Ikea Expedit bookcase - ?

[alirebco]

I had originally gotten the 9 cube Closetmaid storage shelving unit at Target but the quality is so crappy. It feels unsturdy, the laminate is already chipping off and I also need more room. This is the one we have in dark brown for toy storage:

http://www.amazon.com/ClosetMaid-8644-9-Cube-Organizer-White/dp/B000ETOG6G

I really want to get the Ikea Expedit bookcase to replace it. I know it's a lot bigger and taller but we'll need the extra storage soon and it seems to be a lot sturdier. This is the one I would like to get in the dark brown/black:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40047675

My question for those who have it are:
-Does it really take 2 people to install?
-Is it hard/difficult to install?
-Did you anchor to the wall?
-How is the quality of the bookcase?
-Does it seem sturdy?
-What bins do you use in it? (we have the closetmaid bins and I'm hoping they fit)

Any other comments on the Expedit? Thanks!!

[deannanb]

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40047675

My question for those who have it are:
-Does it really take 2 people to install? ---- YES! - you need one person to hold some boards while moving the other ones into place

-Is it hard/difficult to install? - not hard at all - I've put 3 of the smaller ones together by myself - the large ones (like you are looking for) aren't hard - at times frustrating if the pieces just don't fit well -

-Did you anchor to the wall? - yes - i had a child who was climbing everything at the time and didn't want it to fall.
-How is the quality of the bookcase? - sturdy - and no chipping away

-Does it seem sturdy? yup

-What bins do you use in it? (we have the closetmaid bins and I'm hoping they fit) - I bought a few of the plastic ones they sold at ikea to go into the expedit - but they broke quickly - don't like them. I like the look of the wicker ones - haven't bought any - the target ones fit okay - not a perfect fit - but they work

Any other comments on the Expedit? Thanks!!

[kijip]

We have the black/brown one like that in 5x5 rather than 4x4.

-Does it really take 2 people to install?

Yes. One person needs to hold parts while a second tightens etc.

-Is it hard/difficult to install?

No. My husband and a friend of ours put two (the 5X5 and the 2X4) together the same afternoon we moved into this house. It did not take them too long.

-Did you anchor to the wall?

I live in earthquake land. And I have kids. Either of those things is a damn good reason to use the included tether straps. Kids climb. Anchoring tall furniture to the wall not only saves hassle and property, it really can save lives.

-How is the quality of the bookcase?

Pretty good. Better that expected for IKEA and for the price, one of the reasons these are such a popular product.

-Does it seem sturdy?

Yes.

-What bins do you use in it? (we have the closetmaid bins and I'm hoping they fit)

We don't. We use it for books, magazines and kitchen stuff.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I helped a friend bring one home once. She put it in her living room and put an Ikea lamp or two inside the spaces. They looked beautiful. They might have been these http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00029225 and http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70096377

We have a wall that could use the black-brown one, I'm just not sure it wouldn't overpower the room.

[greatcanuk]

I love love love our Expedit. It really revolutionized our toy storage. We have the 5 x 5. For one thing, I like that it is so big that it almost looks like a part of the wall, which paradoxically makes our small room seem bigger.

Does it really take 2 people to install?
It definitely takes 2 people to put together, esp. near the end. It's too unwieldy for 1 person to hold and screw in at the same time.

Is it hard/difficult to install?
I thought so. It took me a really long time to put it together, and I consider myself handy. It's not that difficult in terms of screwing the pieces together--it's more that it's tedious and hard to keep everything square, etc. Also you really really need a lot of space to put it together--and the room I was putting it in was really tight.

How is the quality of the bookcase? Does it seem sturdy?
Well, it's good overall for its purpose. Once you set it up, I don't see it coming apart or anything like that. That said, the actual pieces you put together are not sturdy at all. I guess I mean the pieces don't feel dense. So you have to be careful putting it together.

For example, I put most of the unit together myself. But my hands were tiring at the end and I had my husband tighten things up. I think I was using a rubber mallet to knock things together (lightly, of course), but my husband knocked a little too hard and the laminate part cracked and caved in a little. The unit was still usable, but you could tell the materials themselves weren't solid. Ikea agreed to mail me the (huge) side piece that cracked--but after an attempt on their end (it hadn't even make it to me yet) the customer service rep acknowledged it wasn't sturdy enough to be mailed and that it was better for us to come pick it up.

It's not fine furniture, but it is definitely a step up from particleboard type stuff. It's practical, well-designed, great for the price--I highly recommend it.

What bins do you use in it? (we have the closetmaid bins....)
There are some past threads on this. You can also find the dimensions on the Ikea website. (If it's not under the Expedit description, use the Lekman dimensions--it's sized to fit perfectly.) Also, at Ikea I've seen charts that show which bins fit which shelves (only Ikea ones of course). I use Container Store mesh bins for softer storage items like dress-up clothes or soft dolls. I use Lekman boxes for heavier storage like unit blocks or legos, that kind of thing. Even though Lekman is not my first choice in terms of aesthetics, it's practical because it's see-through, and since it fits the cubby perfectly, the space is maximized. The quality of the Lekman boxes themselves are crappy, but whatever.

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml;jsessionid=XFRZ4AVSAECBBQFIAIMCNAWAV ABBOJVC?PRODID=72106&CATID=71225&_requestid=11278
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90059618

HTH,
Camille

[hellokitty]

I have a bit of a spinoff from this question. Which boxes/containers did you get to fit your expedit? We have both a bigger and smaller one and yesterday, just dragged up our smaller one upstairs for the kids playroom. The problem is, all of my other small toy containers are too small for the cubbies, so now I am wondering what will work with the expedit cubbies if we want a, "drawer" or "box" for each cubby...

[greatcanuk]

We also already had mini folding crates that were too small to fit the cubbies (not way too small though). Something like these, but smaller and prettier:
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=71236&PRODID=60192

What I did was to to shift the crate to one side, rather than center them. Then I use the extra cubby space to hold extra items on their side that say, are deeper than the cubby. Kind of like how a cookie sheet divider works.
http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?searchId=18953415&itemIndex=2&CATID=186&PRODID=63199

Since all the smaller crates in the unit are shifted left, and the crates themselves are colorful, it still looks good.

I don't know if you know this already, but Ikea has drawers and cabinet doors especially made for the Expedit now:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10115760
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90115756

I've clearly thought about Expedit a lot....We even refer to ours as "The Expedit", as in "put that back on The Expedit".

Camille

[kayte]

I like the Expedit line a lot.. I have put LOTS of them together--for our trade show booths, with friends for toy storage, craft room storage, etc... (I love to help friends get organized)

That said we have have two of these

http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/61288_PE167471_S4.jpg

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90111027

And we love them. The cubbies hold the same boxes (we have fabric ones form Target) and I think they have a more finished look.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I like that MARKOR a litle bit more for the reason you stated- more finished look. We need something for our living room, and I'm afraid the Expedit might just start looking like a toy-wall, iykwim.

[hellokitty]

I ended up getting a Target cloth bin (closetmaid), the fit ok. A little bit smaller than the cubby, but I think if they were any bigger, my kids would have trouble lifting it up anyway. It fit ok, so I am going to go back later on this wk and get more of them, now that I know they will fit ok. I looked at a ton of other containers at Target, but none of them really looked like they would work out that well. The clear plastic containers look like they would look messy looking, so I ended up ruling those out, esp since most of them were too squat anyway.

[hillview]

-Does it really take 2 people to install?
Yup
-Is it hard/difficult to install?
Well ... DH and I did it but it took a little while. We aren't the BEST putter-togethers but I'd say not possible with helpful 2 year olds on hand :)
-Did you anchor to the wall?
We did not -- but we got the 2x6? and since it is just 2 cubes high we were ok with that -- when we get our next one for the playroom after DS #2 is done with the changing table, we will anchor it.
-How is the quality of the bookcase?
VERY good -- we've had it for 3 years and it looks brand new (in DS #1's room)
-Does it seem sturdy?
VERY -- he stands on it etc.
-What bins do you use in it? (we have the closetmaid bins and I'm hoping they fit)
We got the bins from Ikea -- plastic ones semi-opaque -- they are OK but I'd rather go with something else.

HTH
/hillary

[WBlaze]

I have put together a number of the Expedit bookcases. These things are extremely sturdy and can easily be put together by just one person. That person just needs to be patient and be sure to put a blanket under the bookcase during assembly

[gobadgers]

Just wanted to add that brown/black doors and drawers have been sold out at both IKEAs in my area for almost a year (although I admit I haven't checked in about a month now). I've been dying to get my hands on them.

I agree with all the other comments though - while the materials don't seem that sturdy as you're putting it together, the finished product seems very sturdy and has weathered really well. I think it needs anchoring if there are climbers around.

I bought some great wicker cubes from IKEA at the same time we bought our shelf, but unfortunately I haven't seen them there since. When I decided we needed some more baskets, I found some that worked at Cost Plus (it is our toy storage, but it's in our great room so the baskets look a little more adult than kid).

After reading this thread, I'm contemplating another one - it's so much bang for your buck!

[Kyras mom]

We are fairly happy with our Expedit, although it is made of particle board. When DD was about 3.5 or 4 she stepped on a shelf and it broke. I think if we had rotated the entire unit 1/4 turn so that the right or left side was on the bottom, the shelf wouldn't have broken (3 of the inner dividers run the full length and the other 3 perpendicular ones are smaller boards that stick in). Hard to explain!

We have it anchored to the wall.

Sterilite makes a container that fits well and holds lots of small stuff:

http://www.sterilite.com/ProductDetail.html?ProductId=369&Section=Storage

In this picture we have 4 plastic boxes from Ikea on top. They aren't too sturdy or kidproof. We have 3 of the Sterilite boxes on the bottom. You can see the broken shelf near the bottom below the black stuffed crow.
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s236/karenrecabaren/House/IMG_3131.jpg

[JdrKuhnert]

We use the Drona cubes from IKEA in our Expedit. We have a smaller one and use it as a room divider - play area on one side and the other is the living room. It is turned on its side and is against 2 armchairs. It's really sturdy. We actually picked ours up from the as is section. They didn't have any out, but we asked and there were some in the back. A couple of the boards were chipped on the edges, but we turned them around and it looks like new.

[fauve01]

Just wanted to tell the OP that my DH put 2 Expedits together by himself. I don't remember him complaining about it at all.

Yes, DH anchored them to the wall with metal brackets that look like "L"s that he got at the hardware store.

The bookcase seems very sturdy and we are happy with the quality so far.

I bought various baskets at Target and also some at Ikea.

Good luck!
Anne

[justlearning]

We have two Expedit bookcases (that we were lucky enough to get off craigslist)--one in the birch color with four across, like you have pictured, and one in the dark expresso color with five across.

We LOVE these bookcases!! My husband was able to tear down these bookcases by himself when buying them used and put them together almost by himself--I helped near the end holding the sides together while he screwed the last ones in. We have both tethered to the wall--I would definitely do this.

We have a variety of storage containers for both--we have some large wicker baskets from IKEA that are designed to fit perfectly as well as other random baskets from Marshalls, Hobby Lobby, etc. I think in some ways it's nice for the baskets to not fit perfectly because it leaves room for putting other things up against it (especially useful for coloring books in our craft loft).

One thing I did want to mention is that our dark bookcase shows a LOT of dust (as does any almost-black furniture--we have the same problem with our dark bedroom furniture). I have to dust the expresso bookcase very regularly whereas I never see dust on the birch one. I have to remind myself to dust that one just because the dust is completley unnoticeable. If your baskets do fill the entire shelves, then the dust issue won't be as big of a deal, however.

Edited to add that IMO the quality is excellent. They both survived being used by someone else, then torn down, then used here with two young boys and they both look new. Now my boys haven't tried climbing on them, but they do throw things around the playroom and the bookshelves have never been dented or nicked. The dark color does show scratches from where the baskets slide (but not the birch color), but these scratches don't show of course when the baskets are in place.

A warning--don't use furniture polish on the dark color. I think that the previous owners had done this because DH brought it home and it looked like the wood was all different colors, horrible! I was upset that he had bought it in that condition until I realized that it was probably Pledge that was making certain parts shiny and not others. I took a wet microfiber cloth and wiped off each board. That made it look like new again. That's how I continue to polish them--with a damp microfiber cloth (then let the area dry, of course, before putting things back on).

[MrsZaz]

Do you by any chance have a picture of the dark expresso bookcase? I'm trying to decide between white or the expresso but can't picture the expresso in our family room.

Thanks
Colleen

[justlearning]

Here's a picture of our bookcase. As you can see, it holds a LOT of stuff! This one's in our "craft loft" so it holds all of the boys' art supplies, learning materials, puzzles, my scrapbooking and sewing supplies, playdoh, etc. I oftentimes tell DH that I'm SO glad we got this--it has transformed a small loft into a very functional space for all of us (with a table and chairs).

[infomama]

Here's a picture of our bookcase. As you can see, it holds a LOT of stuff! This one's in our "craft loft" so it holds all of the boys' art supplies, learning materials, puzzles, my scrapbooking and sewing supplies, playdoh, etc. I oftentimes tell DH that I'm SO glad we got this--it has transformed a small loft into a very functional space for all of us (with a table and chairs).

Thanks for posting that pic. I was hoping to see some photos to get an idea of how people organize it so it looks neat. Got some really good ideas, thanks again.

[justlearning]

I'm glad the pic was helpful--I always like looking at other moms' pictures too to get ideas. So, in case this helps, here's a pic of our birch bookcase in the playroom. It's kinda empty at the moment because I just donated toys the kids no longer use.

The playroom bookcase is used to store their kids' games, some big toys, balls in one wicker basket, cars in another wicker basket, dress-up clothes in another wicker basket, legos in shoe boxes from Container Store, etc.. By the way, that's where I also got the small see-through "accessory containers" that I used in the craft loft to hold markers, crayons, etc. Two of those fit side-by-side in the shelves but you can only get one shoe box in there.

HTH! :) (Note that my son picked out the very-orange color for the playroom--wouldn't have been my choice but he loves it!)

Oh--another tip: I put our old changing table in the playroom closet. I use the baskets it came with to store more toys in the playroom as well as it functioning as a diaper changer when we have friends over.

[MrsZaz]

Thanks for posting the pictures. They both look great!

Colleen

[daniele_ut]

We have a 4x4 Expedit in the Black Brown color in DS's room. It matches his Hemnes bed and dresser perfectly and it really helped to tame the toy tornado. We have the Knipsa baskets and they are really nice. DH refused to have one more plastic thing in the house and gladly ponied up the extra $4 for each basket. It was pricey to buy 8 at once, but it was totally, completely worth it. They hide the mess really well and look much more attractive. One of them has all of his Magnatiles, one holds train tracks, one holds crayons and coloring books, one has music stuff, one has boxed puzzles, one has wooden blocks, one has games like Zingo, Candyland Castle and card games, the last one has wooden puzzles in it. The total for the Expedit and the baskets was around $300.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/daniele_ut/Murray%20house/DSC02346.jpg

I put it together by myself and it was time consuming because I had small helpers. It wasn't that difficult until the end. I will say, though, that I might not be the best assembler because I really didn't find it that sturdy until I anchored it to the wall. I wasn't sure how you could use it for a room divider since it seemed to wobble a bit, but when I saw some in the store in the As-Is section they seemed much sturdier. If I'd had a truck that night, I'd have bought another 4x4 that night knowing we'll put one in the family room once we get it finished in a couple of months. It came with a set of L-brackets that worked really well to fasten it to the wall.

I'm planning on getting either a 2x4 Expedit or the Markor unit that the pp showed for my living room soon as well. It will have some baskets to hold things like mittens, scarves, hats, etc and then some decorative stuff as well.

[jerigirl]

We have the 3 of the dark 2x4s in the room pictured. Here is one configuration that we have. The 3rd stands tall and is in a corner with DS's little blue table (from IKEA) and stores his puzzles, books, and craft supplies. Currently on the shelves in the picture, we have 4 of the red bins across the bottom and all of the cubbies are full of books. This picture was taken when we first assembled and installed the shelves.

[SASM]

I haven't read the other responses and am sure that these are duplicated but...

My question for those who have it are:
-Does it really take 2 people to install? No...we have two 2x4 and 1 4x4 and DH easily put both together without me. Preschooler DS was always hanging around during teh assembly jobs but I highly doubt that he would have seriously assisted with the assembly. :)

-Is it hard/difficult to install? Not to my knowledge. I didn't hear DH cursing any time that he's assembled it. :) It was just cumbersome getting them up to our desired floor (we had three levels and they were used on all three...we took the up bit by bit).

-Did you anchor to the wall? No we haven't needed to do this yet...and we started our "collection" over 2 years with a 6, 4, and 17 mo (currently). We currently use the smaller ones vertically in the playroom without any issues.

-How is the quality of the bookcase? LOVE them! We have the color that you are interested in and they are beautiful. They blend in very nicely with the chunky lines of our PB & Resto stuff, too, which is nice.

-Does it seem sturdy? Yes...We've moved them around the house without issues. We also had a VERY horrible moving experience and they all survived without a scratch, which I cannot say about 75% of our furniture. :(

-What bins do you use in it? We have two IKEA natural fiber bins that I haven't seen online...only in stores. One looks very PB (to me anyway)...it is woven palm (I think) in a zigzag "V" pattern...very airy and open but still hides the mess. LOVE these! The other is the same material woven with a square cutout in the middle to pull out the basket. This one is not see-through with the exception of teh square. I like this one too. These both fill the shelves completely.
ETA: We initially bought the plastic see-through ones with four holes in teh front (red, clear, black, etc). HATED these! They didn't seem to slide easily and I was afraid that they'd scrape the finish. I just LOVE the natural fiber ones. Slide easily and more forgiving with pulling in and out.

Any other comments on the Expedit? LOVE them! I wish that I could get more. Initially, we used the big one for books and toys, then moved it as a room divider. The smaller ones were used in DS's room for toy/book storage and the other was used in our foyer to store winter stuff, diaper bags, etc. AWESOME! They are VERY versatile and soooo inexpensive for the look!

Good luck with the decision.

[JTsMom]

Love all of the pics! It is so much nicer to see how they look irl. You all did a great job organizing. :)

[mom2224]

Anyone seen the 4x4 in the store lately? I can't find it on the website. And yesterday, at the store, I only saw the 5x5 and 2x4.

I could always use 2 2x4s.


Love all the pictures- this is a great thread for organization!!

[kayte]

If you enjoy pictures-- search flickr for Ikea and Expedit

Hopefully this link will work

http://flickr.com/search/?q=ikea%20expedit&w=all

If not, you'll have to type it in yourself.

There are over 1000 images!

ETA- Here's an Expedit Pool

http://flickr.com/groups/expedit/pool/


Here are a few I find inspiring

http://flickr.com/photos/heathashli/3028386689/

http://flickr.com/photos/crunchypeas/2742272198/in/pool-expedit

http://flickr.com/photos/allabouteve/2286188219/in/pool-expedit

[infomama]

If you enjoy pictures-- search flickr for Ikea and Expedit

Hopefully this link will work

http://flickr.com/search/?q=ikea%20expedit&w=all

If not, you'll have to type it in yourself.

There are over 1000 images!

ETA- Here's an Expedit Pool

http://flickr.com/groups/expedit/pool/


Here are a few I find inspiring

http://flickr.com/photos/heathashli/3028386689/

http://flickr.com/photos/crunchypeas/2742272198/in/pool-expedit[/url

[url]http://flickr.com/photos/allabouteve/2286188219/in/pool-expedit

Holy sweetness....thanks for the links!!

[daniele_ut]

Anyone seen the 4x4 in the store lately? I can't find it on the website. And yesterday, at the store, I only saw the 5x5 and 2x4.

I could always use 2 2x4s.


Love all the pictures- this is a great thread for organization!!

I saw it last week and here it is on their site:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40047675