Do Ikea Expedit shelves need wall mounting?

May 7, 2010 7:10 AM

I have purchased four Expedite shelves from Ikea for my library. They all come with a wall mount fixture. The problem is I have baseboard so the shelves don't sit against the wall. I have also stacked two shelves on top of each other. They sort of look like these: So back to my question: Are they safe without being mounted to the wall or do I need to remove my baseboards and mount the shelves? I can mount the second shelves (the ones stacked above) because they rest against the wall. But do I really need to? I had regular shelves from Staples and they were fine i.e. they didn't tip over.
posted by alshain to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Is your area prone to earthquakes? If so, attach them to the wall.
posted by kindall at 7:12 AM on May 7, 2010

I've seen people use Expedit shelves as stand-alone furniture - mainly as room dividers. So they're fairly stable.

Stacking them two high may make them more prone to tipping. You could find boards that are the same width as the baseboard and mount them to the wall and then attach the shelves to that.

If you live in an earthquake-prone area, I'd definitely suggest attaching them to the wall.
posted by sciencegeek at 7:13 AM on May 7, 2010

The wall mounting feature may also be partly intended for households with young children who frequently try to climb on bookshelves. If you've got no children and no pet monkeys, the stability of the shelves might not be as much of an issue for you.

With that said, the babyproofing aisle at your local big box department/Lowe's/BabiesRUs will likely stock strap kits that can be used to wall-mount even furniture that's not flush with the wall.
posted by Bardolph at 7:15 AM on May 7, 2010

Yeah, find some scrap lumber the same thickness of the baseboards and mount that at the same height where you'll mount the wall mounts. Then mount the shelves to that.

That said, I installed a ton of Pax in my closet and never bothered to mount it to the wall. Unless we have an earthquake or I climb up there and dance, I don't think it's doing anywhere.
posted by bondcliff at 7:18 AM on May 7, 2010

We had the same problem. Easiest way to wall mount is to jam a small, cut to fit slice of wood in between the wall mount fixture and the wall. Very stable and neat.
posted by Go Banana at 7:21 AM on May 7, 2010

Response by poster: I have a two small boys. The idea of finding a slice of wood the same size thickness as my baseboards and mount the shelves with it.

Thanks again!
posted by alshain at 7:30 AM on May 7, 2010

Yep. What bondcliff said. This will be more robust than using just the brackets, as it will allow you to drill the lumber into your studs, and the brackets into the board.
posted by schmod at 7:40 AM on May 7, 2010

I have the largest Expedit (great storage, an assembly nightmare). It took me a while to get around to bolting it to the wall, and it started to sort of slide over, both sides ending up slightly angled. I would wall-mount just because it's Ikea and it needs all the help it can get.
posted by kmennie at 7:54 AM on May 7, 2010

If you happen to return to IKEA before you find a piece of scrap wood, you can get a strap connector from their customer service desk. They gave me mine for free, but I don't know if that was standard procedure. It's a two or three inch piece of web strapping, with a grommety thing and a couple of safety screws, designed to make up for any baseboardian distance.
posted by Sallyfur at 9:58 AM on May 7, 2010

Please, please make sure you do mount these to the wall. My nephew almost died because he climbed a bookshelf which fell on him. His head was busted wide open, and he had to be flown to a major trauma center for emergency neurosurgery. If the shelves had fallen across his neck instead of his head, he'd be dead for sure.
posted by wwartorff at 2:56 PM on May 7, 2010

Response by poster: >Please, please make sure you do mount these to the wall. My nephew almost died because he climbed a bookshelf which fell on him. His head was busted wide open, and he had to be flown to a major trauma center for emergency neurosurgery. If the shelves had fallen across his neck instead of his head, he'd be dead for sure.

Wow. That is scary. I hope he is okay now. I have a four year old and like most four year old's, he turns our house upside down. So yeah I am not taking a chance. Thanks again.
posted by alshain at 7:59 PM on May 8, 2010