IKEA Billy Bookcase Hack - DIY Built-In Shelves Tutorial

[@barbiedoll6071]

Thank you for detailing your IKEA hack! It turned out stunning. Trying to convince my hubby this is what we need on a bedroom wall. Think you convinced him:)

[@thesommerhome]

Oh I hope you guys get to do it! Thanks for the nice comment!

[@trinhhoang2747]

LOVE IT. Thanks million

[@bgarick]

Thanks for posting this. Can you tell me how the doors installed with the extra trim you added to the front of the cabinets. Did you have to redrill the mounting locations?

[@dangelnut]

i was struggling with how to make the bottom and YOU SOLVED IT thank you sooo much i was gonna go fancy but not anymore. this is so much more easier and probably sturdier

[@deannaapostolon8258]

Can u tell me what your are referencing when you are explaining what size wood and thickness you used to make the doors sit flush ?

[@shmulyeng]

I actually have 4 Billy bookcases arriving tomorrow. I was debating whether I should just assemble them and leave it or make something like this. Your video and blog post convinced me. Ironically, my space is 9' by 141 inches.

[@thesommerhome]

Oh that’s so great!! Thanks so much for sharing!

[@markdrummond8880]

Picked up a few good tips for my application, thanks for sharing.

[@thesommerhome]

Love hearing that! Thanks!

[@jackienegretebenton2404]

Thank you for the quick yet informational video!

[@thesommerhome]

You are so welcome!

[@Kelly-lo6cz]

I wish you would have shown the actual process instead of talking about it

[@simonl4523]

For me this video is helpful and sufficient. If there is anything here that someone does not understand, they can find answers in other similar videos

[@iammedusa2600]

She has a full blog tutorial, as she mentioned.

[@lisahartlen7027]

You need to say how no what was done. Not that helpful

[@hounamao7140]

Perfect explanation, everything one needs to do it. I’m still debating whether to make half circle tops or the classic look :)

[@thesommerhome]

Thank you! Can’t go wrong with either!!

[@kieldaniel]

How did you secured the bookshelves? Wall? Base? Greatttt work

[@carymcc3280]

Just found your blog post but the links for doors etc are broken.

[@eng25]

Appreciate so much! This is exactly what I was looking for so long! My nex project!

[@thesommerhome]

Yay! Love hearing that! Good luck with the project!!

[@Ripcord10]

How did you get the shelf extending to not show a joint running across the length of the shelf?

[@danielle.codereroute]

This is a perfect and quick explanation. Thank you!

[@thesommerhome]

Great! Glad you found it helpful!

[@RajeshS-zw7be]

really good ....like short video with perfect details...

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks so much!!

[@ekvsbutler]

Fantastic solutions! I am very inspired- thank you!

[@GorgeousU]

How did you fill the holes? What product did you use?

[@ThePeteyD]

Hi, did you drill new holes to fix the doors further out to consider the depth of the filler pieces? Only boy I can’t work out :-)

[@jacobt7058]

Yes, new holes were most certainly made for the doors since they otherwise won't open correctly. I remember reading about it on a blog, it might even have been this project but unfortunately I forget exactly where I found it.

[@ThePeteyD]

@@jacobt7058 good man thank you

[@shreyhatle6210]

Thank you. How did you attach the side and top wooden pieces to the dry wall? Did you screw them into a stud? My studs aren't aligned so unsure how to add the top framing

[@gerij777]

Did you buy or make the doors?

[@kennethalbinson3581]

Hi, great job, did you have to do anything special with the doors once you out the trim on as it would have added depth from the pre drilled holes?

[@xShotgunKitty]

Adding the trim at the bottom of the bookcase - the 1.5 inch one that sits on top of the molding --- did that not interfere with the installation of the Oxberg doors? I'm currently doing the exact project and we're running into that issue. No amount of adjusting the door hinges have solved the issue. Any tips?

[@thesommerhome]

Hi there! Not clear exactly what you are asking. If you haven’t read the blog post or looked at my IG highlight start there. If that doesn’t help, DM me a photo. thesommerhome.com/billy-bookcase-hack-tutorial/ instagram.com/thesommerhome/

[@ThePeteyD]

I’m stuck here too…

[@mojoman0]

Her blog says the following: *One question I have received a lot of is regarding the doors and hanging them. We did have to drill new holes, because of the added thickness of the trim we added. We adjusted for the extra depth and used the screws they gave us to drill into the cabinet in a different spot. However thick the wood is on the front, you will move the new drill hole that amount.

[@nikkadim]

Could you please share size or maybe be you have a model for your crown moulding? MDF? Really like it, building the same in room! Thank you!

[@thesommerhome]

Hi there! I don’t remember off-hand all of the different sizes we used. It’s all in the blog post though! thesommerhome.com/billy-bookcase-hack-tutorial/

[@skabettispaghetti5451]

Just wondering if you priced custom built shelves before you did all this work. It looks beautiful, but it was quite labor intensive, and you had to buy additional materials over and above the bookshelves themselves.

[@thesommerhome]

We did and this saved us $10k.

[@skabettispaghetti5451]

@@thesommerhome Oh, my. That much! Good to know. TX.

[@nikkadim]

Did you do any junction box for the lights behind the 12" MDF trim? or just run a separate long cable from the light switch to each light? Thanks!

[@thesommerhome]

My husband is an electrician, and he ran one line for the switch and then daisy-chained them together from there. There is a junction box behind each light.

[@DdDten]

So if we trim the between shelves like yours the doors will still work with same hinges even though the 1/2” or so trim is there. We have full doors. Obviously yours work just want to make sure.

[@thesommerhome]

Addressed in blog post linked. Yes, it will work.

[@michaeldobbin7622]

What kind of paint did you use to blend the shelves and trim pieces together?

[@thesommerhome]

All the details of what we used in blog post: thesommerhome.com/billy-bookcase-hack-tutorial/

[@amina-gf1fl]

😳 This looks amazing !!!

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks so much!!

[@shmulyeng]

I'm finally getting to this project. The one piece I'm having a hard time figuring out is the trim pieces you added to the face of the bottom shelf and the middle fixed shelf to get the door to sit flush. I see your bookcases, like mine, have the built in shelves recessed a bit from the front of the bookcase. How did you account for this gap? Was it filled with wood filler? Also, do the doors (the only piece I didn't buy yet) overlap the bottom shelf? If yes, I assume the bottom molding only starts below the shelf. Is that correct? For the platform, what thickness plywood did you use?

[@veroniquet3730]

Hi! Did you ever get an answer for this question? I am having the same question, lol!

[@DuyTran-to9lk]

What is the width of your wall? We have a 9ft ceiling too

[@Bill308A10]

What paint did you use for this ?

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

Great project!

[@thesommerhome]

Thank you so much!

[@tarnole55]

What are the dimensions of the trim on the front of the shelves? Bottom to remove the gap (2:18), trim that you don’t have the picture for (2:24) / vertical trim?

[@deannabarrett8997]

What are dimensions of the base you built?

[@eulisesgonzalez7592]

This is beautiful

[@bargainhunt100]

Hi, love this, thank you for the tips. I see in your blogpost you used Benjamin Moore Simply White for the parts which required painting. Could I ask which finish you chose, my local stockists have Eggshell, gloss, satin & matt available. Many thanks

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks so much! We used eggshell which worked for us! Keep in mind that we did this several years ago, and so I can’t confirm everything is the same with the Billy Bookcases. Hope this helps!

[@phoenixhazard]

Any reason to put them on a base other than height?

[@thesommerhome]

No. Just height.

[@40Figs]

great job! Looks amazing!

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks so much!!

[@ponchogc4961]

Hello where did you get the trim pieces to hide all the seems?

[@thesommerhome]

Hi there! Home Depot or our local lumberyard. Details of what we used is in the blog post.

[@klatrenta911]

Nice 👍 what was the total cost to do this?

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks! Cost breakdown in this blog post: thesommerhome.com/ikea-billy-bookcase-hack-the-most-frequently-asked-questions/

[@612sonja]

Beautiful work! I’m just wondering why you wouldn’t have purchased the Billy book cases that were 93” tall versus the 79” with the additional 14” extender pieces which totals 93”?

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks! When we did this DIY, the 93” wasn’t an option.

[@612sonja]

@@thesommerhome Thank you!!! I was scratching my head;) I appreciate the quick reply😊

[@mojoman0]

when you add the 93" to your cart ikea just puts the 79" and the 14" extender piece in your cart. There is no single piece unit that tall that I'm aware of

[@mv5203]

love it~ Thank you~

[@thesommerhome]

So welcome 😊

[@jordyvillegas2126]

Great video thank you

[@sunshinemodels1]

This is awesome, but you need more books!!! Just kidding, you deserve to put whatever you want on there!

[@thesommerhome]

lol 🤣 thank you!

[@MercMadam]

Beautiful!! Does anyone use bookshelves for actual books anymore?? 😂

[@thesommerhome]

Thanks! We do! All our books are behind the doors✔️.

[@irinamitine]

Did you buy doors in IKEA?

[@benopie7772]

How did you find doors to fit so well? Or did you account for this before building and then building accordingly?

[@thesommerhome]

The doors are made for the shelves and sold at IKEA

[@TheChrismarinucci]

Stunning….

[@thesommerhome]

Thank you so much!!

[@TheChrismarinucci]

Would you say that someone with little to none carpentry experience can do this?

[@thesommerhome]

@@TheChrismarinucci I would say it’s not the best first DIY but who am I to judge. If you are good at figuring stuff out, and have the tools and patience, I say go for it.

[@RekkiR]

What did you do for the doors? Did you make those yourselves, or did IKEA have those?

[@thesommerhome]

They are IKEA doors. Everything we used is in the blog post. thesommerhome.com/billy-bookcase-hack-tutorial/

[@deannaapostolon8258]

Can you please explain what you put for the doors to sit flush?

[@rcppop3090]

Looks good. IKEA is a great way to save cash. Personally I’m tired of ikea goods. Too chincy and fragile for my family of gorillas!😂 I’m super surprised you’ve had them for so long without stripped out hinges!

[@thesommerhome]

Lol thank you! It’s been 9 years now! Zero issues!

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

This video should be an hour long, its like your going to build a bookcase… 3 minutes later… and now you have a bookcase. The framing part is critical to get right

[@Narlee2226]

Lovely job but the lights look awful ( no offence)

[@rickvdsteen]

It’s great but you’ve made it so custom I’m in doubt if making the whole closet from scratch wouldn’t be easier

[@femia.9298]

I know exactly what you mean. I feel like doing this from scratch now.🙂

[@SledDog5678]

Very nice. Sadly it was announced in 2023 that IKEA, to keep costs reasonable, are changing the quality. That means crappier product &it is not worth using their stuff anymore for upgrades like these.

[@gregcain1468]

🄿🅁🄾🄼🄾🅂🄼 🙏

[@MH-qb9ev]

I would hate to have the books visible lol

[@Grndrgn4CrackTea]

LET ME SAVE EVERYONE HERE TIME, ENERGY and MONEY. Go spend the money on real ones. Anything from ikea is garbage and unless you consider your hours of work valued at $5 an hour than you are better off just buying the real thing and saving yourself the headache. Your welcome 🤗

[@thesommerhome]

lol unfortunately we don’t all have $10k to spend on a wall of shelves. And that was our bid almost 10 years ago when we built these shelves. Probably double now. Still loving them, and they still look amazing almost 10 years later🤩👏!

[@spidey2721]

​@@thesommerhomeBuilding these with simple dimensional lumber wouldn't be expensive.

[@spidey2721]

Confused with the work done you could have just done actual built in.

[@thesommerhome]

At the time of the build we didn’t have the money or expertise to do an actual built-in. Not everyone is proficient in woodworking or has unlimited funds. This is a great option for some of us.