Source
r/IKEA•
eean

Stabilizing the Billy bookshelf

So we've just moved our beloved Billy's to the new home and they are a little tipsy. A few issues:

  • Billy bookshelves have a little notch to fit around baseboards. However the baseboards at the new home are too high for the notch. How do people handle this, is there a consensus solution? Just deal with the gap?

  • The new place has concrete floors that are a bit uneven. This is probably the biggest problem. I'm guessing the solution here is to just jam stuff under the shelf to even it out. I was wondering if there's something more clever? Like the STENSTORP kitchen island has little adjustable feet.

  • We have three Billys and might be making room for a new one (Dawww). Is it possible to anchor them together somehow to keep them flush with each other?

We do plan on anchoring to the wall as well because we live in Earthquake country.

Posted Sep 6, 2016, 3:33 PM UTC

34
Flipadelphia47•

For anchoring them together, you can use a kind of bolt called a sleeve connector (also called a sleeve bolt, or a Chicago screw). You'll have to drill through the bookcases (I used the pre-existing shelf-holes on mine), and the sleeves will need a bit of cajoling to get through, but they work like a charm. I did two sets at the bottom (front and back) and two sets at the top (front and back. Depending on how the shelves sit, you may want to do the middle as well.

You can buy the connectors at any hardware store, and they'll only set you back a couple bucks.

2
Kuddkungen•

The Billy bookcases usually have pre-drilled holes on the top for attaching the Billy height extension unit. You can use these holes to anchor the bookcases together, just plop in a staple of appropriate size. I distinctly remember getting such staples with my Billys, so give customer service a call and maybe they can sort some out for you.

2
FridaysFreddy•

  1. I generally leave the gap, but you could always shave some off of the back of your Billy to make it fit more flush. Just expand the notch northward. It will probably not be pretty (depending on how good you are), but people generally are not looking down there anyway.

  2. I am unaware of any adjusting feet for the Billy. Pretty sure they don't exist. Best bet is felt pads or wedging something. Also, you will need to secure the billy to the wall for safety, and when you do this it will stabilize the shelves significantly. I would just add the felt pads and secure it to the wall. No more wobbling EVER.

  3. There are screw sets that screw into themselves. They come in PAX wardrobe sets. You could either ask in IKEA returns for some of them (just tell them you lost yours), or order some as replacement parts on IKEA online. You can also buy them in most hardware stores.

In IKEA they are part #100402 and 100644. You will need both to make one set. 2 or 3 screw sets per pair of Billys should do the trick. If you look at a PAX assembly manual on page 30 (http://www.ikea.com/dk/da/assembly_instructions/pax-stel__AA-1289393-3_pub.pdf) you will see how they are used. You will have to drill through the sides of your Billy to attach them to each other, but when you are done they are really solid and look completely flush. Very professional.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

1
eeanOP•

Thanks u/Flipadelphia47 and u/FridaysFreddy ! I'll anchor them together, stabilize with wedging stuff under and then anchor them to the wall.

1