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Post by epeanymous on May 28, 2015 3:15:43 GMT
I am scoping out inexpensive bookshelf options for our new house. We'll probably eventually get bookcases built in, once we see how we use the space over time, so I don't want to invest a ton in bookshelves, but we need some.
Does anyone have Billy bookcases from IKEA? Are they sturdy enough? Are they impossible to put together? Inquiring minds want to know.
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Post by myshelly on May 28, 2015 3:17:57 GMT
I have them lining an entire wall in my bedroom.
They are painted the color of my wall and are anchored to the wall and each other, so they look built in.
We've had ours for almost 10 years. We have the super tall ones that go to our high ceiling, but I don't think they make them that tall anymore.
We have really heavy, big, coffee table books all along the top shelf and 12x12 scrapbooks all along the bottom.
They're still going strong.
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lalakme
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Post by lalakme on May 28, 2015 3:26:54 GMT
I just bought two, and I LOVE them. They were easy to put together (I did it all by myself since my husband was out of town and had no trouble) and they are super sturdy. My friend has had hers for several years and the shelves have never bowed despite holding lots of heavy books.
You can buy the ones that go all the way to the ceiling still. That is, you can buy extensions to put along the top to make them go that high.
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Post by alittleintrepid on May 28, 2015 3:28:08 GMT
Very easy to put together. My DD is 5 and has two in her room that previously belonged to her older brother., we have another in the basement, and another in our home office. We've had them for years (at least 7-8 years if not longer) and they're all holding up well. They aren't fancy but do the trick.
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oaksong
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Post by oaksong on May 28, 2015 3:59:49 GMT
We have them in DD's room. I like them so much that I plan to create an office storage area and buy more of them to match.
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Post by Basket1lady on May 28, 2015 4:23:56 GMT
We have a wall of them in the formal living room. They look great and hold a ton. We have had our shelves about 3 years now and I haven't noticed any bowing. We have the regular shelves, the add on shelves to make them taller, and the narrower shelves that are about 12-15" wide.
If I remember correctly, there were some shelves that didn't work with the additional shelf that makes the bookcase taller. Maybe the wider shelves? Our ceilings are 11 feet tall in there, so I knew I would need the tallest shelves. They really do look nice. I'll try to remember to take a picture in the morning when the light is better.
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Post by myshelly on May 28, 2015 4:30:02 GMT
I just bought two, and I LOVE them. They were easy to put together (I did it all by myself since my husband was out of town and had no trouble) and they are super sturdy. My friend has had hers for several years and the shelves have never bowed despite holding lots of heavy books. You can buy the ones that go all the way to the ceiling still. That is, you can buy extensions to put along the top to make them go that high. The ones I have you didn't have to buy an extension. It's all one piece. I debated getting a few more when they discontinued them and now I wish I would have. |
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paget
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Post by paget on May 28, 2015 4:38:44 GMT
I had one that I put together myself - and I suck at that sort of thing! It lasted about 10 years until I got rid of it. There was nothing wrong with the bookshelf itself, I had done something "creative" with it and when I no longer he a use for it I had to get rid of it.
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Post by Jennifer C on May 28, 2015 4:39:08 GMT
We bought our present house with a wall of them in the living room. The owner did a great job with them and made them seem built in. He also cabinet doors on the very bottom row.
I loved it so much that he said if we bought the house he would leave them. They are maybe 5 or 6 years old and still look good.
Jennifer
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Post by Karene on May 28, 2015 10:24:34 GMT
We've had ours for about 27 years. We have 3 of the very tall ones and one shorter one. They have all lasted very well.
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lesley
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Post by lesley on May 28, 2015 10:24:58 GMT
I love my Billy bookcases! Ours are now about 19 years old and still going strong. They have moved house a couple of times. They were originally black, but we painted them cream sometime in the late 90s.  |
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BarbaraUK
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Post by BarbaraUK on May 28, 2015 10:43:48 GMT
We have had our 'Billy' bookcases for forever and they still look as good as new! And we keep finding room for new ones!! |
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blue tulip
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Post by blue tulip on May 28, 2015 11:42:10 GMT
there are so many hacks online to turn billy bookcases into ones that look just like built-ins! we did something similar with sauder bookcases and crown molding. even tho you're going the affordable route now, you don't have to give up the built in look.
ETA not sure why my pinterest link isn't showing, but if you go there and search "billy bookcase built in" you will find a lot of examples.
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Post by leannec on May 28, 2015 11:52:38 GMT
Billy bookcases are one of IKEA's bestsellers and have been around since the store opened way back when ... I worked there in University and they were rarely returned |
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modiemay
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Jun 30, 2014 4:24:15 GMT
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Post by modiemay on May 28, 2015 12:52:01 GMT
We have 5. One is wide, 2 are slim and 2 are the matching CD shelves. We also have the brackets that make them go around the corner. They have survived 3 house moves including one international move and they still look great. They hold more than it seems they would.
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renny
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Post by renny on May 28, 2015 15:37:58 GMT
It's so good to see all these positive comments. My daughter is buying a set this summer for her apartment. She is so excited!
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Post by birukitty on May 28, 2015 22:13:05 GMT
We LOVE our Billy Bookcases. We have 3 downstairs in the den, 2 up in DH's room and 2 in DS's rooms that he's had since he was 5 years old (he's 26 now so that makes them 21 years old). I want to buy 2 for my room upstairs soon, as I mostly read in bed. They are very easy to put together (I can do it myself and I'm usually terrible at that sort of thing), and hold even very heavy books without the shelves bowing or bending for years.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by epeanymous on May 28, 2015 23:20:29 GMT
Thanks, all! Going this weekend to buy some. We had some shelves from an office supply store for several years, and they got rickety quickly and one actually collapsed on me, so I have been leery of cheap shelving since. Nice to hear the good reports.
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Post by Basket1lady on May 28, 2015 23:39:06 GMT
Here are our bookcases. I'm moving stuff around to display DS's grad memorabilia, so they aren't that full. But you get the idea. We are military and move around a lot. If we were going to stay in the house, I would have put crown molding on them to make them look built in. They are almost the perfect size for that way--we only have an inch or so to spare before it would have covered the light switch.  |
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Post by txdancermom on May 29, 2015 1:34:15 GMT
We put up a wall of them in DS's room last summer - they seem to be very sturdy and ours are loaded with books.
If you get them - get the small rechargeable screwdriver that Ikea has (about $10) and we wish we had bought the small rechargaable saw they had as we had to cut a hole in the back of one because of an outlet on the wall that we didn't want to cover up. The screwdriver makes things SO much easier, and I have used it so many times for other things around the house.
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Post by 950nancy on May 29, 2015 2:54:33 GMT
I have seen them all over Pinterest. People add some molding to the top and make them look custom built.
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Post by cindosha on May 29, 2015 11:15:12 GMT
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Oct 7, 2024 11:20:20 GMT
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2015 11:57:38 GMT
I have them lining an entire wall in my bedroom. They are painted the color of my wall and are anchored to the wall and each other, so they look built in. We've had ours for almost 10 years. We have the super tall ones that go to our high ceiling, but I don't think they make them that tall anymore. We have really heavy, big, coffee table books all along the top shelf and 12x12 scrapbooks all along the bottom. They're still going strong. This sounds really nice. Any way you could post a pic? |
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