DIY Marble and Copper Bookshelf

Hey Ya’ll, hey! Ok, so first I want to apologize for all the silence on my end. My life had a major plot twist that had me completely relocate my life to Washington, DC and now pursue this blog and my socials/youtube full time! This is definitely a step and a leap of faith, but I believe a step in the right direction for my life. So I’m back, coming at you today with a DIY on a Bookshelf I redid to better match my apartment!

I fell in love with this Target bookshelf’s style and even the color, but I soon realized it did not fit my aesthetic, at all! My apartment is Blush Pink and Metallics (mostly gold and rose gold) with Soft Gray, Black and Cream as my neutrals.  So…you can imagine how a blue bookshelf fit in the midst of all of that. At first I thought about selling the bookshelf to buy a marble and rose gold bookshelf. Unfortunately, my pockets voted against that as everything I liked was at minimum $1,000 and I’m not at that 1 piece of furniture price budget YET! That being said, I enjoy a time to be creative to make what I want if I can’t buy it, so I set out on a mission to make to make an affordable, but expensive looking, bookshelf for my home. 

The best thing about this DIY is that this project can be done with six, yes only SIX, products. They are:

• Marble Contact Paper – I purchased 4 rolls and used 3.5
• Metallic Paint (You can also use spray if you have ventilated space)
• Plastic Smoother
• X-Acto/Craft Knife
• Primer  (You can also use a spray version if you have ventilated space)
• Paint Sponge
• Windex – I know I said 6, but this is optional, KAY?!

That’s it! Really!! For you all, I have documented the process and will describe it here in detail. This is my first DIY post and for the next, I plan on accompanying with a video. But I look forward to your feedback whether you like this format or not, and any suggestions you have. Also, I will be linking the items I used in this tutorial for you to purchase directly from my Amazon store!! So buckle in and take a seat and see how I transformed my bookshelf from “Blue and Basic” to “Gold, Marble and Marvelous“!

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1. First things first, make sure that you have all of your supplies ready to go. There’s nothing worse than running out mid DIY, as I did with the contact paper. This contact paper is great because it has a paper backing with a grid on the back that makes for easy measuring and cutting.

• Measure all of the surfaces that you want to cover with contact paper. This includes length and width measurements to ensure you have enough contact paper and can avoid seams whenever possible. Add about 1/4″ to your measurements to have some wiggle room. You will use your X-Acto knife to trim it. I didn’t do this and got gaps. Thank goodness it’s a bookshelf, so they can be hidden.
• Clean the furniture throughly. Remove all dirt, debris and dust to ensure a smooth application of both paper and paint. I used Pledge multi-surface spray and a dry wash cloth. It worked perfectly.
• Allow the item to dry completely before proceeding.
• Cut the pieces of contact paper for each of your spaces. This will make the process much faster when you have everything cut and will allow you to see if you have enough paper before you start. I used the paper back to label what each piece was for.

2. Now that you’ve prepped your surfaces, let’s get started. First Primer. I recommended the Rust-Oleum Zinsser primer because you DO NOT HAVE TO SAND!!! I repeat, you do not have to sand with this primer. It creates a rough enough texture for the paint to stick to, without creating texture in the finished look. It’s amazing! I completed this bookshelf in May and there are no chips or peeling to be found anywhere. You want to be sure to use a sponge and not a brush because the brush will leave streaks anywhere you use it.:

• Whether you’re doing this with the paint and sponge or spray paint, you want to make sure your pieces are all laid down. I did mine inside, so I used newspaper to protect my floors. You can do the same or use a large sheet.
• You do not have to prime the entire piece of furniture you are working with. Just the spaces where you want to paint. For me, this was the raised edges, the feet, and the shelves 
• If you are using the spray version, please be in a WELL VENTILATED AREA (like outside). You do not want to inhale those fumes. You could seriously pass out.
  • Next be sure to get back about 4 feet and spray an even, full coat on your surfaces. Allow to dry completely and repeat at least 1 more time to ensure full coverage.
• If you are using the paint and paint sponge, you also want to be in a ventilated area, but it does not have to be outside. With a stick, mix the paint together to ensure all parts are one and you don’t get streaks.
  • With the sponge, dip into the paint can and wipe off extra. Too much excess product a build up will give you lumps in your finished product
  • Smooth on the product to cover your spaces, but don’t worry about more sheer spaces. They will be covered in the second coat. Allow to dry completely and repeat for at least 1 more coat.
  • Be sure to rinse your sponge between uses or it will get hard and more difficult to use

3. After your two (or more) coats of primer have dried, it’s time to move on to my favorite part, the blingy paint! I think it’s better to paint first so that you won’t get any paint on the contact paper. Unfortunately for me, I painted last and got paint on my marble. I had to go back with nail polish remover and Q-tips to get it all off. It. Took. Forever.

For Spray Painting:

• Shake the spray paint to make sure everything is mixed inside the can. You cannot see inside, so make sure to do a test spray on another surface to make sure you aren’t getting splatters.
• Again, hold the can about 4 feet from your furniture and spray in long, even sprays to get the color on evenly. Do not do stop and start sprays or concentrated sprays as you will get an uneven finish that looks splotchy or drips that run down and will show in your final product.
• Allow to dry fully before proceeding to the next coats. Repeat this process until you get the coverage you desire.

For Hand Painting:

• When you open the paint, it will look like it’s separated, but no fear, it just needs to be mixed. Using a stick, mix together the paint until it is fully metallic and beautiful.
• Using the sponge, dip into the paint and wipe off too much excess. You don’t want raised bumps in your finished product. Wipe the paint onto the product in long, even strokes to cover the area.
• Once you are finished painting, allow to dry fully before doing more coats. Repeat this process until you achieve the level of coverage you desire.

4. The most difficult part of this project is the marble contact paper, but mostly because it is STICKY!! When you put it down, it pretty much is down after about 30 seconds. This is where the Windex comes in. If you lightly spray Windex on your surface before and wipe it so it’s damp but not soaking, you will be able to slide the paper around to place it where you want it before smoothing it out. You will also need your smoother and X-Acto knife in this step. In the pics below, the first pic is measuring without leeway for the edge so there are gaps. The second is with the extra 1/4″ and the last is me finally getting it all the way right by doing the steps below.

• First, peel down just a little of your contact paper to anchor the piece down. It’s easiest to leave it in the roll it will naturally want to return to. Once you have your paper edge placed, spray a little windex on the surface, if using and wipe so that it is damp.
• Peel back more paper and use the smoother to push air out of the bottom of the paper. This will remove any air bubbles that can get trapped under the paper and cause bumps.
• Repeat this process until the contact paper is fully covering your space. Use the X-Acto knife to remove any excess. Repeat on all of your surfaces.
• Go over the finished paper once more with the smoother to ensure all bubbles are out and the paper is fully placed.

That’s it, you are done!! No need to seal paint or cover with any gloss (unless you want high shine). Enjoy your piece and place your decor on it any way you wish. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have a piece or two dedicated to the Queen herself.

Let me know if you recreate this technique on a bookshelf or any other furniture, let me know by tagging me in your posts @LizeeAngel or in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

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