Lekman box for Ikea Expedit shelves - easy to break?

[niccig]

I finally convince DH to buy the expedit shelves and some Lekman boxes. Of course I put one of the boxes together wrong, and when I tried to take it apart, it broke. Granted it was together wrong, and granted some force was applied, but not that much. I was surprised it broke, and one piece has a sharp point. I'm worried that DS will try to stand on the box, and break it. Anyone had any issues? Or am I the only dumb person who broke one because I can't understand Ikea instructions????
TIA Nicci

[deannanb]

I bought 3 of them...
I ended up taking one back (it was cracked to begin with)
the other 2 cracked within about a month.

There are sometimes I really wish that IKEA would put words along with their directions!

Take them back and tell them they just aren't working.

I got some of the cloth boxes target sells, but they are MUCH smaller than the Lekman ones.

[caheinz]

Hmmm. We got all of ours together with none breaking, and DS is now over 3 and none have broken or cracked... (they've been in the house over a year now.)

I agree, though. Words would have been very useful on those instructions!

[greatcanuk]

We have 3 of the Lekman boxes. I put them together successfully, but ITA the instructions were unclear, and it took me a long time to figure it out.

Some of the strips that stick on the bottom of the boxes came apart right away--not the sticky tape part, but the foam of the strip itself, if that makes sense. The boxes themselves do seem to me that they might be easy to break, but I put very heavy things like blocks and train track pieces in them (they are on the bottom shelf, and too heavy for DD to pull out herself), and it seems all right. However, if a child stood on the boxes, the plastic would definitely crack.

I would prefer an alternative to the Lekman boxes, but for me the practicality outweigh the aesthetic considerations. They fit the Expedit perfectly so it maximizes the space, and they are clear so the child can see exactly what's in them, etc. I know they now come in a brownish smoke color, if that helps anyone. I only use the Lekman boxes when I need to fill up the whole cubby with something. Otherwise, I use these cute translucent plastic crates that fold down, which were about $4 each, that I found at a dollar shop. They do not fit the Expedit perfectly of course--there is space all around the crate. Kind of like these:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71223&PRODID=60192

Also, bankers boxes like the kind you can get at an office supply store fit almost perfectly too--they are cheap, but are not clear of course.

Camille

[sidmand]

There is also a wicker basket cube that fits perfectly at IKEA, but it's obviously not translucent! We (I) also broke the first Lekman box I put together. The rest (once I figured it out) were okay, but I agree that they're not the best boxes. We have a mixture of the wicker boxes, the Lekman boxes and then just open cubby holes. So far it's working okay and I haven't found anything else that fits very well. I know someone on here did find a box that fit pretty well.

Debbie
http://b3.lilypie.com/WT7Im4/.png[/img] (][img)

[niccig]

Thanks ladies for other suggestions. We're now 0 for 2 with the Lekman boxes, DH broke the 2nd one. I'm taking back the other 2. I've got trofast containers on the bottom shelf for blocks, leggos. They will work until I find something else. I really wanted these to work as I know DS's leggo, block collection will grow, and they maximize the space. I'll keep my eyes open for a 13" square box.
Nicci

[brittone2]

We have the Branas baskets (or is it Barnas?). THey fit really nicely width wise, but they only fill about half the height of the cube, if that makes sense.

[sidmand]

Branas sounds familiar, I think that's the basket we have, but they come in different sizes. We have one that fills both the width and height and pretty much exactly fills the cubby hole. I know there were ones that weren't as wide and one's that weren't as deep. I forgot the dimensions, but I think these were approx. 13" X 13" x 13" or so.

Debbie
http://b3.lilypie.com/WT7Im4/.png[/img] (][img)

[brittone2]

When did you buy yours? I haven't gotten to shop there in over a year, and the last trip was a very quick one. Before that it was another year or two so I'm wondering if the new size is a newer addition I've never seen.

I'm in NC, and the closest Ikea is unfortunately now like 5 hours away (sniff sniff). If we get up to Ikea in the new future I'd LOVE to get a basket that would fit the whole cubby. That would rock.

I really. really. really. miss Ikea :(

[sidmand]

It is totally hit or miss now that you mention it. I think we bought some baskets right away (which would have been maybe four or five years ago) and then I would look in stores when we went by and sometimes they were sold out (I found them online, but shipping wasn't worth it!) and it took awhile until I found them in stock. I probably bought a couple every time I saw them over the past couple of years.

The closest IKEA was about 3 hours away, so we didn't go often, but in the past year one opened up that's only about 40 minutes away, so I probably bought a couple more then. I don't think they had the Lekman boxes when we first bought it, but I could be wrong. I'm pretty sure the display (four years ago) had the full Branas basket because otherwise I wouldn't have known it fit!

I found a link:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70028048
Dimensions are 13 x 14 x 13 and it's $12.99

Debbie
http://b3.lilypie.com/WT7Im4/.png[/img] (][img)