcase Part I

I fell in love with Billy on Instagram.

Bookstagrammer after bookstagrammer flaunted their extensive libraries and namedropped Billy as the ever-impressive bookcase that housed their precious books.

Nearly six months after closing on and moving into my Brooklyn co-op, hundreds of books remained packed in over a dozen boxes. Why? Because my library was not yet set up, even though my very own Billy had been delivered weeks after moving in.

Stalking Billy online, I learned my options were white, oak, black oak, and brown walnut. Different sizes and variations, including some with glass doors. Pretty, but I didn’t want to be cleaning glass.

One variation came in blue, but not the one with a corner unit and height extension—the one I wanted. I decided to purchase the white: three large bookcases with one stationary shelf, four adjustable shelves, the aforementioned height extender, and a slim bookcase designed to fit a corner. I’d paint it blue myself.

Despite knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that my brother Cliff is quite handy with a hammer and power tools, instead of being patient and having him build me a custom library in what shoe lovers or fashionistas would make a walk-in closet, I fell prey to Ikea’s Black Friday sale. I conferred with him about Billy fitting. He hesitantly agreed, preferring to measure.

No time, man! I gotta catch this sale!

He assumed he’d assemble it, but Ikea has an option to book Task Rabbit while ordering online. There goes that no patience thing again.

Patience could have saved me hundreds of dollars, pain, and aggravation.

After the Tasker spent two hours assembling Billy, he informed me the bookcases couldn’t fit as planned because a part of the wall jutted out. I had to forfeit the corner bookcase, the pièce de résistance that made me love it in the first place. I called Ikea. For a small fee, they’d pick it up and, after inspection, grant a refund. Before leaving, the Tasker had me Zelle him an additional $50+ because he’d worked longer than the time allotted.

I went to my neighborhood paint store to buy supplies for my library makeover. Brushes, rollers, a bin, one gallon each of Midnight Navy in matte and gloss finishes—for the wall and bookcases, respectively, and a lighter blue called Lapis for the backsplash. I had a roller extender, and Cliff said he’d buy me a spray gun.

I was leaving the store when I mentioned that I was ready to paint my Ikea bookcases.

“Ikea?” said Karl, the store attendant. “You can’t just paint Ikea bookcases. You have to sand and prime, or else the paint will crack and chip off.”

“I’m not doing all that,” I replied, defiantly.

“Look, I can’t in good conscience let you do that. You’d just be wasting your money.”

He asked me to pull up Billy to read the configurations and finish. He then pulled up YouTube videos to support his claim that paint would not adhere to the glossy finish.

“You broke my heart, Fredo!” He chuckled at my Godfather II reference.

Karl and I had built a rapport over the weeks. I’d been in and out of the store selecting color swatches for my kitchen, library, bedroom, and living room. He knew my brother had gifted me black paint for the bathroom.

“Work on one room at a time,” he advised, and I ignored.

I was in the process of coloring my grout black with grout markers, thanks to YouTube University. Yet, there I was buying paint for the library. I was determined to have it painted before the New Year, mere weeks away.

I deflated when “Fredo” showed me all the work to transform Billy. He wasn’t trying to upsell me. The store didn’t carry the tools I needed for the extra steps. I dropped off the paint at home, then hopped a bus to Home Depot in Bed-Stuy.

New Year came and went. The gallons of paint, painter’s tape, rollers, brushes, sander, and sandpaper sat by the door until Cliff could come from Boston. This man arrived on an April Wednesday evening prepared!

That night, we removed the bookcases and other stuff from the library. It had morphed into storage for random things. Once the room was empty, he unfurled green and blue painter’s tape to protect the hardwood (laminate) floors. He even laid out some of his tools as if it were the night before the first day of school. The paper would be laid the next day.

Lastly, he plugged in a huge portable power pack to charge overnight.

The next morning, after carrying the bookcases, power tools, and a worker’s bench I had no idea he had, into the building’s backyard, he started on the manual labor. I returned to my apartment for remote office work. Minutes later, he was at my door. The power pack was not working despite there being a reading.

A huge monkey wrench in plans. EVERYTHING was corded power tools. No outlets outside. We hopped online to search Lowe’s and Home Depot. Even if I could afford the pricey power pack, none were in stock nearby. My only option was to buy another sander, this time cordless. I owned battery packs for my DeWalt drills, so I purchased a DeWalt sander online for in-store pickup. He went solo.

We forgot sandpaper. More minutes as he completed the purchase.

One battery charged while he was out. The trip to and from and the pickup took about two hours. He entered my apartment to swap batteries a few times, so I didn’t look up. Lo and behold, a man approached him, asked who he was, etc. I figured it was the building superintendent. He stood a few feet away as I knocked on the Super’s door, located on the same floor but other side of the building as my apartment.

The Super informed me that other building shareholders had complained about the noise of the sander, which had been grinding for hours. Even if they hadn’t complained, there’s a NYC noise ordinance that loud construction must end at 4 pm.

When there’s still plenty of daylight left? We’d already lost a couple of hours because of the battery situation.

It was close to 4. I told my brother to go squeeze out some more work before quitting time. I fear(ed) an HOA fine.

The Super suggested I store the three bookcases in the nearby boiler room rather than lug them all the way back to my apartment.

“Please do not lose this key and return to me first thing in the morning,” he said in his heavy European accent.

Cliff was tired, and covered in the dust from sanding all afternoon, but he started painting the room. For whatever reason, the tape wouldn’t stick to the walls even after they’d been wiped down for dust. Fumes enveloped the apartment. The paint went on unevenly. Apparently, the previous owner had painted over a bad wallpaper job. It wasn’t noticeable because the room didn’t have light, and it was all-white. The line between the Lapis of the ceiling and Midnight Navy of the walls isn’t as crisp as I would’ve hoped, but c’est la vie.

Hours later, I served him dinner, just as I had served him breakfast and lunch. After he showered, we attempted to watch TV, but he was snoring within minutes.

The next morning, post-breakfast, I helped him pull out the bookcases from the boiler room. I still had to work on my project so I left him. Once submitted, I joined him to finish sanding and start priming. The 50-pack of sandpaper ran low. I told him to focus on removing the gloss and not so much the paint so that the primer could stick.

“But then it won’t be an even coat,” he protested.

“Sir, we need to focus. We are running out of time.”

I could tell it hurt him to his core. He wanted the job done right, no shortcuts. He compared it to me not allowing him to turn in half-ass papers that I proofread when we were young.

I donned gloves to manually sand the corners that the round power sander could not. I got a handcramp in 2.5 seconds. Ok, maybe not that soon, but I am not cut out for this line of work. This cramp surpassed that from a long journaling session.

I thought priming the shelves and bookcases would ease the pain. Tuh! I messed up by painting closed some of shelf pin holes. An error I’d pay for later.

“Paint in the middle then when it starts to lighten up move out to the edges,” he instructed.

“Ohhhhhhh, so much better,” I said when I spotted the difference and stopped clogging the holes.

Cramps aside, I enjoyed spending time with and working beside my brother. There was laughter galore. I saw his butt crack; he saw mine. He let me use the power sander. I was amazed at the power of a machine I gripped in the palm of my hand. I should note that he lowered the level so I wouldn’t accidentally drop and damage/break it.

It was a quick-drying primer, so we carried the bookcases in minutes after priming. Actually, I slowed him down when attempting to help him. He tilted those badboys sideways, propped them on his hip and carried them himself. I held the doors open and told him how to angle the top or bottom so they’d fit through the doorway.

“My name is Cliff. I have muscles.” Even the security guard laughed at my taunting.

Things were going too smoothly.

It was bad enough the bookcases couldn’t be spray-painted outside because the power pack wasn’t working. Next, we discovered only one of the three spray painters worked. One. The other two hadn’t been properly cleaned after being used by other people. While he used the one, I was tasked with cleaning and trying to unclog the others using alcohol,  to no avail. I got loopy even with the bathroom window open.

During one of his brief, much-deserved breaks, I sprayed the shelves. I also hand-painted the extender that had broken off when we carried it inside. The hole was damaged. That’s what happens when you’re working with compressed wood.

Much like using the power sander, I loved using the spray gun. The paint went on smoothly and evenly. More hand and wrist pain.

I turned on a fan for ventilation, but we absolutely should’ve worn masks. I saw blue when I blew my nose. The Q-tip had traces of blue residue when I cleaned my ear. Two days later, my chest felt heavy, soreness in my hands continued.

My brother left Saturday afternoon. There was still work to be done, but nothing I couldn’t handle. He needed to return to Boston to work a double shift the next day. Knowing that he likes extra cold water, I put water in the freezer for his drive. I also packed snacks while he loaded his car.

Over the two and half days, tempers flared, but nothing crazy. He misunderstood my disappointment about things going wrong as being directed at him.

“I’m allowed to be disappointed about thing after thing going wrong. I’m not mad at you,” I reassured him.

He turned around and mimicked me when I tried to calm him down and remind him that he needed to be ok with not completing everything on the To-Do List, including wallpapering my bathroom and replacing my kitchen faucet.

He loves doing handiwork. He hated to leave the work undone. “I’m allowed to be disappointed.”

I laughed in his face.

I was disappointed and felt guilty that time didn’t permit me to treat him to a restaurant brunch or dinner. I did prepare three meals a day. I even took requests and set the table.

I’m grateful my brother spent his off days to help me realize the dream of setting up my own personal library. It’s been a shared dream/goal for a few decades. I always planned to be a homeowner. He always planned to do the renovations.

The library isn’t done by far, but it’s a good start. I can’t believe a tiny room and three bookcases almost took us out. Even during the homebuying process, I learned that I’d have to pivot from original plans. Billy sure did make me pivot, all with positive outcomes.

Subscribe or come back soon to read about the good in The Bad & the GOOD with Billy Bookcase Part II.

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Tolstoy's wife Sophia hand-copied the War and Peace manuscript seven times as he continually revised it.

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📖 International Children's Book Day: Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen

The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes — timeless stories that shaped childhood imagination for generations. Andersen's fairy tales blend wonder with wisdom in ways that resonate with readers of all ages.

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📖 "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

— Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

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BookShelves v1.0.11 is here!

Comic Books — CBZ, CBR, CB7 with two-page spreads and dark chrome.
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Edgar Allan Poe was paid just $9 for "The Raven" — one of the most famous poems in English.

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📖 World Poetry Day: Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

A groundbreaking collection that celebrated the self, nature, and democracy. First published in 1855, Whitman revised and expanded it throughout his lifetime. Poetry that changed American literature forever.

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📖 "Call me Ishmael."

— Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

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