Ikea Expedit bookcase as room divider? archived

I'm thinking of getting an Ikea Expedit bookcase to use as a room divider. The web site says it can be used as a room divider, but it also says that it must be secured to the wall with the enclosed anti-topple device. They seem to be contradicting themselves. Is anyone using one of these bookcases as a free-standing room divider? Does it seem pretty stable? Or do you worry about it tipping over and crushing whatever is in its path?

We have the 5 x5 version, but not as a room divider. We have it secured to the wall, and I wouldn't trust it to stand on its own...

Could you connect it to the wall on one side?

Posted By: deiscaneCould you connect it to the wall on one side?

No, unfortunately. There's a radiator in the way.

I've never had any Ikea stuff that I would trust not being anchored to a wall.

I don't have experience with this particular piece, but imagine it would be important to carefully plan how weight (and how much weight) is distributed on the shelves. Maybe put heavy coffee table-like books in bottom rows, and keep top rows with light designy things like light vases, light wood picture frames, a few DVDs etc. Levelness of floor would also be a factor.

I would not trust it in a real life situation (with large dogs like yours or children) unless it was anchored to the floor, in the very least.

West Elm has something similar that is free standing, and of course, more expensive:

http://www.westelm.com/products/rolling-storage-p008/?pkey=cbookcases-shelves-storage

I think I've heard enough, given that the flooring is carpet over an uneven subfloor and I have a large dog who likes to scratch her back against the furniture. Too bad, because they're great storage units. I have one in the bedroom, anchored to the wall. Time for Plan B.

It can work as a room divider but really should be anchored to the wall on the side. If you have more than one, I believe they can then be anchored to each other.

If it's going to be freestanding, I'd go with something a higher on the quality scale, like las' West Elm suggestion, though I probably wouldn't want it on wheels.

To secure it in place, use decorative rods to attach it to the ceiling overhead. Those can serve as something for a low-light loving plant to curl up on like a philodendron or golden pothos. Something like a brushed nickel or brass.

Interesting about the West Elm shelf unit. It is less deep (13" vs. the Ikea unit's 15-3/8") and on wheels, so you would expect it to be even less stable than the Ikea unit. Not to mention the $400 difference in price.

I like the idea of the decorative rods. Good thing my ceiling is drywall.

If the ceiling joists are not exactly where you need them to be, do this trick that is similar to the extra bracing used for ceiling fans.
-Choose a rod and footing combination you like. You can do this with 4 sets (one per corner).
-Use thin pieces of wood (maybe a 1x3 strip of wood that is similar to the unit's wood or veneer) that spans the two closest joists with just a little to spare. Also, make sure it is wide enough to easily accept the rod footings.
-If you can do this yourself, use a router for a nice decorative edge since it will be up there playing with the crown moulding. Stain and finish it it to your tastes.
-Use a nice looking fastener on those two pieces of wood - maybe a brass screw collar and screw (that way you don't even have to countersink the hole). You can even hang a potted plant or corded light fixture from it now.
-Once those boards are up, cut the rod to length, fasten the footings to the ceiling board, insert the lower footing onto a rod and put it in place then secure the footing to the shelving unit.

I think this also adds a more complete 'wall' effect.

On the other hand, if the unit will be perpendicular to the ceiling joists, you can just fasten the footings right into the joists. Just make sure you have a good stud finder...

I have that exact unit and agree that using it as a freestanding room divider may not be the best idea. In fact, I took everything out of my unit and moved it to an ajoining room. It was then considerably shakier and less substantial after that short move.

It's like everything else I've ever purchased from IKEA, and I've purchased a lot over the years - it's all basically disposable furniture not built to last, but it does serve a consumer need.

That's true. When you put it together it seems solid and a good piece. Once you move it, inches or feet, it becomes unsteady.

I'm surprised by all the comments about how unsteady the unit is. I had one for years and never felt it was unsteady at all. It had very heavy books on all shelves. It was up against a wall, unattached, and seemed as steady as could be. Maybe the quality of it has gone down?

Here's an idea. Ikea sells a system called, Stolmen or something like that. They are poles - nice looking, they use tension to go from floor to ceiling without screwing into anything. People use them to create shelf systems and It would make a very lovely divider - I think. Not too cheap but would be coooooool. Also: My favorite web blog http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/ has lots of fab ideas to modify, enhance Ikea stuff. I know there is a really good Stolmen installation on it from a while back.

Posted By: BabFabHere's an idea. Ikea sells a system called, Stolmen or something like that.

You're right! I'd forgotten about that. I went back to the Ikea web site and found those shelves in the bedroom storage section. Unfortunately, they only come in white, which would look weird. I was planning to use the black-brown bookshelf to match my other big Ikea piece. But I really like the idea of tension-rod shelving. I'm going to start looking elsewhere for it. Time to expand my furniture horizons beyond Ikea.

You can put any kind of shelves on it. Why not use the cool metal poles - very contemporary - with black shelves?

We have that unit in a 5 x 5 as a room divider in our kids room. At one end we used a piece of a 2x4 as a shim to anchor it to the wall (the base board sticks out so we needed the shim). At the other end, we used an Ikea ceiling support from a different system to connect it to the ceiling. We have had it for over 4 years without any issues and do not find the unit flimsy at all. It's held up to our kids shoving and pushing. I'll see if I can remember the Ikea system from which we got the support.

The ikea unit that we got ceiling supports from was called Norrebo.

all cards on the table, Roy is a friend, but check out his stuff, they do great custom room dividers:

http://www.royleone.com/