I need some good sturdy bookcases.

[TengoFive]

I've been checking Craigslist regularly, but I need such a large quantity of them and don't want them all mismatched. Where have you gotten your sturdy bookcases? Ikea maybe?

[ElizabethB]

Sturdy--look sturdy and are nice, or sturdy--will survive 8 moves?

 

We have some that seem fairly flimsy, but have held up well over 5 or 6 moves so far. We bought them in Germany at a hardware store, they come apart easily and stack together, the pieces are interchangeable. We have about 1 less total than when we started, but they're still going strong. They're not that attractive, however. We paid about $20 each for them! (Good exchange rate, they were on sale.) We screw them into the walls and screw them together, that makes them fairly sturdy. We also keep the books on the back.

 

Ours are something like this but all wood, and ours aren't adjustable (OK, they're a bit adjustable, but not like the picture I found. Ours can adjust the height at which the shelves are screwed into the wood frame. We found that you don't need a shelf at the bottom, we just put the bottom row directly on the floor, giving us more shelves above for more books!):

 

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/ny/7-11-frommeld-adapt-3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/shelving-storage/adapt-sliding-slat-adjustable-shelves-by-max-frommeld-055931&usg=__OXC2hzXFw7pb5-LSx9kXoo3FAH4=&h=433&w=350&sz=24&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=DroYMcvi72YzDM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbook%2Bshelves%2Bwooden%2Bslats%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Edited April 11, 2009 by ElizabethB

[SherryTX]

We have 6 Billy tall bookcases, as well as several media cases (cds/dvds/etc), and also a shorter bookcase that the shelves are like cubes. We love all of them! They are very affordable, and you can buy (if you like) doors for them - though of course that gets expensive. Very well made, and a great price - at least I think so! Much better quality than you would buy at Wal-Mart or Target for the price.

 

Now, if you do buy some used bookcases, you can always paint them right? Maybe they wouldn't be exact matches, but that should help things look a little better.

 

Good luck! I love bookcases, and if I had to choose between them or couches - the bookcases would win! =)

[katemary63]

We have 6 Billy tall bookcases, as well as several media cases (cds/dvds/etc), and also a shorter bookcase that the shelves are like cubes. We love all of them! They are very affordable, and you can buy (if you like) doors for them - though of course that gets expensive. Very well made, and a great price - at least I think so! Much better quality than you would buy at Wal-Mart or Target for the price.

 

Now, if you do buy some used bookcases, you can always paint them right? Maybe they wouldn't be exact matches, but that should help things look a little better.

 

Good luck! I love bookcases, and if I had to choose between them or couches - the bookcases would win! =)

 

Yup, we have Billy too, and they look great! I also love bookcases and have this fantasy that all my living room walls are lined with them. :D

[nmoira]

Another Billy devotee here.

[eternalknot]

I was curious about the Billy bookshelves at IKEA - here is a link for anyone else who wants to see 'em:

 

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=billy

 

It says they are particleboard/veneer, which would be the same as the ones at WalMart or Target (or office supply stores). I don't bring particleboard or MDF into the home, and was hoping the IKEA shelves would be pine, or another solid wood.

 

I keep stalking craigslist, too ... unsuccessfully. I'm almost to the point of just buying some wood and mickey-mousing together a custom sized beast of a bookshelf. It'll be ugly, but it'll be functional!

[nmoira]

 

It says they are particleboard/veneer, which would be the same as the ones at WalMart or Target (or office supply stores).

Except that IKEA uses non-formaldehyde glues.

[wulfbourne]

It says they are particleboard/veneer, which would be the same as the ones at WalMart or Target (or office supply stores). I don't bring particleboard or MDF into the home, and was hoping the IKEA shelves would be pine, or another solid wood.

 

Not all particle board is created equal. Like someone said earlier the glue is different, and the quality feels better to me than your typical particle board. Any solid wood bookcases I've found have also been very expensive :(

[vettechmomof2]

hubby made floor to ceiling books shelves.

cost to make $50-60 for materiels.

very nice and custom made for different size books.

[Allearia]

We also got the Billy bookcases from Ikea. I love that there are different widths available to stretch across an entire wall. We haven't gotten any doors etc. They look pretty good and have been very sturdy.

[shoppinmom]

We got several from Sams club, they are deep, so that we can have books on them and baskets or stacks of books in front too. double duty!:grouphug:

 

Brenda @ http://www.thetiethatbindsus.blogspot.com

[DarlaS]

hubby made floor to ceiling books shelves.

cost to make $50-60 for materiels.

very nice and custom made for different size books.

 

I would *love* to see pics of your bookcases.

 

Here is one I made:

 

 

I used 1 x 8 and 1 x 4 furniture grade pine. It's attached to the wall with 3" deck screws. Those 1x4's are screwed to each shelf and it will support an adult standing on the middle without flexing. I need to make a few more with different dimensions but I haven't gotten around to it. This was a "prototype" and I'd put a solid back on it if I had it to do over (1/2" quality plywood--like maple). This one was for trade paperbacks. It's 46" wide and holds LOTS of them. The center shelf will hold Rod and Staff teachers manuals. Those are the biggest books you can put on there comfortably though--and they stick out about 1/4".

[sleepymommy]

Those shelves look great! I dream of floor to ceiling bookshelves encompassing one entire room one day. ( We have to quit moving so much first!)

[MomsintheGarden]

Another vote for Billy bookcases from Ikea, too. We have 7 Billy's with the extenders (another shelf to add on top) and are very happy with them. We also have 3 of the "Stockholm" bookshelves, and like them, too.

 

If you have an Ikea within a reasonable drive, I'd recommend making a family day of it. Take a large vehicle or trailer, and try the meatballs in the cafeteria.

 

Have fun!

GardenMom

[Kate in Arabia]

This is way off what others have suggested, but we actually use those metal/wood utility shelves. We have 20+ of the 5-shelf cases, they are really easy to assemble and disassemble, and some have survived for almost 15 years. We kept adding more as needed over the years. We used contact paper to cover the wooden shelves; and most of them have black metal parts, so I don't think they look all that bad. Wouldn't look great in a formal living room or anything, but for us and the price we got them for, they've been great. A step above the concrete blocks and wooden planks, anyway, lol.

 

Over here I have actually started buying wooden shelves because I can find them cheaper than the utility shelves (they do have Ace Hardware here, but at import prices).

[eternalknot]

Not all particle board is created equal. Like someone said earlier the glue is different, and the quality feels better to me than your typical particle board. Any solid wood bookcases I've found have also been very expensive :(

 

That's good to know. I had previously thought that particle board was particle board, kwim? I wondered why so many people preferred IKEA products, and always sort of just thought it was the marketing that did it. Now I know differently :)

 

Except that IKEA uses non-formaldehyde glues.

 

The chemical aspect is definitely worth consideration, but that isn't my big concern with particleboard and MDF. We move frequently, and the products just don't hold up to Army movers LOL. We finally learned that we were usually better off buying "investment/inheritence" products, even if they cost more initially (because we'd always end up replacing the cheaper non-inheritable products after every other move - at about the same eventual cost as if we had bought the better product to begin with). The more expensive products have always proven to be the better long-term, big-picture investment despite the initial upfront expense.

 

And over the years I've also come to appreciate the recycleable aspect of using sturdier, wood-based products. Not only am I able to inherit specific pieces that are generations old but still going strong, I'm also able to pass along pieces that no longer work for me. We have a hodgepodge of furniture that won't end up in a landfill; it will end up cluttering the homes of our friends and family for generations to come ;) LOL.

 

 

Here is one I made:

 

 

 

 

I like that! Simple, but functional. I was holding out for something fashionable and functional, but not at retail prices and I can't find anything at my thrift stores or on craigslist. (Picky, picky!) Thanks for the picture, and the tip that next time you would put on a solid back. I think this is how we may spend our spring break :001_smile:.

[TengoFive]

Thanks everyone! I'm hoping that our next move will be our last, so that's the way I'm shopping. However, I have 5 kids and a book addiction. I've been eying the Billy bookcases for a while, so its great to hear reviews.

[Nestof3]

I love my bookcases from Target because they are a little narrower than most (thus, less bending of the shelf), but they no longer carry them. These have undergone no warping at all.

 

It's great if you can get ones where the shelf is finished on both sides so that you can flip them over once in a while.

[Desert Rat]

Here's what we did and it would definitely survive many moves. We got glass block from Lowe's and silconed 2 together. They stand about 12 inches high when together. I then painted 3 long planks of wood to match the wall behind it. The shelves look like part of the wall and the glass block really does look cool (not college apartment). We put the bottom plank on the floor so that leaves 2-12 foot shelves. We have over 200 books on there now, not including the basket of little books. We still have room for more and can always add another shelf when needed. We did add brackets to the upper shelf screwed into studs for support. Total cost was less than $100.

HTH

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I've been checking Craigslist regularly, but I need such a large quantity of them and don't want them all mismatched. Where have you gotten your sturdy bookcases? Ikea maybe?

 

We have a large number of Ikea Billy bookcases. They have survived two intercontinental moves and one cross town move. The cases are in pretty good shape but the backings are occasionally slipping down (we just retack them). There has been a little loosening of the cases but nothing significant and a little bowing but not a considerable amount given how heavily I stock shelves.

 

We also have solid Alder book cases from Whittier Wood that I really like. We stained them ourselves. All are at least six years old and some are over eleven. They have moved and been in long term storage and held up very well. I think we bought ours at Lowe's, but I've also seen them at other hardware and home stores (City Mill in Hawaii). I think these are a nice quality book case that comes close to the look of a built in.

[KidsHappen]

We got several from Sams club, they are deep, so that we can have books on them and baskets or stacks of books in front too. double duty!:grouphug:

 

Brenda @ http://www.thetiethatbindsus.blogspot.com

 

We did too! They are solid wood but they do have the particle board backing. We have seven of them and bought them over a three year period. We bought the last one about six years ago I think and they still had the same ones there the last time I checked so I think that they are standard items. I would buy more but I have no place to put them. I think that they cost about $150 each when we bought them so they may be a little more now. I also bought my desk and dining room set at Sam's. Also solid wood and they all match. The desk is at least ten years old and the dining room set is about seven years old. Sam's usually has great furniture and really good prices. Costco also carries furniture for about the same prices.

[Garga]

I got some wood from Home Depot cut to size, stained and polyurethaned it (ebony colored), and hung the wood as shelves above the 5 doors in my hallway. Looks beautiful. I used the top of the door frames to help hold up the shelves, and Home Depot also sells the arms (?) that hold shelves up. Can't think of what they're called. The part of the shelf that the board sits on? I stained those to match the shelves.

 

The only problem is that they're up near the ceiling so these shelves are for books we don't use every day.

 

I'm going to add more of these shelves to other door frames. I mean,they look spectacular. It cost about $60 for everything--it's equivalent to a wide 5 shelf bookcase. My house has a cottage-y feel to it and the shelves suit that atmosphere nicely.

[vettechmomof2]

Pictures of our shelves that hubby made.

 

We left the tops open to hold odd sized books and to make for easier dusting.

 

The bottom is raised off of the floor so the dogs and children do not damage the books, also my big feet. :)

 

They are attached to the wall with 2 screws so that they can easily be moved if we want to move or change location.

 

They are not free standing though, they do need to be secured to something.

[Riverfront Headmistress]

My husband made custom bookcases for our school room for about $150.

[TengoFive]

That's what dh wants to do. I worry though that he'll never get around to it. Yours look great!

 

My husband made custom bookcases for our school room for about $150.

[tinkgumby]

I love seeing all of these bookcases! My own bookcase dilemma is trying to get ones that are DEEPER than 12" - we used to use our entertainment center shelves for my scrapbooks and oversized school and kid books, but when we switched to a bigger TV, the center had to go! I miss those shelves . . . it's amazingly difficult to find deep shelves that also look nice enough for a living room!