Shelves in backwards, ugly particleboard ends exposed: help!

December 13, 2010 9:12 PM

Top and bottom shelves in backwards in an Ikea bookcase, the particle board is showing through.. can't turn them around, because the back's nailed in. How can I make the most of the situation? Its light wood colored.
posted by devilsbrigade to Grab Bag (15 answers total)

You can pull the back off and re-nail it.
posted by kcm at 9:15 PM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Or if that doesn't work because other components would then be backward, perhaps you can find some similar-colored veneer at a hardware store or woodworking shop and glue it to the shelf fronts.
posted by mef613 at 9:18 PM on December 13, 2010

Is this the Billy bookcase? I put a shelf in backwards, and was able to pull out the nails and turn it around. However, I ended up with nail holes in the front of my shelf. Fixed it by putting doors on the front, which cover up all the shelves nicely so you can't tell unless you open the doors.
posted by smalls at 9:18 PM on December 13, 2010

Take a piece of 2 x 4 that is longer than the shelves are deep. Place it against the back (from the front of the bookcase) in the vicinity of the nail(s). Gently tap on the wood until the nails are driven out. Reverse the shelves and re-install the back.
posted by Old Geezer at 9:19 PM on December 13, 2010

Oh, the doors were just the standard Billy bookshelf doors, nothing out of the ordinary.
posted by smalls at 9:20 PM on December 13, 2010

Best answer: I just did this! i couldn't get the shelves out because the cams stripped. So I went to the hardware store and got iron on veneer strips for shelf edges and ironed them on. Bring a piece of wood to match. $8.
posted by fshgrl at 9:22 PM on December 13, 2010 [2 favorites]

Best answer: seconding the iron-on veneer...it comes in a roll in various widths and finishes and is super easy to apply...
posted by sexyrobot at 9:53 PM on December 13, 2010

Even easier than iron-on veneer (which sounds fantastic, I never heard of it before) would be to apply some stain to the edge.
posted by Goofyy at 10:05 PM on December 13, 2010

Response by poster: And this is why I love metafilter.
posted by devilsbrigade at 10:10 PM on December 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

You can also get sticky vinyl contact paper in a wood-grain pattern at a good dollar store. Not as high-end, but cheaper, and once the shelves are filled with books and such, it'll probably be almost unnoticeable.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:35 PM on December 13, 2010

Best answer: If the veneer you use is too wide, they do sell veneer trimmers. Or you could probably trim it with a box cutter or razor blade. If you do use a box cutter or razor blade, PLEASE cut away from you.
posted by Taurid at 10:58 PM on December 13, 2010

Oh, well, if you want to really really spend nothing, do what I did: I used a black sharpie and did all the front-facing edges with it. Against the light wood, it looked great, and once the books were in, completely unnoticeable.
posted by thinkpiece at 4:17 AM on December 14, 2010

Response by poster: Does the sharpie actually stick on the vinyl?
posted by devilsbrigade at 9:46 PM on December 14, 2010

Just remove and reattach the back. Way too much time/money would be wasted otherwise.
posted by wkearney99 at 9:46 PM on December 14, 2010

Even if you nailed through the shelves on the other end, I'd prefer to fill them with wood-colored spackling/glue/filler than to find/cut/apply/match veneer - much cheaper, faster, easier, less noticable. Although, the veneer is a cool idea. :)
posted by kcm at 9:26 PM on December 15, 2010