Ikea Expedit for record storage - show yours!

[LAB3]

The base of each leg is square. I was able to hit solid wood each time. Each leg is about 1/4 inch from the edge of the unit.

Where did you purchase the legs?? If I ever finish the den walls I want a 5X5
bolted to the wall and room under it for slim cases of cassettes and Blurays I can slide in and out.

 

[oldvinyldude]

Where did you purchase the legs?? If I ever finish the den walls I want a 5X5
bolted to the wall and room under it for slim cases of cassettes and Blurays I can slide in and out.

I bought them at Ikea also. They have 2 or 3 different legs-they differ in height and style. These are the tallest at about 8" They are call Capita.

Do be sure to bolt the unit to the wall-I hope you can hit studs for that. That is a lot of mass up high. You will definitely need some help lifting the unit up once the legs are attached. You need to lift it into place, so you come down square on the legs-they will not tolerate side to side loads.

 

[LAB3]

I bought them at Ikea also. They have 2 or 3 different legs-they differ in height and style. These are the tallest at about 8" They are call Capita.

Do be sure to bolt the unit to the wall-I hope you can hit studs for that. That is a lot of mass up high. You will definitely need some help lifting the unit up once the legs are attached. You need to lift it into place, so you come down square on the legs-they will not tolerate side to side loads.

I am going to glue and screw it all together (follow instructions, positioned correctly)and use peg board with 2X2's and make a X for the backing. No way it will flex. I miss a stud with a lag bolt, I will use a lot of those spring loaded wall nuts to help hold the backing to the wall. Fisherdude has a cool idea for bracing the back of the shelfs. Check out his thread he posted with pic's.:thmbsp: Thanks to everyone who has posted up pic's and ideas. I darn sure know what NOT to do.

 

[Fisherdude]

Here's the pic so you don't have to go searching. Obviously, I took the picture with the braces in the front so you can see them and see how they work. They go in the back, behind the LPs. Then paint the braces the same color as the back wall, and they're practically invisible.

The increase in the side to side rigidity of the Expedits is amazing.

Another option that would work equally well would be to cut two squares out of plywood.

 

[dodog]

Here's the pic so you don't have to go searching. Obviously, I took the picture with the braces in the front so you can see them and see how they work. They go in the back, behind the LPs. Then paint the braces the same color as the back wall, and they're practically invisible.

Are those glued/screwed to the Expedit or are they just friction-fit?

 

[Fisherdude]

They're just friction fit. I trim them a little at a time until they're nice and snug. The first one goes in easy because you can flex the Expedit to one side. The second one is a bit tighter to get in.

 

[GPJeff]

Guess it might be better to loosely fill them than squeeze as many in as possible. 90 records is @ 40-45lbs.

I think you're ok with lps, there's usually at least a safety factor of 1.5 or 2. Then again, there are not ASTM/ACI/AISI type codes to govern shelves like this that I know of.

You probably can get more 12" single type lps than the new/ reissued 180g lps with the thicker jackets in the cubes.

 

[tmccullough]

Well-I kept putting off posting, because my setup always seems unfinished-really speaking about the hardware on top of the Expedits, more so than the record storage part.

I used a Besta unit on top of a 1x5 Expedit, for my main hardware, and I have secondary hardware on top of the others.

All together, I have 1-1x5, and 3-2x4 units. All are on Captiva legs, which get me and my records up off the floor a bit. I have cassette holders under some of them, but these will be mounted on walls soon, and I will use Ikea drawers on the floor, in their place, to hold R2R tapes.

I like the Besta for gear. If i ever get the basement from the kids i may have to make that happen.

 

[LAB3]

They're just friction fit. I trim them a little at a time until they're nice and snug. The first one goes in easy because you can flex the Expedit to one side. The second one is a bit tighter to get in.

How many for a 5X5? One in each corner or ??

 

[Soren Hammer]

 

[Kalev]

I'm curious how those feet are attached. I assume they don't use existing holes, or do they? I'd be really nervous about the weight. Do they seem safe and sturdy enough for you?

I put a 2x4 expedit on its side with 6 legs (pics somewhere earlier in this thread). When I dismantled it to move there were no signs of stress or settling at any of the legs.

Legs are attached with self tapping wood screws. Position leg, use screw point to make a divit, and drive straight down. I missed on a couple, but at least 3 of 4 on each leg were driven true.

Weight is not a problem at all, if you use enough legs, and anchor the units to the wall, as implored by Ikea's directions. Static weight is not an issue, and the anchoring keeps side to side movement mitigated. They are also adjustable (about 1/2 inch). This made it possible to level things, and on the long wall, where I have 2-2x4 units, to make their edges align where they butt up to each other.

I got 3 screws into the wood frame at each corner, and 2 into the frame at each intermediate leg. Other screws went through the veneer into the cardboard web.

I agree that these can hold more weight than recommended when properly secured, as you described. The adjustable legs are great for leveling (I had my TT on top of my shelf).

So, the screw plate for each leg is not narrow enough so that the screws can all hit the wood frame of the base unless you are careful to orient it a certain way? I know that the Expedit has a hollow core construction, and it's certainly possible to miss the frame. Knowing this now, can you orient the leg, or get it close enough to the edge, so you can be sure that all the mounting screws will hit the wood frame?

I couldn't, see above.

Where did you purchase the legs?? If I ever finish the den walls I want a 5X5
bolted to the wall and room under it for slim cases of cassettes and Blurays I can slide in and out.

These shelves are very heavy by themselves (I've moved an assembled 5x5 twice). If I were loading it up with books or LPs, personally I would not raise it off of the ground.

Do be sure to bolt the unit to the wall-I hope you can hit studs for that. That is a lot of mass up high. You will definitely need some help lifting the unit up once the legs are attached. You need to lift it into place, so you come down square on the legs-they will not tolerate side to side loads.

I already said I wouldn't do this, but hypothetically...
I would attach all of the legs to a sturdy plywood base (maybe 1"?) then lift the shelf onto it and screw the plywood near the edges to fasten into the wood frame of the expedit. This ensures that all of the leg screws are secured in solid material.

Without plywood to help distribute the load, I would use 12(!) capita legs for a 5x5 shelf... front and back at the base of each vertical support. There are going to be some serious point loads at these locations and the hollow core material can't support that weight over a long span.

I am going to glue and screw it all together (follow instructions, positioned correctly)and use peg board with 2X2's and make a X for the backing. No way it will flex. I miss a stud with a lag bolt, I will use a lot of those spring loaded wall nuts to help hold the backing to the wall. Fisherdude has a cool idea for bracing the back of the shelfs. Check out his thread he posted with pic's.:thmbsp: Thanks to everyone who has posted up pic's and ideas. I darn sure know what NOT to do.

After all of these modifications, you may find it simpler to build (or have someone else build) a custom shelf... Expedits are decent, cost-effective shelves, but after all this effort you will still have a pressboard/synthetic veneer shelf.

 

[fishoz]

Still have to fill few cubes!

 

[Ringside]

Has anyone found any good inserts / bins / buckets that are just right for LPs in an expedit?

 

[oldvinyldude]

Has anyone found any good inserts / bins / buckets that are just right for LPs in an expedit?

Ikea sells bins that fit the openings. They have variations like translucent plastic, basket weave, alternative colors, etc.

 

[Ringside]

Yea I've seen them online but wondered if any expedit users had any experience with any of them for record storage.

 

[moodydan]

Picked up 2 4x2 expedits this weekend. Here's what I did:

 

[sberger]

 

[GPJeff]

So... Since the Expedit line was "replaced" by the Kallax in Feb 2014 (less material and higher price), has anyone tried the Kallax?

Checking prices online for NOS of expedits, they are reaching top dollar. Almost like the SL1200mks.

 

[LeeVing]

2 days ago bought the 4x2 Kallax.

The Kallax is about a centimeter shorter on each side, but the insides all line up.

I would have moved my old 4x2 Expedit on top of the 4x4, but couldn't get all that moving around done in the time I had. And it really doesn't look too bad.

 

[DC]

What's your assessment of the apparent strength/build quality of the Kallax as compared to the Expedit?