How to Fix a Broken Book-Shelf

I love to fix old worn out broken down furniture.  I decided to take on this project on a cold winters day.  My goal was to fix a broken piece of wood without having to go to the store for supplies.  So I used my mind and went to work using only items I could find around the house.

The top had broken off. Take a piece of plastic that is headed for the recycle bin, cut it to fit over the entire piece.  Next glue the plastic in place with either wood glue or liquid nails.  I didn't want to wait until it completely dried to start the next step so I added a little hot glue just to set it in place. 

Place books below to hold the shelf in place until it has completely dried.

The top half was starting to break away as well, so I pulled another piece of flat plastic out of the recycle bin, cut it to size and glued it on.  

Next tear up some brown paper bags into random shapes.

Place the paper in an inch of water

Here comes the fun part!
Put some glue on a paper plate.  I would have used Elmer's glue but I didn't have any so I used wood glue.  Either one works fine.  Dilute with water to a 50/50 ratio.

Dip the wet paper into the glue solution and stick it to the top.
Flatten down with your hands.

After it has dried a little, cut the excess off the edges.
When it has completely dried, rub stain all over the top.
I also went down the sides of the bookshelf.

I liked the way it turned out except the edges were still bothering me.

So I added wood filler to the edges.  After it dries for about 5 minutes, take a wet wash cloth and rub it smooth.  This will eliminate the need to sand it later.  Let it dry completely and then re-apply the stain.
If you are smarter than me you would do this step before you even add the stain to begin with.

The end result is a wonderfully textured bookshelf.

I love the end result