Billy bookcase fabric back

When you take the plunge and buy one for yourself, it comes with their very own billy bookcase instructions, so you can easily put it together. You cant even attach a support rail for the shelves to the back of the bookcase because the backing is basically cardboard. Choose a fabric or print for the back of the bookcase and attach it to the wood using a glue gun. We have brought together the best ikea billy hacks in one place to inspire you to create something amazing. Before screwing the bookcases to the wall i had threaded through an electrical extension bar so that the lights could be plugged in around the back of the bookcase. Before you start nailing, get your billy nice and square, and be sure you have plenty of appropriately sized nails along the top. Office makeover reveal ikea hack builtin billy bookcases.

Fabric sliding doors gets dust away from billy ikea hackers. Jun 15, 2010 we decided we could grab some foam core and cut it to the size of the six rectangular openings in the back of the bookcase and slip it back there to obscure the view of the creased back. Aug 19, 2011 to correct and strengthen your billy, all you need is a few more nails consider using double the nails as suggested in the original instructions and some wood glue. How to replace a billy bookcase back home guides sf gate. White diy bookcase makeover with a patterned fabric back. Diy bookshelf makeover ikea hack billy bookcase lined bookshelf spanish. Adding fabric or wallpaper to the back of your bookcase is an. Flat pieces of wood for the rails and round dowels for hanging the yrla curtain. Fabulous home office with back wall featuring side by side ikea billy bookcase hacks with backs of shelves painted behr black sable illuminated by clip on mini lamps. But recently, i figured out the trick to painting ikea furniture that makes it totally doable.

When it comes to hacking great storage, no other ikea product works a room like the billy bookcase. Using beadboard wallpaper on ikea billy bookcases overthrow. The first thing we did was measure the wall to determine how many billy bookcases we needed to fill the wall. Cut the pine to the exact same size as the back board provided. Erin chose a scenic wallpaper with an unusually large repeat the repeat is the patterns scale that spans the entire back. With its new top, base molding, and intense green paint, youd never know this bookcase by erin spain started out as an ikea billy bookshelf. Fourteenyearold karlotta chose the vattenmynta fabric to cover a billy bookcase for her familys living room.

Apr 20, 2016 if you must buy billy bookcases, stick to the narrowest versions. How ikeas billy bookcase took over the world bbc news. I considered using the billy bookcase extensions and making these go full. Im a fan of the ikea billy bookcase having used him to make builtins in 2011, created some shelving in this awesome playroom. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Ikea billy bookcase makeover ikea billy bookcase makeover claire alexander clarissa zapf furniture wrap a piece of cardboard in fabric and put at back of nbsp hellip makeover bookcase sewing room organization ikea billy bookcases new ideas wrap a piece of cardboard in fabric and put at back of bookcase instead of painting or wallpaper. They are 20 years old a true testament that they are indeed a classic ikea item that you can use by itself or in many combinations. They move on casters with the help of a ushaped channel she affixed to the front of the shelves.

Add woven baskets and decorative storage boxes to easily organize magazines and maintain a clean look. Where i had cut out the back of the billy to sit against the skirting, i added in a piece of wood in an upright position to hide the cut marks and disguise the extension bar. This is one of the easiest way to give simple ikea billy bookcases and other flatpack bookcases and cabinets a major update. Ikea billy bookcase turned at home coffee bar hack erika. How to add fabric or wallpaper to your bookcase polished habitat. Billy is manufactured for ikea by gyllensvaans mobler at their factory in kattilstorp, sweden. Read on and watch our howto film to see how to give your shelves a fast, affordable makeover with fabric. Ikea billy bookcase hack with shiplap angela marie made. Before you start nailing, get your billy nice and square, and be sure you have plenty of appropriately sized nails along the top, into the middle permanent shelf, and along the bottom. Place the fabric onto the piece of the bookshelf smoothing it out as you do so, fold under the extra fabric.

I love to change things with simple skills, and it was so fast and easy. You may remember when i transformed this ikea billy bookcase for a fun design challenge. How to add fabric to the back of a bookcase diy bookcase. For a new billy, measure the inside of the top, back and sides where theres a groove, measure to that point only.

Wallpapering the back wall of a bookcase allows you to add a pop of color or texture just the right. Cover the back wall of the bookcase with patterned fabric. Ikea billy bookcase hack contemporary denlibraryoffice behr black sable life in grace. If youre tired of your home decor falling flat, you can spice it up with a few details. Easy shelf reinforcement for billy shelves ikea hackers. I already had this white billy bookcase with a cd insert from ikea that i had purchased nearly ten years ago for almost nothing in the asis section.

In fact, years ago i tried painting a billy bookcase only to see the paint on it bead right up. Apr 28, 2017 am i right so whats an ikea lover to do. Gather glasses and bottles of wine, liquor, and mixers in this boozy bookcase. Cut the fabric about 5 inches longer and wider than the size of the cardboard so you can wrap the excess to the back and secure with packing tape. Transfer these measurements to the back of your fabric using chalk or a pencil, then cut out the pieces with fabric. Marika meyer interiors dc design house amazing stroheim cranston lattice fabric in. I cut cardboard from large appliances boxes as fomcor was not so easy to find back then and was expensive. Using an ikea billy hack is a great way to create a stunning bookcase on a budget. The billy bookcase is a classic storage solution, but what if you want to personalise it. Assemble billy bookcase using the included ikea directions. Builtin billy bookcases are certainly not a new concept, but i never felt like the directions were close enough to what i needed.

Follow this tutorial for attaching fabric to the back of your bookcase with ease faith outlines the step by step process clearly and concisely on. Cover the front of your backing board with fabric or. From livet hemma comes this ikea billy bookcase with an exciting pattern inspired by the fanned pages of an open book on the inside. Fabric backed open kitchen cabinets diy on a dime the tutorial fabric, foam board, and tape i might hot glue corners into place if needed fabric covered foam board for back of cabinets genius makes it easier to switch out when i get sick of it. The fabric on the back panel of the bookshelf is attached with liquid starch and can be changed within a short time or removed completely. The ikea billy bookcase is 40 years old and there are so many great hacks out there that celebrate this birthday. How i created my ikea billy bookcase shelving hack. You can replace the back of the bookcase, saving you a trip and the trouble of assembling another piece of furniture. Billy bookcases are built with a stackable design that allows you to attach new units whenever you need additional storage, just decide on what height suits your space best. Begin by assembling the bookcase using the directions included in the box. After all, painting laminate furniture can be really tricky. You can use your favorite wallpaper to coordinate with a room, or find. Firstly, i decided to use wood to create the rails and fixing system.

She painted it white and added a fun floral fabric to the back. How to wallpaper the back of a bookcase home guides sf gate. It was fun to work with the fabric its my favorite fabric from ikea. I have all the equipment necessary for cutting so i was going to cut the shelves down to 28. Putting together ikea billy bookcase southern hospitality. Jan 25, 2015 are there lowend bookcases without the cardboardlike back. Would be good for expeditedkallax unit ikea billy bookcase makeover wrap a piece of cardboard in fabric and put at back of bookcase instead of painting or wallpaper. They will go in the walk in closet in the sewingplayroom to hold fabric.

The ikea hack builtin billy bookcases office makeover reveal. Ive been thinking about ikeas billy bookcases for years, but i was always disappointed with their 11 depth. The billy bookcase is one of those ikea products that you buy for your dorm room and hold onto for years after graduation. I built all 3 units plus the extension pieces in 1 hour. Fwiw the back of the ikea billy bookcases isnt cardboard as much as very thin mdf or something. Apr 12, 2012 how to make over and style an ikea billy bookcase using fabric and cardboard. Billy shelves have a veneered edge on the front, but not on the sides or back. Once the fabric is secured onto the cardboard place into the shelf. Wrap a piece of cardboard in fabric and put at back of bookcase instead of. Inspired by open book pages, ikea is introducing their billy bookcase in a limited edition run. Filling in all of those shelf pin holes is an easy, inexpensive upgrade that makes a surprising difference if the look of the entire piece. Billy bookcase makeover use fabric covered cardboard for customizing the back of ikea furniture.

Im covering the back of my billy bookcases in fabric. I have not one, but two ikea billy bookcases that need to be transformed so they coordinate with the new color scheme i am doing my studioffice in. However, its the wallpapered back that really makes the piece special. Ive been thinking about putting some fabric in the backs of some of my shelving. Heck we could even paint, wallpaper, or cover the foam core with fabric for a nice little customized look. How to add fabric or wallpaper to your bookcase polished. My third true loves ali now the creative force behind popup shop the garage collective spotted this small bookcase at a flea market. How to make over and style an ikea billy bookcase using fabric and cardboard. I want to buy a billy bookcase but i only have 28 of space w, and the two options for billy bookcases are 15 wide and the 31. The shorter an mdf shelf is, the less likely it is to sag. Great idea if you cant paint your classroom bookcases. The bookcase was designed in 1979 by gillis lundgren, ikeas fourth employee.

Replacing the back of a billy bookcase is a lot easier than assembling it in the first place. Remove the back panel of your bookcase and lay it flat with the side that faces the. The best 14 ikea billy hacks for every room in your home. Once you master building the billy bookcases the rest is cake. But, do not add the cardboard backing that comes with the bookcase and dont add the shelves yet either. Hi olivia, i only painted the wood trim, not the entire bookcase. While this particular design is actually a limitededition version of the billy with the pattern printed on the back and shelves, you could recreate the look by covering the back panel of a bookcase with wallpaper. I also have heavy containers of gems, stones, glassware, etc. In 1978, gillis sketched out the design on the back of a napkin. In this situation i had it at my old vintage house you can either snug them up against the baseboard which will leave a gap between the wall and the back of the cabinet box. But you dont have to wait for this in stores take this idea and make it your own. Melissa from polished habitat added some fabric backing to her bookshelves, which is the perfect way to customize them.

Even though you saw a brief glimpse back in 2015 of us installing the billy bookcases, office makeover part 1, that was last year so you might need a reminder of how things looked before, before. The thin cardboard backing of the billy bookcase can rip or be punctured, leaving eyesores behind. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Diy ways to improve your bookshelves apartment therapy. She gave some more details about the project, and i knew i was sold. I did this to two of my billy s as projects in a decorating book i wrote back in 94. While i loved the 15 depth of ikeas newer bookcase, i knew i wanted. The scraphacker had four billy bookcases left over from his poor student days, but they were not a good fit for his grownup apartment. The options for storage for billy bookcase are endless.

Take a look at 19 of the best billy bookcase builtins ever. Follow this tutorial for attaching fabric to the back of your bookcase with easefaith outlines the step by step process clearly and. Jan, 2020 back in 1979, ikea came out with the billy bookcase and who knew after all these years, it would still be one of their best sellers. Can billy bookcases be assembled without the backboard. Super easy bookcase update bookshelves diy, ikea billy bookcase. If that happens, dont go running off to the ikea store for a replacement just yet. His initial sketches for the bookcase were done on the back of a napkin. How to decorate the back of a bookcase with fabric home.

Both gillis and billy would be happy to know every year, about 4. I painted the back dark blue after i primed it, and before they were assembled. Ive tried painting billy bookcases before and it was an epic fail, but this time it worked. Bookcase bench materials bookcasebookshelf mdf board high density foam at least 1 in thick cotton batting fabric optional power drill 6 screws 1. Use fabric starch to put fabric pieces in the back in various colors. Billy bookcase, 2 packs of pine bead board, stain, 2 inch foam, staples, fabric, hooks description. It went from early american yuck to cottage charmer. Back in 1979, ikea came out with the billy bookcase and who knew after all these years, it would still be one of their best sellers. Every model in the billy series also features adjustable shelves so you can fit anything from books to trophies, and everything in between. The best way to fill billy bookcase holes lovely etc. Mar 24, 2016 kristina of ich designer created a series of these sliding doors for her billy bookcases. If you rip the shelf to make it narrower, make sure the offcut is from the back of the shelf so you can.

I also have 3 billy bookcases in my craftsewing room. How i made fabric sliding doors for my billy bookcases. Are there lowend bookcases without the cardboardlike back. The ikea billy, a freestanding bookcase, comes in white, brown, black and birch veneer and in two standard heights. And he named it billy, after a colleague who expressed his desire for a proper bookcase. To get started, measure the back of your first shelf and subtract 18. Ikea billy bookcase makeover bookcase makeover, diy. The fabric sliding doors looks a bit more stylish and. Transform your billy bookcase or any shelving units with this easy. I primed with an oil based primer first because the backing is quite slick the same emerald green from pantone that i had used on my jewelry organizer. Weve shown you all sorts of ways to make them your own, and heres another simple project to try. Ikea billy bookcase turned at home coffee bar hack.

Ive got a tall billy bookcase ive been thinking of doing that too and i didnt even think about taking the back outoff to paint it, lol. How to diy upgrade an ikea billy bookcase hometalk. I knew i wanted the bookshelves to run all the way up to the ceiling, so we purchased the extender kits for each shelf. I cut a hole in the back of the bookcase to make room for the.

By moving the cd insert to the top shelf and removing the bottom shelf i thought i could turn the bookcase into some functional fabric storage. Cut the fabric a little larger as it might shrink a little once it dries. Cut the fabric about 5 inches longer and wider than the size of the cardboard so you can wrap the excess to the back and secure with packing. Pull out the nails holding on the back panel of your bookcase with the claw of a hammer or needlenose pliers. Billybookcasemakeover use fabric covered cardboard for customizing the back of ikea furniture. It was dreamed up in 1978 by an ikea designer called gillis lundgren who sketched it on the back of a napkin, worried that he would. How to hack sliding doors for ikea billy bookcases. Hi, mary, i actually didnt successfully pull it out, but unlocked it at just the right spot and you can pull it off the screws and then turn it around. Adding wallpaper or printed fabric to the back wall of shelves creates a unique look and is an easy way to personalize a bookcase. To clarify, the backing slots into the side walls of the bookcase as opposed to just being tacked onto the back.

Jul 23, 20 we used 4 billy bookcases with the height extenders and left off the backs and 1 narrower billy bookcase with height extender in the middle. Pinterest feature friday bookcase makeover, ikea billy. The billy bookcase is pretty straightforward to build right out of the box, or you can get creative and make elaborate storage that looks great. Transform a billy bookcase with fabric ikea switzerland. If updating an assembled billy, remove the shelves and pegs and measure the inside. I played with the spacing of the bookcases for a bit and finally settled on 6 12. Make nonparallel 45degree miter cuts to the short ends of one of the extra shelves and angle it inside the bookcase, using screws to secure one end to the middle shelf and the other to the units side. I was going to buy an ikea bookcase, but i looked at the instruction manuals for all the ones id like to get and they all have a thin, fakewood back instead of a real wood back. The billy bookcase is perhaps the archetypal ikea product. From the day we put together our ikea borgjso bookshelves, weve known. Place the flimsy backing piece back on your bookcase as directed, but use more nails hammered more closely together. I still have the bookcases, but have switched the fabric a few times.