Shelving units - what'cha got?

[Neon]

I'm in the midst of home renovations but once we're done I think I'd like to change my shelving "solution".

Currently I have tons of Ikea Kallax. I bought them years ago when I was more into the board gaming scene. Kallax are almost perfect for board games because a Kallax cube fits 5 standard sized board games perfectly.

Over the years I've been thinning out my board game collection, but my rpg collection has grown. For books Kallax shelves are.... meh. They are simply too deep and the cube divider with books look doesn't float my boat.

Ideally I'd like to have something resembling the ikea Billy bookcase, but I don't want Billy because they're made out of particle wood or mdf board and I don't think they can support the weight of a heavy book collection without the shelves bowing.

So what'cha got or what do you recommend?

 

[E-Rocker]

I haven't been able to find new solid, sturdy bookcases anywhere in recent years. My best luck has been getting older used sturdy bookcases from thrift stores and the like.

 

[Neon]

I haven't been able to find new solid, sturdy bookcases anywhere in recent years. My best luck has been getting older used sturdy bookcases from thrift stores and the like.

Yeah, I was thinking about going the used route. People can't give away old solid wood furniture. The youngins' don't want that stuff anymore.

 

[Raleel]

I have https://elfa.com/en/assortment/system/click-in-system-top-hang and i've been pretty happy with them.

 

[Bunch]

I use Billie bookshelves. They're a little too wide and bow in the middle when filled with books but they are almost perfect depth. In my office with the height extension they are also just about perfect height.

If all you books are 8.5"x11" you can get 7 shelves to a bookcase.

Older chaosium boxes sets, Rolemaster and some one offs are too tall in that scenario above. I tend to place those with a shelf of shorter books like Blades in the Dark or OSE books.

 

[ffilz]

I have some Sauder (MDF) units that have been supporting books and Lego for some 30 odd years. Sure, the shelves bow, and the fixed shelf in the middle causes some problems with selecting ideal shelf spacing, but mostly they work well.

 

[ffilz]

I have https://elfa.com/en/assortment/system/click-in-system-top-hang and i've been pretty happy with them.

That's certainly a good option, and you COULD use multiple brackets to support heavy shelves. What do you do for bookends at the ends of the shelves? Of course not a good option if you aren't in a position to screw things into the wall and ideally you find the studs to screw into.

 

[carpocratian]

I bought bookshelves piece by piece over the years, and then ended up getting a bunch of them (around 16 or so) at an estate sale one year. They wanted around $20 for each of them, if I remember. My mother saw them and called me. It told her to buy them and have them hold them. They fill up 8 or 9 walls in my house right now, including the space in a large living room. They aren't old solid wood ones, but they are nicer and stronger than the Wal-Mart stuff. I have had them for at least 20 years now. I have a big walk-in closet that came with some built-in shelves, too. If you count the rpg material, I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 books in my house, so space is at a premium, even with all those shelves.

If I were to start over today, I would most likely keep an eye on the equipment auctions at the local universities. I live in a university town, and a lot of what they sell are older industrial furnishings that aren't very attractive, but are extremely sturdy. You can get some of the stuff really, really, really cheap, and since I have a pickup truck and live in the same town, there are no transportation costs involved. Barring that, a combination of garage sales and listings on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are the route I would go. As Neon said, younger people are less likely to want heavy wood furniture these days, so you can sometimes get it cheap. If none of that proved fruitful, there is a lot to be said for cinderblocks or other large brick things and 2x4s. The wood can be stained or painted to make them more attractive than what you see in dorm rooms, and it would be easy to get exact fits along certain lengths of wall, replace shelves as they started to sag, etc.

 

[Dyrnwyn]

I haven't been able to find new solid, sturdy bookcases anywhere in recent years. My best luck has been getting older used sturdy bookcases from thrift stores and the like.

Yeah, my parents have these massive oak bookcases they got about fifty years ago that have held up great after being hauled all over the Midwest several times.

Meanwhile, I'm lucky if a particle board bookcase I buy survives being moved to a different room.

 

[Toadmaster]

Woodworking as a hobby has benefits. I've made a lot of shelving and storage over the years.

I do have a bunch of particle board cubes though, because they are relatively cheap and easy. I've built sort of an island in the center of my hobby room with them, book storage below with 3x3 on the sides and 2x3 on the end with a flat surface on top (about 3 foot / 1m off the floor) for my 3d printers and tool box. The cube form is tight enough that the shelves don't sag.

Solid wood is stouter, than particle board but still requires relatively short runs. I find even with good wood anything longer than 2 foot (60cm) will sag without help. The real issue is most shelves are not designed right to carry the weight of books. A well designed shelf will have the length supported, but most store bought shelves are only supported at the ends leaving the center hanging.

Something as simple as "end caps" running the full length of the shelf with the wood grain 90 degrees to the wood of the shelf ("on its side" so to speak) gives the wood much more resistance to sag than a simple board laying flat. Think I beam, but with the ends of the I flush or near flush. Support on the backside also helps tremendously.

 

[Raleel]

What do you do for bookends at the ends of the shelves?

They have a piece that attaches to the vertical bars.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

For bookcases I've always used a finnish brand called Lundia. It was actually my parents who used it first. There's lot's of heights, widths and depths to choose from. They're also very sturdy, so no bend shelves and such.

Lundia USA

 

[carpocratian]

Solid wood is stouter, than particle board but still requires relatively short runs. I find even with good wood anything longer than 2 foot (60cm) will sag without help. The real issue is most shelves are not designed right to carry the weight of books. A well designed shelf will have the length supported, but most store bought shelves are only supported at the ends leaving the center hanging.

Yep. Though it isn't as pretty, cutting a piece of wood as a mid-length vertical support and sticking it in the middle of longer shelves can really help that. If you stain it to match the rest of the wood, or even go a little darker, it is less noticeable. My mother used to do that with some shelves. I will probably end up doing it with some of mine, too.

 

[thebigh]

I'm considering building my own shelves too. I figure developing some woodworking skills would be useful anyway, the shelves can be made to suit the books I already own, and I really don't want cheap particleboard crap that will crumble and bend into a U-shape.

 

[Bunch]

If you do something like Billies from Ikea you can buy extra shelves and cut them down to be mid supports and prevent sagging. That way they also match the finish of the overall shelf.

 

[Toadmaster]

I'm considering building my own shelves too. I figure developing some woodworking skills would be useful anyway, the shelves can be made to suit the books I already own, and I really don't want cheap particleboard crap that will crumble and bend into a U-shape.

You really don't need a lot of tools for basic shelving units. You can easily get by with a handheld circular saw and a cordless drill / screw gun. Maybe a cordless nailer and small orbital sander if you want a nicer looking bookshelf but decent and functional can be done with just a saw and drill.

Yep. Though it isn't as pretty, cutting a piece of wood as a mid-length vertical support and sticking it in the middle of longer shelves can really help that. If you stain it to match the rest of the wood, or even go a little darker, it is less noticeable. My mother used to do that with some shelves. I will probably end up doing it with some of mine, too.

Just a 1x2 strut at the back of the shelf will help a lot with minimizing sag and is barely visible with books on the shelves. Assuming you don't have absolutely minimal shelf depth for the books.

 

[Kilted Rob]

You can also go with the narrow Billies, they won't sag.

 

[chuckdee]

I use winsome wood leo off of amazon (and I have built in shelving)

Amazon product

Amazon product

I like that they're thin, so I can fit them in easily and the weight of hardcovers won't make them sag.

 

[Bunch]

You can also go with the narrow Billies, they won't sag.

In Europe they made a 24" wide Billie but in the US it's only 15.5" and 31" wide Billies. What I try to avoid by not using 15.5" ones is wasted double wall space.

 

[Spellslinging Sellsword]

If you like Ikea, but want solid wood you can go with the Hemnes line.

 

[Korgoth]

You can also go with the narrow Billies, they won't sag.

Are these the 'narrow' Billies you were referring to?

BILLY Bookcase, white, 40x28x202 cm (153/4x11x791/2") - IKEA CA

BILLY Bookcase, white, 40x28x202 cm (153/4x11x791/2") It is estimated that every five seconds, one BILLY bookcase is sold somewhere in the world. Pretty impressive considering we launched BILLY in 1979. It’s the booklovers choice that never goes out of style.

www.ikea.com

I own a couple of them to fill in the spots in my den/wall that wouldn't fit a full Billie bookcase, but now I'm considering just selling all my full sized Billies and going with all 40cm wide Billies or even these Kallax shelves. as they are really study and have ZERO sag. Though they are quite deep so stick out quite a bit so that may not be to everyone's liking.

I guess the depth of the Kallax could be a bonus if you push your books all the way to the back you've for some left over shelf space for hobby nick nacks like Dice/Miniatures/Figures etc.

KALLAX Shelf unit, white, 77x147 cm (303/8x577/8") - IKEA CA

KALLAX Shelf unit, white, 77x147 cm (303/8x577/8") Standing or lying – the KALLAX series adapts to taste, space, needs and budget. Smooth surfaces and rounded corners give a feel of quality and you can personalize the shelving unit with inserts and boxes.

www.ikea.com

I've seen a few Boardgame/Wargame Youtubers with Kallax shelves for their boxed games collections that work well for the big oversized format of most games.


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[Bunch]

Are these the 'narrow' Billies you were referring to?

BILLY Bookcase, white, 40x28x202 cm (153/4x11x791/2") - IKEA CA

BILLY Bookcase, white, 40x28x202 cm (153/4x11x791/2") It is estimated that every five seconds, one BILLY bookcase is sold somewhere in the world. Pretty impressive considering we launched BILLY in 1979. It’s the booklovers choice that never goes out of style.

www.ikea.com

I own a couple of them to fill in the spots in my den/wall that wouldn't fit a full Billie bookcase, but now I'm considering just selling all my full sized Billies and going with all 40cm wide Billies or even these Kallax shelves

KALLAX Shelf unit, white, 77x147 cm (303/8x577/8") - IKEA CA

KALLAX Shelf unit, white, 77x147 cm (303/8x577/8") Standing or lying – the KALLAX series adapts to taste, space, needs and budget. Smooth surfaces and rounded corners give a feel of quality and you can personalize the shelving unit with inserts and boxes.

www.ikea.com

as they are really study and have ZERO sag. Though they are quite deep so stick out quite a bit so that may not be to everyone's liking.


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Those aren't that deep. 11" deep is about as narrow as I have seen bookshelves. Kallax by comparison is 15.3" deep

 

[Korgoth]

Those aren't that deep. 11" deep is about as narrow as I have seen bookshelves. Kallax by comparison is 15.3" deep

Sorry yes, I meant the Kallax are the deep ones.


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[Neon]

Sorry yes, I meant the Kallax are the deep ones.


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Option 3 in this clip may be useful if you want to reinforce Billie shelves. If you are looking in a new bookcase another poster suggested the ikea Hemnes because they are made of solid wood rather than particle wood. I think I will go with the hemnes. The shelves appear deeper than the Billie but not as deep as the kallax.