Ikea Billy Bookcase - how to assemble and strengthen to make it last. 

My friend was a set builder at Ikea. She said they glued everything. So as you build the frame, glue the dowels in, add a seam of glue as you put in the top, bose, and fixed shelf. Ive had great luck doing this, 15+ years of very sturdy Ikea furniture. Great ideas here, thanks!

When I did my first ikea kitchen, the store told me to buy one of their large plastic spatula's (the ones for turning fish) and use that for opening all the boxes. WHAT A REVELATION!! I still have that same spatula 7 years later for opening all flat paks. It is perfect for running down the glued seams and does manage to break the tape which is designed to tear length ways so you don't need a knife.

Very interesting ideas. FYI: You can buy individual boards for the Billy, so you could use those for stiffening and would have perfectly matching material.

I’ve put together/installed/moved 5 billy bookcases in the past year, and I have to say I really like the thin & tall version of the billy bookcase the best because it’s only about 40cm across and the shelves will probably never visibly bow. They look small but 3 of them together is more shelf space than a regular billy, and you have the flexibility of being able to set it up in a corner. I’ll definitely remember this the next time I put together another one!

I often overlooked the back board thinking it is only cosmetic, didn't know that is the most important bit. Thank you so much 🙏

Everything about this video is great - the way you explain WHY you’re doing every little step not just how, the camera work, the pace. Very easy watching. Thanks so much, I’ve subscribed!

I assemble IKEA and Steen furnisher as a side hustle and have always recommended to my customers that I glue all joints and backs. I do this for book cases, chest of drawers etc, plus I have invested in an electric staple gun to aid the process. Nice tip in bracing the back, I'll use that in future.

I have three full height and full width Billys with full height glass doors. I bought them 27 years ago in 1995 and absolutely love them. I will shortly be moving them as I am having my living room altered and may very well take up the tip of the rear batton and drilling through. I have to say that nearly all the shelves are crowded with books and there is no sign at all of them bowing, even after all this time. Thanks for the video. 👍😀

i usually screw some metal or plastic L-brackets at the 4 corners for all Ikea furniture, seal all exposed particle board edges with PVA glue and fix some rubber/plastic pads on the furniture legs/bottoms. My late father usually went overboard and painted the backboard as well. Usually he just use left over paint or varnish and sometimes just undercoat. And all my Ikea and other particle board furniture still good today when I bought it 10 years ago. These are some tricks from my late father who is a carpenter.

Always refreshing to see someone on RU-vid who knows what he's talking about. Thank you!

One thing I've learnt from these - if you want them to sit flush to the wall, before building sit the side panels up against the skirting board, mark them up and then cut the profile out on the side panel of the billy (it's harder to do this when they are built). I usually keep the cardboard too when working on carpet and set the panels on it to stop any carpet dents until its in its position.

The additional wood strip and screws into the shelves is a great tip. I've always glued mine together as well - great minds think alike! ;-) If you wanted to go the centre support route, as you demonstrated, Ikea sell additional shelves, so they'd be the same colour, and you could cut them to size. Cheers

Growing up when it came to preventing bowing in shelves, we always just flipped them as part of our spring cleaning. Empty everything off when dusting, flip, and put everything back. Despite heavily loading them up they stayed fine for decades. The only problem was the middle shelf on our DVD cabinet which was screwed in so couldn't be flipped. That bowed plenty. I still do this even with the solid wood shelves of the bookcase I have now as a precaution and so far no problems. I am definitely going to keep the gluing of the back in mind though as I've seen the backs come off too many when being moved about. Thank you very much for sharing!

Perhaps glue TWO wooden strips at the back instead of just 1. This way you can cover both seams of the triple folding backboard (seams which tend to start wobbling over time, or even partly rip through), and also you can now use 2 screws per shelf to avoid sagging, each at 1/3 of the width.

I can't imagine what my wife would say if she saw me with a bottle of glue near that beautiful carpet, to be fair to her though, I can't be trusted

Great tips for strengthening a bookcase! Gluing a strip to the back and screwing shelves through it is brilliant!

Some 20 odd years ago we built a rank of standard Billy bookcases 3 wide + corner units each end + narrow units next to them to make a shallow U shape. To tart them up to go in our period house we stood them on several 4 inch fence posts, put ogee skirting board around the bookcase base & sides, picture rail around the tops, decorative timber mouldings down the fronts to hide the joins between units, & painted them pale cream. They look fabulous, haven't sagged, & I get admiring comments about my expensive bookcases. I dont always own up to them being Ikea....

Fab video Stuart, i build & fit quite a lot of this type of furniture & also glue wherever i can, another tip i will share with your viewers is at the back of this unit (Around 9.20 mins) into your video you will see raw chip board, i usually paint some sort of wood sealer on to this, especially if it's an old house i'm working on just to prevent expansion in the board due to high humidity or damp in the house.

Love the ideas here. Though I might go with countersunk screws for the vertical support into shelves, to avoid the risk of the domed screws scratching the wall

The timing of this was incredible; planned to rebuild a Billy today. Glad I watched this first, it now boasts a wooden spine for added strength! Thanks for the tips.

Great idea for the back bone support! I agree glue the backboard before nailing it will make the structure a lot stronger. I also apply acrylic paint / water sealer to all bare "wood" sides of panels, as moisture will attack those areas more often. Especially important for those living in those hot and high humidity countries. For heavy books like those full of art and photography, solid wood is my first choice.

A drop of wood glue on the dowels works really well as they usually remain fairly loose and don't give the furniture any additional strength.

Just built the 1st of 2 Billys and slid it into place after watching your video several times. Felt like an expert, thanks. The Proper DIY videos are WONDERFUL, not only in the advice and clear directions, but in the excellent camera work and editing. And you're adorable. 😁

Thank you, this is super useful. I have 5 BILLYs, which I put on floor-particle board and added wheels, for a pull-out archive. And while it works well, then after 5-7 years they have become a little unstable, and the back pieces keep popping out. I will definitely use your tricks for them.

Wish I had watched this before I recently assembled 12 x 80cm full-height Billys and 5 x 40cm full-height Billys, all with Oxberg doors and extensions. Great video, thank you. The Billys, especially with Oxberg glass doors, are just great and make a fabulous library at a reasonable cost. As an engineer, I really appreciate the precision of their manufactured parts. Not once was any part or screw missing and everything fitted precisely. I found it best to assemble them on a big table, just to save my back and knees. I thought about gluing but decided not to as I wanted to keep the disassembly option open, but I agree with you that removal companies will just take it away whole. I can always retrospectively glue or silicon but don't really think it is worthwhile. With multiple bookcases, I joined them together using Hafele's cabinet screw-and-sleeve 36 cm connectors for added solidity. When each of these is connected to the wall (preferably via a stud, but this is not essential) the whole assembly is as solid as a rock. As you say, the shelf bending issue is the biggest issue with Billys as it is for all bookshelves, an issue I puzzled over for a long time. Not only is there simple bending that relates to the elasticity of the shelf, which the current thicker shelves largely solve, but more importantly is the issue of creep. Creep, or stretch, occurs over years and all wooden shelves, regardless of wooden material or manufacturer, are susceptible to. This is the major problem with any wooden shelf, solid hard wood or chipboard. I have very heavy books that are at the 30kg limit of each shelf, This is where I wish I had used your batten at the back. My solution was twofold: a) on the fixed shelves, hammer in a lot more more nails. The most recent Billy have a pretty solid backing (not as flexible as shown in your video, although I was using White Stained Oak as opposed to the white you used). These were more expensive so that may explain the difference. With a more solid backing and lots of nails, I am confident that this is equivalent to the rear batten in the video. b) I used an aluminum U-channel cut to precisely the width of and length of each shelf and just slotted this into each shelf, I had these cut by an aluminum company here in Melbourne Australia. They each cost about a third of the cost of a new shelf ($8). The bottom and top shelf don't need these. The middle shelf could use this but I used extra nails to strengthen it. All other shelves have this U-channel at the back. Yes, it creates a lip that prevents sliding books to the back, but I was willing to accept this tradeoff. The tradeoff is that these shelves will never bend!!

I bought the Bill bookcase back in the first half of the eighties. It STILL looks new!

Thank you for showing these stabilizing and support techniques.

Fantastic tip to run a 1x2 up the back! It not only keeps the backboard from being pushed back, but the idea of using it to support the middles of the shelves is brilliant! Thanks!

Chipboard is not inherently strong with screws in the width as shown here. In fact they can themselves be the cause of the shelf delaminating. However, if you predrill the screw holes completely, and use long screws, then fill the predrilled holes with wood glue, this will make a much stronger support, and the glue will help prevent delamination. I had a number of these shelf units which lasted very satisfactorily, but had to be left at he last house as I was moving internationally again.

I assembled 3 billies at around 1984, moved 4 times, they’re still fine and probably will outsmart me.

Great video! Good pacing, very clear instructions and nicely filmed. Wish I saw it before assembling my own shelf. I'd definitely use some of the techniques used here :) Looking forward to more of simillar content!

I am a relatively new devotee Stuart but I love your videos. They speak to me as a 56 year old man who is relatively handy but still a DIY’er. The biggest thing is that most of your videos appeal to me as they are the sort of jobs I’m doing for me and my two grown up daughters

My Billy bookcases are now 30 years old. They have moved house with me SIX times over those years and are still in excellent condition. If I ever needed another bookcase, I'd head straight for Ikea and look for the Billy section 😎

Thanks for the good ideas! I've built a bunch of these over the years and can definitely see the benefit of making it more sturdy. One slight issue to have in mind when it comes to screwing the shelves in place from behind is of course that it will leave visible holes in the back if the shelves would ever need rearranging.

When I built my Billy cases, I glued every dowel and every fixed shelf jointing face, the lower stiffener as well as the backing as shown in this video (but I doubled the amount of Brad nails in it) Been rock solid for 10 years!

As the glueing and the piano soundtrack flowed in, fat warm tears arrived to my face in awe. Beautiful.

No glue. We bought our shelves in 89 in Holland, took them apart and moved to Switzerland where they put together. 22 years later, we took them apart to move them again and put together again. They are still good. Great product.

The timing on this video is pretty extraordinary. I just assembled a Billy bookcase two months ago - before this video came out - and I came to the same conclusion that strengthening of the structure was desirable. I did this by doubling the number of nails going into the backs of each shelf, and also added wood glue to the backs of each shelf. This entailed pre-preparing a damp cloth to wipe up the trails of wood glue that I knew would squeeze out as I nailed through the cardboard backing.

That was actually hugely useful. Thank you. I just bought four shelves like these from a friend who was closing down her shop. I just put them in my garage but I had to buy a bunch more nails to fasten the backs on them because a lot of them had pulled out. Though a lot of your advice was the types of things I might expect, one was true genius. That is the use of that centerboard in the back. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this! I am about to use Billy cases to create a built-in-looking bookshelf wall and I want it to be cost effective, handsome, and sturdy. Your instructions are exactly what I needed!

The content we didn't know we needed! This is DIY on a whole other level

If your going the glue route. Glue the dowels as well. I use 25-32mm gyproc screws instead of the pins for the back board and either side of the folds to prevent it splitting over time. This stops heavy handed people knocking the back out.

I have an unassembled Billy just waiting for me to finish building out my office. Lots of great tips. Thank you!

I still have my 3 Billy bookcases from over 35 years ago; and have moved at least 8 times with them. These are the old school ones with the single piece backing hardboard that is thicker and does not bend or fold in any way. They came with all metal hardware (no plastic anything) and fairly big nails with large heads to fasten the backs with, not small pins. Maybe I'm the anomaly, but I'm relatively poor, so hiring a moving company would be totally out of the question. I have always needed to take them back down to flat pack and then reassembled. No issues or problems with degradation of fit or finish, no glue.

Nice video. tip: if you want extra shelves check the prices for those shelves separately compared to how much another billy costs. When i bought my Billies in 2001 the price of a Billy (which has 4 movable and 3 fixed shelves) was only 80% of the price of 5 extra shelves. So i bought 8 Billies and built up 5 of hem and added the shelves from the other 3 for very full bookcases (2000 pocketbooks); built 1 with only the middle shelf for board games. And when my friend moved and severely damaged one of her billies i gave her 2 sides as replacement. Still have 2 sides left to this day.

Great video...certainly agree with the glue reinforcement and I've also used a staple gun to provide additional strength through the backboard/rear shelf edges with a run of staples there. Also, regarding your additional mid-point shelf supports, another way (similar to your first suggestion) is to simply glue in very thin vertical laser-type ply panels (3-4mm) that are not as deep as the shelf by about 20-30mm so they sit well back from the front shelf edges. Incredibly strong in compression, but so thin that in practice, and even unpainted, they are almost invisible between the vertical spine lines of your books..

I used to have the older billy bookcases, 90cm wide, three of them against a wall, completely filled with books. The shelfs never sagged. Now, many years later, I have bookcases from another store, sort of billy look-a-likes, 80cm wide and all the shelfs have sagged in no-time… Thanks for sharing these great tips! When I go back to billies, I will follow your instructions!

YEAAA!!! Finally someone who knows what they are talking about... glue dosen't dry, it CURES!!!

My trick to keep it sturdy without glueing is to fix an Observator cross brace to the back. Works like a charm. All the other tips are sound too 👍

On another point, one trick I found for Ikea drawers was to use a bit of beading lengthwise underneath the hardboard base of each drawer. It then allowed me to put more than one pair of socks in before the base slowly warped downwards.

Thank you, thank you. I just had a Billy fall apart due to overloading and too many moves. When I acquire my new one I shall definitely follow your sage advice and strengthen the poor thing.❤

Another fantastic tip filled video Stuart, love the wooden batten on the back and the strengthening screws into the shelves...fab!!!

Went in thinking this was going to be something that made it impossible to take apart, and was really happy to see this simple addition is college student friendly!

We had a library room of these Billy bookcases with glass doors. The cut out for the skirting and fixing to the rear wall were essential.

All good points presented. Been screwing and gluing this type of "furniture" for years, and it works.By the way, should have glued the wooden dowels. Also, glue will run so you should have left the cardboard on the carpet.

I have some some Billy Bookcases that were bought in 1995. They were moved from the UK to the US in 2000 and since then have been moved through five more moves and three states. Still going strong and have not sagged!

I put aluminum L profiles with epoxy clue on the back of heavy loaded shelves to prevent bending. Worked like a charme - they're almost invisible, don't change the look and are still movable.

i have used the batten under the shelf before and its great. You just need to attach it at the back of the shelf though, not the front. Then minor colour changes/gaps etc don't show. It also means the shelf is adjustable in the future. Love the idea of the extra backing board, will use that in the future Also I always glue all fixings, both the dowel and the screws. I think although it doesn't bond to the screw it stiffens the chipboard, giving a firmer foundation to the screw

Nice video. I have 8 Billy bookcases since 1996, which are filled with books and are still fine. Back then Ikea only added a few nails to secure the backboard and we added our own nails to secure it. This helped to keep the boards pretty secure. But if I could do it again I would definitely add a plank im the middle like you did. If you decide to follow the advice and add a board in the middle between the shelves to prevent sagging, you don't need to buy an extra Billy bookcase. Ikea sells extra shelves in the same colours as the Billy bookcases. So you could just buy a few extra shelves if you decide to do that.

I've got one of the half height ones of these...it has had a lot of use and is still just as sturdy and strong as it was when I got it, about 20 years ago. It's already a really well made shelf unit.

It makes sense with flat pack furniture that they would orient the face side of the boards towards the cardboard because they would be least likely to get friction damage from rubbing against other parts during shipping. The hint of using a chisel is great.

Great video Stuart. Was thinking at 2min58secs in that we might be seeing you glue the tip of your finger back on as well! Another idea is in old houses with carpet where the floorboards might not be so level is to put some small spacers underneath the bookcase frame to ensure its all level before you then load it up with books and fix to the wall. The spacers get hidden by the carpet pile.

Very nice video - good scripting, editing, pace and presentation. The content is also excellent - this is a great way to strengthen a Billy bookcase! I have one in my basement workshop that I bought about 30 years ago. No mods and yes, the shelves are sagging a bit. It's screwed to the wall stud with angle brackets and is going nowhere!

I've always made mine from wood using a router as a dado for the shelves. These bookcases are not for everybody, as they tend to be very heavy. They are super strong. Solid wood back too. Your idea for the strip in the back is nice. Thanks for the video!

One thing you forgot to mention was to ensure that the little arrow on the cam points in the right direction. Easy to forget and can cause issues when assembling large pieces. Also I use a dish or Tupper ware container for all the little fixings, you can be sure that you will nudge the cardboard box during assembly sending bits everywhere.

I've had a bunch of these bookcases for almost 20 years now. The last time the back boards started coming out again I simply used plywood screws to drive them into place, and it has worked so far. Additional glue would definitely do an even better job.

I purchased my three Billy bookcases (with the beautiful glass doors) in 1999, and I have moved six times since then, disassembling them each time. The only thing I have had to do was relocate the tacks in the backer board to new holes so they could bight into fresh chipboard each time. They look brand new, have very little visible sag, and suffer from no leaning at all… and are 23 years old! I love IKEA! I have plans to rebuild them this next year, replacing the cheap backer board with actual wood, and dividing the shelves along the centerline as you did. I think they will last me until I die. Good video. I will look at some of your ideas when I undertake this project.

Nicely done. I didn't think of the bracing strip at the back. Mine suffered from being moved so I replaced the hardboard back with some slightly thicker plywood then I screwed the fixed shelves to it. I also tried screws in the back of the adjustable shelves but they still sagged. The vertical partitions do work but I stagger them on each pair of shelves so they get support above and below at two points. However when I needed more shelves the cost of Billy Bookcases had gone up considerably so I built my own 8ft x 4ft shelves out of 18mm ply with a 3mm backing. They hold almost as much as two Billy bookcases and are much stronger and cost about the same as two bookcases. Much more satisfying when you build your own.

Glueing isn't necessary, it's quite messy and will run, but doubling the amount of tac nails is better. Also the adjustable shelves have very weak plastic inserts that will stretch and fail under a heavy load. Replacing them with all metal fittings is best. My local hardware store carried these for a dollar. You can't go wrong.

You’re like me. I always pour all the small parts into a bowl (or, like you did, the small piece of cupped cardboard) to keep them together. It drives me bananas when folks pour them out onto the floor and they go everywhere!

I have three, fully loaded with academic hardcover books, 3 feet wide, glass-doored Hemnes bookcases. Bought and assembled in July 2014 and not even a hint of sag. Real wood is much stronger than particle board.

Last year, after moving to a new house, I assembled 3 of the Billy bookcases. I used wood glue everywhere to provide additional rigidity. I am fairly efficient at assembling Ikea products, having assembled many of their products over many years so I could have one fully assembled before the glue finished drying.

Another good tip is to use small screws, instead of the nails, easier to take out if you want to dissmantle the case when you move.

Billy bookcases are a great starting point for other projects. The side of a Billy bookcase makes a great 6' shelf with two wall mount brackets at 24" intervals. I've used extra shelves to add storage to kitchen cabinets and custom built-ins for other rooms.

Wow, the number of Billys (and other IKEA and similar flatpack stuff) I've put up in my lifetime - I wish I had a penny for each time and then I could afford to buy the chain and be its CEO. I think I have glued the hardboard into the recess a couple of times, and also occasionally put the panel pins in at an angle when I remembered. But your genius stroke is the piece of batten you put down the back, and then a 2" screw into the midpoint horizontal/midpoint vertical of each shelf, tops and bottoms. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) I don't live near an IKEA anymore. You're right about not dismantling them for moving house -- just weakens them. And DEFFO no Stanley knife to open the boxes. Cheers mate, that was brill!

Another option for shelf stiffening is to glue a length of aluminium angle (say 16mmx16mm) along the back edge of each shelf. This helps enormously and is pretty subtle to look at against a white shelf.

Last year we helped our son move into his new flat, including a couple of Billy Bookcases and some other Ikea stuff. It's 3rd floor with just stairs, no lift. Although they had to go up each in their box, if, as and when the time comes for him to move out and I'm still in a condition to help, I can guarantee that if it's anything to do with me, they're all coming out bit by bit rather than as complete units! 🤣

Interesting video. I have been in woodworking for over 50+ years and another thing that you could have done to help strengthen the shelves would be to put some screws into the shelves from the back and thru the backing--that is what I did. Another thing I did was to go to the library where they were giving away hardbound books and got 3 books, each were the height of one of the shelves. That served as a middle support, much like you proposed with the piece of wood, but this way it is a more hidden means of support . Each shelve rested on the top of one of the free library books.

Very brave using PVA directly over a carpet...if only you had something like a piece of cardboard to protect it from drips!

A fourth option is one that you kind of covered. Use a horizontal stiffener beneath the shelf, but rather than putting it at the front of the shelf, put it at the back. Not only does this eliminate the problems associated with matching the existing material, it also means that the shelves remain adjustable.

So many great ideas here. Will need to apply these the next time I put the shelves in

Excellent video. Thank you. I also identified a book that I have sought to purchase for over 30 years - Advanced Level Physics ! bonus point cheers. 😀

Another good tip with flat pack furniture is to put some wood glue in all the screw and dowel holes. It’s something my grandad always did. It helps stabilise the chipboard and stops the screws from pulling out as easily, as we all know wood glue is stronger than the actual wood.

Some brilliant tips there stu. Another good video. Keep up the good work.

Excellent video yet again. I am really enjoying my Proper DIY fix. I do feel like I have learned loads since starting to binge watch just to catch up. Thanks again. Phil

I have been following your instructions, thank you. The bookcases now come with pre drilled holes and plastic plugs that the plastic "nails" go into. I secured it with more nails and glue as suggested by you.

Well done. I've tried all three suggestions you've made in regards to preventing shelf sag and found them all lacking and honestly not worth it. I've learned to accept that they will sag, but not the sag. I merely flip the shelves twice a year and use the tendency to sag to straighten the sag.

For the metal screw pins, you can use a drill. Just set the clutch to the weakest setting to avoid over-tightening.

It's a pleasure to watch you at work ♥️

You can often find extra shelves at a very low price in their circular hub (what used to be bargain corner) 😊

IKEA have a very good ‘wastage’ system of putting odd, damaged or ex-display items out by their collection points for you to take for free. You can, with a view visits, usually find appropriate spare pieces of melamine.

I've been wondering about this for a while now and low and behold, you are doing the same job!

I reinforced my Billy shelves by attaching some aluminum U-channel on the back edge. (My shelves are older, so they all fit nicely in the 3/4" U-channel I could get at Home Depot... the newer size might be harder to find U-channel for.) This adds *tons* of stiffness to the shelves. I've got lots of weight on them, and they haven't sagged yet. They're also still re-positionable, as my needs change. I also join multiple bookcases together by drilling through several of the shelf holes and inserting shelf-pins of the correct size though the holes to connect both bookcases; this ensures that their fronts always line up perfectly.

Hard to agree with your assertion that the quality has improved with time. I have three iterations of Billy bought over time and note that the shelf supports are now cheap plastic instead of metal, the finishes are not nearly as smooth as before, the newer stains don’t match the old ones despite having the same name, some stains are discontinued so one can’t properly add to the set, and the hardboard backing is flimsier now. All in all the product has been cheapened, is lower quality, without a corresponding reduction in price.

I have a template to extend the skirting board cutout. Apart from that, can't scratch build at their price. Often add 6mm mdf at back to improve rigidity, especially if I've cut out for a double socket so socket box pokes through the back and faceplate fixed flush with back of bookcase. IKEA supply additional shelf packs that you can cut to stop sagging

This video is really helpful. Although I've bought mine a couple of years ago. It's well saggy now but also because of the load of the things I put on there! Surely, I will get more of these shelves in future and thus video for reference. So, thank u! 😊

I have glued Ikea furniture together for decades and it has lasted very well indeed - we even have some Poäng chairs (nearly 30 years old now!) at don't squeak and groan like many I've seen (even in the store!)

To prevent sag a really inexpensive way is to place a book you won't be reading, in the center the same way you did with a small board.

Personally, I prefer the first option you suggested as it is flexible, in that the vertical braces don't have to be in the centre, they can be moved to best accommodate the book widths or to create a nook for ornaments and they require no fixtures, a good snug fit is all that is required. As for the problem of matching the materials, no problems. Rather than trying to match them, make them a feature with a contrasting colour. Alternatively, be creative and make it look like a book by either painting a spline on raw timber or gluing an actual book spline onto the board.

I am in my 70s and have put to a few pieces of ikea on my own and also used the glue idea years ago and put glue in the dowell holes