looks like it could be a nice lp rack, but ikea stuff is notoriously cheaply built and the dimensions listed are not too helpful. but taking the total heights/width and dividing by 5 and taking 1.5" off per opening for the boards I come to roughly 13x13" openings which would be good for lps, and figuring 65lps @ 200g/ea per 13 linear inches i get ~29lbs per shelf, right at the listed max weight capacity. seems too good to be true.
I'd be curious to hear if anyone else uses this for lps, and whether or not the shelves look like a compound bow after a year or so...
This looks to have 25 slots, 5 X 5. I have the one that is only 4 High, and I believe 5 slots across width wise. So this one being higher does have to hold more LP's. That said, mine is at least 70% full, and I am very satisfied with it. A good thing, because I have spent several thousand on my racks for my components. I believe you will find a bit on this subject if you search Ikea in the discussion forums. I think most recently there was talk of someone that built or used a steel type cross bar to add to the structural integrity if their Ikea. Mine has movement to it when pushed, but not anything to worry about IMO. I suppose if mine was close to anything or anyone it could do harm to, I may go for the piece of mind of a cross brace... Just a reminder that I am either 16 or 20 slots only though. It's been a while, but somehow I thought mine was less than $199 as well, which would make sense as it is smaller. If it helps, let me know if you want me to confirm the size when I get home later.
I've definitely seen several A-goners who enthusiastically recommend the Ikea Expedit shelves for LPs. I have my sights set on a couple 2x3 units for my ever-expanding collection. I don't have enough wall area to spare a 5x5.
My advice is that if you live anywhere that is earthquake prone look elsewhere. That IKEA stuff will explode! It might be good to store your 70's disco records in but don't put it anywhere near small children,pets or anything you value. There will be a crash in the night and you will be hoping it isn't the IKEA rack,but it will be. That shelf is for putting those little decorative bowls they sell on. If you use that rack you can "expedit" your treasured lp's to the dumpster. Look elsewhere,be creative,spend a little more for some peace of mind vs. pieces of records. That rack is a CPOS or a cheap piece of you know what............Good Luck and Happy Listening...Really!
i have a 5x5 4x4 and 2 2x4's. great. u need to put 1/4 round trim in the back so the records don't push back too far. on sale this weekend a 2x4 for $50
I use the Expedit shelves and am very happy with them for how little they cost. I use the ones with 4 cubicles and have two of them stacked on top of one another.I keep all my japenese pressings, MFSL pressings and mint original early issue lp,s and rare lps in them. Approximently 50 or more for each cubicle depending on how many are gatefold lps. The rest of my collection (daily drivers but still in excellent condition)I still keep in the milk crates I used from the seventies. As a woodworker the time and cost to make them myself could not be done for so little. The only changes I made was adding backs to each cubicle to keep the lps from being pushed back to deep into the shelves. These 4 cubicle units are inherintly more stable than the larger wall units for obvious reasons. They are reasonably priced and work well to shelve lps in. Cost me 100 dollars for both units. I figured to make similar shelves from the solid wood I usually work with would cost me about 1000 in materials to do myself. So 100 dollars and 900 dollars put towards more vynil was a no brainer. Cheers.
Forgot to add shelves (each cubicle) is 13 and 1/4 inches high by 13 an 1/8 wide by 15 and 1/8 inches deep. The depth is the only problem but easily remedied and by doing so the units become sturdier. Cheers
I have this exact IKEA Expedit 25 cubicle rack in the brown/black finish (as it looks more expensive that the lighter finishes IMO). All 25 cubicles are chock full of LPs. It is excellent and as solid as a rock. The trick is to do four things:
1) Build it as close as possible to the site at which it will be placed to avoid tweaking it during movement. It is very heavy and will be heavier after you add mandatory support. It does not scoot well and is too heavy to lift once assembled.
2) Brace the entire back of the unit with plywood of some type using woodscrews and glue.
3) Secure it to the wall with the provided hardware.
4) Load it from the bottom up.
I used 1/4" Luan plywood from Home Depot for the back of mine because it takes stain better than other plywood. I cut it to the outer dimensions of the shelving unit, doubled it up (2 layers thick) by gluing it together with the seams offset from each other - you will need (3) 4'X8' sheets of Luan. After gluing, you will need some heavy items (floor jacks, concrete blocks, bricks, etc) to place on top so that it will not bow while drying.
Next, I stained the front side of the Luann with Minwax Ebony stain, also from Home Depot. It matched the finish of the shelving unit perfectly. Let it dry overnight.
Now assemble the shelving unit, preferably at the site where it will be placed. Assemble it so that the front is face down to the floor and far enough from the wall that the unit can be stood up after assembly into place with little if any scooting.
Next, take wood glue and run a THIN bead of it along all of the rear faces of the shelves.
Now carefully lay the Luan plywood back down on the rear of the shelving unit (stained side down), making sure to align the back with the other edges of the shelving unit before actually laying it to rest to avoid smearing the glue on the stain.
Next, take SMALL DIAMETER 1 inch or longer wood screws and, starting at the middle (not the edges or it will bow when finished) screw one wood screw into each shelf ledge, eventually working your way to the edges. This should take 39 screws. Place screws every foot into the thicker outer pieces, starting in the middle of each side and finishing at the corners. This should take an additional 25 screws.
Now, stand the rack up into place and bolt it to the wall using the supplied hardware or something stronger. THIS IS IMPORTANT! It not only adds critical torsional stability, but also ensures it will not topple down short of an extreme act of God.
At this point, if you try to wiggle it, it will be as solid as a rock and not move any whatsoever. I mean NONE!
Let the glue dry overnight.
Last, load your LPs starting at the bottom and work your way up.
I took 2.5" tall baseboard and cut it into 13.25" lengths to place at the rear of each cubicle to push my LPs forward such that they are flush with the outer edge of the shelves. It is much easier to see the titles this way.
I know this sounds like a lot of work, but it is not that bad (maybe two hours to cut and stain the Luann, two hours to assemble the shleving unit, and another hour to glue and screw the back on).
This unit will be totally unsafe to load with LPs if you do not brace it substantially and attach it securely to the wall. There are threads on Audioasylum where people did not do this and had catastrophic results. You have been warned!
I love it, it's wonderful, I have friends who are using it, and I have no idea why jazzcourier would post such a comment, perhaps they had one of the older units. The newer ones with the dowel rods are extremely sturdy. I have the 5 by 5 and it's full, it doesn't budge. If you were worried about it toppling over, just attach it to the back wall with the hardware included, mine's on carpet and it's still solid. My only beef for a record rack is that the records can slide backwards, so most people attach some kind of backing or crossbars of wood or such across each opening to prevent that. It's nice to do it about an inch or so inside at the back, so then the records all line up evenly in the front. Get one and enjoy!
Great rack system. I have the 2x4, bought it for about $70 I believe. Completely solid even when filled nearly full. I live in southern california so I made sure to attach it to studs on my wall. I also a small strip of wood about 1/2" high along the front of each opening to help keep the records from sliding out if a earthquake happens. Hopefully my records are safe if we have something big shake us.
I had been looking into using West Elm 3x2 Rolling Storage units to store LPs but they are $399 each. The 2x2 Expedit at $59 each looks to be a much more affordable alternative. Can anyone who owns one comment on whether the frame would support adding casters?
>>Can anyone who owns one comment on whether the frame would support adding casters?
Look again on the IKEA web site - I'm pretty sure that they offer casters as an option. You might have to search under Expedit to see all of the options and parts.
I use Expidit and Bonde, both from IKEA. The Bonde is nice as a 1 shelf wide by 4 shelf high tower that is perfect for tight spaces. The Bonde comes with a back on it where as the Expidit does not.
I have 2 Expidit units in the room where the RCM lives, and I have 2 Bonde units on their sides and stacked one on top of the other in the listening room for those LPs that are in the current "heavy rotation".
Both Expidit and Bonde have proven to be, over the years, the best value per dollar in LP/tape storage
If I was thinking of adding casters to a large Expidit, I would think that at least 6 per unit would be needed. Unless you have a big open living space, I would think that trying to steer a fully assembled and loaded Expidit around, might be pretty tough (remember - the Expidit does not come with a back on it)
I use Ikea Effektiv because - it's more heavily and solidly built than Expedit - solid back included, so no tipping or leaning - it's a modular design, so readily expandable - it fit my space better
You don't want to put castors on this shelving. What you do want to do is fasten it to the wall in several places. Then it will be very safe and you will have no chance of damaging your records (or your pets/kids)
I use Ikea too, one advantage for LPs and the Benno CD racks, is there height. They go up to near my ceiling, so are very economical for space. Frankly Jazzcourier, if I was in a large eartquake, e few LPs on the floor would be the leadt of my worries. Plus you get the advantage of the great quirky names, biffo's boffo's zippo's
I bought the Ikea Expedit 4x2 unit at $99.95--based on what I read here--and couldn't be more pleased for the functionality, price, and appearance. My wife wanted me to go get one or two more! I can see where if you get a bigger unit you would want to brace the back, but the 2x4 is stable enough.
Best part is I play more of my jazz records now because they're more accessible than they were on a low, 2-shelf bookcase that barely left enough vertical space to get the LPs in and out.
Are the Ikea shelves strong enough to hold multiple boxed sets on the same shelf? I have many opera and other boxed sets and was wondering if the extra weight of these would be an issue if they were on higher shelves.
I use the Ikea 'lack' cases. They stand appx. 6'tall and are easily able to hold LP's without any flexing of the shelves. You do have to attach the racks to the walls to prevent tipping, but this is easy and they supply very good supports for that. Great price also.
. I use an Expedit full of lp's as a room divider in my loft. I live in LA where we periodically have earthquakes. I've never had one single lp fall off the shelf and the unit is free-standing in the middle of a floor.
A friend just gave me 1100 jazz lps and I'm going to buy another Expedit to store them. The only problem is that shipping for the unit is more than the cost of the unit. I don't have a car big enough to drive it home...so, I'll have to pay shipping.
Both home improvement stores rent trucks by the hour inexpensively. Or check the Ikea store - they might offer hourly truck rentals too (the one in New Haven does, for example). I rented a van from a Budget kiosk in Ikea when I needed to transport a half - dozen "Billy" bookcases home. I think it cost me $30.
Hi, don't we need some chicks in this here furniture thread by now? Also we need colours now please, colours, : pink, beige, little off-white. Please no battle-ship grey, not so becoming, I say :-)
Missing first sentence in post above: Do you have a Home Depot or Lowes nearby? Both home improvement stores rent trucks by the hour inexpensively. Or check the Ikea store - they might offer hourly truck rentals too (the one in New Haven does, for example). I rented a van from a Budget kiosk in Ikea when I needed to transport a half - dozen "Billy" bookcases home. I think it cost me $30.
. I called the store in Burbank and they'll deliver it to my doorstep eleven miles from the store for $50. Online shipping for this item is prohibitive. .
To update my post in this thread, I bought a 5x5 unit and built an x-brace for the back of it. Now I can load up as many records as will fit in there with no danger of it collapsing. I would highly recommend this for anyone who thinks they might be close to the limit. I also found, by the way, upon weighing them, that the box sets did not weigh significantly more than the equivalent number of single LP's.
You really don't want to see pics of my x-brace, it's actually quite badly done and looks terrible. Had to use some pretty long boards to do it, since the unit is so large. But it is on there and is fulfilling it's function. The x-brace is a very strong formation. Those things can collapse into a parallelogram if they have too much weight in them, so I would advise building some kind of brace, and the x one is pretty easy to do.
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