Building a whole wall of bookshelves?

[Purpledustbin]

Is 'green mdf' really stronger than regular? I need to create shelves 80cm wide by about 25cm deep and the books weigh 38kg per shelf. I don't want the shelves super-thick so was thinking no more than 25cm deep. Will this be strong enough? I thought of using beech or oak staves kitchen worktop but it's way more expensive. Many thanks

Oh I’m interested in this too! What brackets are you planning to use? Xx

Have you looked at Ikea Billy bookcase? They're really well designed & easy to put together, & look good too (IMO)

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/billy-bookcase-white-00263850/

Oh - max load only 30kg per shelf though

Width: 80 cm
Depth: 28 cm
Height: 202 cm
Max. load/shelf: 30 kg

250 mm is shallow. My bookcases are 280 and I think 300 would be better.

250 mm is shallow. My bookcases are 280 and I think 300 would be better.

Depends what size books the shelves are for. 30cm is far too deep for paperbacks, for example.

Google says that green, waterproof MDF is 30% stronger than the normal type - if that helps?

Billy all the way.
If not I’d take the basic measurements of Billy as a starting point. Having lived with them they fit most books but aren’t too deep.

Even if msg is ok it might still bend - but I suppose if doing yourself you could rest the back edge on batons of wood.

Check Pinterest for Billy hacks - there are one or two showing them building Billy into the wall with coving and architrave that look pretty swish.

I have had Billy in various sizes and permutations over the years. They are excellent bookcases and display units, but far too deep for standard paperbacks.

For paperbacks, I end up stacking a couple of 2x4s at the back of a Billy, and arranging the books two-deep. The back row stands on the 2x4s.

Oh that's a good idea @VaguelySensible! I'll do that - I'm getting the deeper ones so I can put board games on the bottom shelves but still want some books on the upper.

Another vote for Billy..we only have 9 of them at the moment but have probably had double that overall at various times!

We have a wall full of shelves from these people, deeper at the bottom for baskets of toys and shallower at the top for DH’s cd collection

www.shelfstore.co.uk/

They’re very customisable, and adjustable once they’re in place. Definitely recommend them.