A bookshelf divider may not stand

August 21, 2005 9:56 PM

Divide & Conquer my living room.

The door to my apartment opens directly onto the living room. I've been thinking about using an Ikea Expedit Bookcase perpindicular to the wall to give the rest of the apartment a bit more privacy from the hallway.

I have two questions:

1. How can I stablize this thing? I'm leery of letting a 60"x60", 200 lb pressed-wood bookcase stand freely. I rent so securing it to the floor/ceiling/walls is out of the question.


2. I'm open to other ideas on how to create an entranceway. I've ruled out curtains/tapestries --- I want something that is quasi-structural.

posted by nathan_teske to home & garden (17 comments total)

Are you sure you cant use some form of fastener on the end that's attached to the wall? Something you can repair easily enough when moving? Wouldn't be hard...

Otherwise, put a nice heavy fish tank near the bottom? Would have to be an odd shape however.
posted by wilful at 10:09 PM on August 21, 2005

I did a simiar thing a few years ago. I connected an L bracket or two (in a "U" configuration? I don't remember anymore...) between the bookshelf and the wall; I think I also used a hinge to make the connection easier. If memory serves, I actually screwed the brackes into the holes into which the things go that hold up the adjustable shelves.
posted by ParisParamus at 10:35 PM on August 21, 2005

Thanks guys I appreciate the suggestions, but I cannot anchor the bookshelf to anything per my leasing company. They're fine with pictures and wall knick-knacks, but no shelving or "heavy objects" attached to the walls.

And no fish tanks allowed by my lease, wilful. But I was thinking of putting the bookcase on casters and slinging some sort of counterweight beneath. Essentially make a giant bookcase weeble.
posted by nathan_teske at 10:58 PM on August 21, 2005

Have you considered using more than one bookcase, back to back, connected to each other? It'll take up more space, but the larger footprint will vastly increase the stability. Plus, the backs of IKEA bookshelves tend to the unfinished and ugly (though that one looks like maybe it's finished on both sides), so you wouldn't have to look at it.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:18 PM on August 21, 2005

Either create a larger footprint out of timber using a large piece attached to the bottom, or get a long piece of timber and screw it to the bottom side of the shelf. This would run along where the floor and wall meet, and create a foot of sorts.

Looking at that picture, it's not all that tall. I think if you put heavy items on the bottom and lighter ones up the top, you'll be surprised at how stable it might be. I used to have a free standing bookshelf and it was quite stable.
posted by tomble at 11:32 PM on August 21, 2005

A friend of mine has this bookshelf and I put it together for her. IIRC, it's made of a grid of full-length shelves that interlock and it is pretty dang sturdy. Put the heavy stuff on the bottom and you should be fine.
posted by bendy at 12:36 AM on August 22, 2005

You can also attach a plank to the side of the bookshelf that faces the wall, running along the baseboard. Would be unobtrusive, impermanent, stable as hell, and cheap.
posted by blasdelf at 1:58 AM on August 22, 2005

I have a 5x5-compartment Expedit. It's up against the wall here but it doesn't touch the wall thanks to the baseboard moulding. It's very stable. We have cats, and I wasn't worried at all about them jumping up on it.

Unlike most Ikea shelving I've seen, both sides of the shelves are finished, so I suspect it might be designed to be freestanding (or at least more than, say, Billy bookcases are).
posted by mendel at 4:37 AM on August 22, 2005

We have a larger version of this bookshelf and it's extremely sturdy. You won't have to secure it at all, unless your floors are uneven or something. We have it on carpet and it's not going anywhere.
posted by fabesfaves at 7:52 AM on August 22, 2005

Use a couple of jacks or vertical braces to take up the space between the top of the bookcase and ceiling, pressing against both. You could probably improvise something using a couple of very large turnbuckles (get turnbuckles with stub ends) and some scrap lumber.

I think this would suffice to stabilize the bookcase in unchallenging situations. If you need to prevent toppling even in case of a full-body tackle against the bookcase, you'll need something fancier. I can visualize something based on criss-crossing jacks that wouldn't involve any holes in the ceiling or floor, but it gets trickier.
posted by adamrice at 8:06 AM on August 22, 2005

Another possibility is to get 2 and fasten them together in an "L" formation. This would make them very stable but again that would be a footprint issue.....
posted by kashmir772 at 8:20 AM on August 22, 2005

Make your own out of MDF. It'll be cheaper and more stable.
posted by nicwolff at 8:27 AM on August 22, 2005

nic: [DIY anything] is only cheaper if your time isn't worth anything. That said, IKEA only does a little bit of the work for you (They cut the boards, apply veneer, drill holes, and that's about it).
posted by Eamon at 9:20 AM on August 22, 2005

I have had this exact bookshelf and have left it freestanding, separating a room. If you put the heavy stuff on the bottom, you should have no problem at all.
posted by sauril at 9:23 AM on August 22, 2005

1) Freestanding won't be a problem, you're just paranoid.

2) IKEA has a new bookshelf that uses STOLMEN-like ceiling braces to secure it. They want you to screw it to the ceiling, but I've used STOLMEN for years without screws (even horizontally!) with no problems. You probably should make sure to put it under a ceiling stud.

I am an all-caps product name whore.
posted by trevyn at 1:58 PM on August 22, 2005

A non-bookcase suggestion: how about one or two of those folding floor screens you can put photos in? They look nice, you can put whatever pictures you want in them (most only hold portrait-orientation pictures, however, which I find annoying), and they'd certainly separate the living room from the door.
posted by biscotti at 5:46 PM on August 22, 2005

I have an EXPEDIT, five by five cube-holes. I put six 1.5" wide soft swivel casters on the bottom of it, four locking ones on the ends, and two non-locking ones in the middle.

It's 3/4 full of books, and it's sturdy as a real wall. I can roll it without damage to my hardwood, if I push from a low point on the trailing end -- anything else starts to get its geometry a little non-Euclidean.

The only caveat I would have for anyone attempting this would be to ensure they had the casters mounted directly below a vertical element so as not to risk them prying loose from the hollowness of the base shelf.
posted by Sallyfur at 12:55 AM on August 24, 2005