Library shelving

pollypenny

Jeeperscreepets, they look fabulous!  I don't have any space left for little things, mine are crammed with books. Have stuck a couple of pictures in front, though. 

Rosa_Damascena

It feels counter-intuitive to me to buy something brand new and finished and then slap paint over it....that is not the Rosa way!

I dreamt of floor to ceiling Ikea bookcases last night; sent the builder I used a pic of a hacked-up sample and the next thing I knew it was all done. Amazing! - or sad, depending in your perspective.

Jeepers_Creepers

Nope, that's def amazing :-)  

Jeepers_Creepers

Hang on - this is your thread, and you haven't had it done yet! I'm confused :-(  

FreeBear

If you want book shelving (and a wow staircase) to drool over, have a look at the Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto.

Jeepers_Creepers

If you need a joiner to fit this in any case, then do ask them for a quote for 'proper' bespoke too - you might be surprised.

Billy is great - don't get me wrong - but it is melamine-faced chipboard (I presume) so will have these sharp, crisp edges which is fine for the insides of units with doors, but to my eye isn't as - I dunno - ergonomic? tactile? friendly? cosy? as the slightly soft edges you get with actual 'furniture'. You'll also struggle to paint it if you ever wanted to, so it's gonna be 'crisp and white' all the way. And there will still be some cutting required to make them fit.

To use your existing room wall as the bookcase's back panel and to then simply - and I do mean simply - build up a lattice of shelves would be very quick and easy for a joiner. They'll pre-cut the vertical panels - dozens of MDF sections 250mm deep x 300mm high or whatever - and then build it up like a pack of cards. And you also have the easy option of adding architrave around some of it - again very easy for a chippy. It will look truly bespoke and, I think, more 'expensive'. And you can also play with colour - I've seen lovely ones with a deep grey-blue backs with soft-white frames.

Keep Googling! https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=built+in+bookcases&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=rSymRiwxWFh-AM%2CSmNyswkxciZCxM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kR8hja7MRyConjEcFR8eERUXARfKw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiO1JWG3dzuAhVKXMAKHdubCbEQ9QF6BAgQEAE&biw=1920&bih=938#imgrc=ddXw8Ewe42IrWM

Jeepers_Creepers

Ah! See the difference a frame makes even to Billy?!

https://www.11magnolialane.com/built-in-bookshelves-from-ikea-billy-bookcases-how-to-do-it/

How to: https://www.11magnolialane.com/built-in-bookshelves-from-ikea-billy-bookcases-how-to-do-it/

Rosa_Damascena

Blessings came in the form of Ikea's announcement this morning that they will be accepting pre-loved items still in good nick. I'd be happy with functional Billy painted an appeasing colour

Apodemus

Rosa, I missed this thread first-time-around, so apols for being late to the party!

From experience, Billy shelves will start to sag long before your 40 years (mine don't look so great at 22!)  If I was starting again, I would tack/glue strips of wood edge-on to the bottom front of all the shelves to help support that leading edge (you could also hide LED lighting behind this bead if you wanted to be fancy!). 

Also, I would make sure that each Billy unit was firmly attached to the next, as they drift apart over time and start to look like a series of individual bookcases that don't quite meet.

GDB2222

Rosa_Damascena said:

Blessings came in the form of Ikea's announcement this morning that they will be accepting pre-loved items still in good nick. I'd be happy with functional Billy painted an appeasing colour

I really don’t know how well that will work. Billy normally comes flat packed so you can transport it easily. This stuff will be sold by IKEA fully built. So you need a big van to transport it. Two people to carry it, etc.  When you take that into account will it be cheaper to buy the second hand version?