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Full height built-in bookcase from IVAR units

I would like to share my hack of IKEA IVAR shelving system into a built-in bookcase. It all started with the wish to have a bookcase that could store all the books we still had in the moving boxes.

I could not find a bookcase that would fit the space we wanted to use. Or did not like the looks or did not want to pay that kind of money, so I decided to make one myself. This way the built-in bookcase could make the most use of the space, from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall (or wall to door in my case). To not start from scratch completely, I decided to use the IKEA IVAR shelving system, this way I had some sort of a base to start from.

IKEA items used:
  • IVAR side units (4x)
  • IVAR shelves (24x)
Other materials used:
  • 3mm thick (max) plate to close the sides (I used MDF)
  • Plywood to close the outside and cover the top (I used 3,6mm)
  • Plywood for the sliding doors (I used 18mm)
  • Some wood for ornamental framing
  • Some more wood
  • System for sliding doors (I used Hettich bottom running system)
  • Primer and paint
  • Handles for sliding doors
Tools:
  • Drill and screws
  • Hammer and nails
  • Saw (miter saw or other, jig saw)
  • Glue
  • Simple hand tacker
  • Router: if you want to shorten the shelves and do some additions to the ornamental framing. And depending on the sliding door system you choose, you might need it.
  • Painting supplies

Built-in bookcase: Building the frame

I wanted a lot of shelving space for our books but also wanted some covered storage underneath. Since the space in the room is limited, I wanted to use sliding doors for this part. I searched for a system that I liked and in the end choose a Hettich bottom running system (also used in some IKEA furniture, by the way).

Unfortunately, in my old house, the floor was not level. So as a preparation, I placed a frame on the floor with the same depth as the IVAR side units (30cm) and levelled it. Also, the IVAR side units were not available in a length that would reach up to the ceiling, so I bought the longest ones available, and then extended them.

I thought it would be easy to extend them since I would not need any dowel holes for shelving in this top part, and used some wood I had lying around. But this turned out to be a bit harder than I thought. I would advise anyone who wants to extend the side units, to buy one (or more) extra pieces and cut and connect those.

Full height built-in bookcase from IVAR units

Built-in bookcase: Customizing shelves

When all 4 units were extended, I placed the outer two and attached them to the bottom (levelling) frame and the wall. At this point, I measured the exact dimension in between these two to determine the length of the shelves.

I knew I had to also customize the shelf length to make it fit exactly onto the wall I wanted. (I could have used two standard length sections and make only one fit, but I liked it better if all sections were the same width for several reasons; it is easier for the sliding doors to have equal sections, I can now interchange shelves between all sections and I like the looks better.) At this point, I made 9 shelves to the right length so I could assemble the IVAR and have a stable basis with all side units in place.

Full height built-in bookcase from IVAR units

To shorten the shelves, you can carefully remove the plastic strip on one side of the shelf. Then, cut the shelf to your desired length, make a new slot in the side using a router, and put the strip back in again. I found this instruction on YouTube (credits to Sean O’Brien) :

The post Full height built-in bookcase from IVAR units appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

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