Furnitures From Ikea

[deremi 0]

not durable. my book cabinets bought on jan used not more than 3 mths the shelve wood break off liao.

haiz...got to get another one again.

[tientien 0]

not durable. my book cabinets bought on jan used not more than 3 mths the shelve wood break off liao.

haiz...got to get another one again.

gosh! thats bad. can try to make a complaint (if you still have the receipt) to ikea and see what they say? maybe they will replace with another book case?

[applefreak 1]

guess the pinewood ones will last much better

i have a solid pine shelf that last me for the past 5 years

think the top shelf is about 1.9m and has at least 20kg on it

[odevil 0]

i bought a gallant computer table from ikea and put my 2 desktop comp monitor(not lcd) & my hi-fi set on it. nw serve me for abt 6-7 mths liao still ok.

Edited June 27, 2007 by odevil

[deremi 0]

gosh! thats bad. can try to make a complaint (if you still have the receipt) to ikea and see what they say? maybe they will replace with another book case?

thanks! will try it.

[sepultura 0]

Whatever you do, avoid the low end IKEA stuff made of particle board and MDF. They are junk. I bought a bookshelf and comp table, both started sagging in a few weeks, not months. I guess that's what you get when you go cheap.

OTOH their solid wood furniture in the MARKOR and LEKSVIK series are made of solid pine and I really like them, they are very sturdy. Just make sure you get real solid wood, not the other junk they sell.

[Elemental 0]

The junk series you guys mentioned above are most likely the BILLY series.... They really don't last, and often don't even stand firmly by themselves. When buying anything from IKEA, avoid the plywood and chipwood items, unless you don't need heavy duty and don't need them to last more than 2yrs.

However, I have been using their sultan-something mattress for 2+ years... Still ok lah. Cheap $599 for Queen size.

Edited August 13, 2007 by Elemental

[cornetto 0]

luckily my hubby stopped me from buying those billy bookcases!

[cookie 0]

huh!! Actually I had added their billy book shelves in my shopping list...

Looks like now I have to look else where.

Any good place to recommend for book shelves?

[redbottle 0]

huh!! Actually I had added their billy book shelves in my shopping list...

Looks like now I have to look else where.

Any good place to recommend for book shelves?

i used billy for more than three years, still strong and standing...

[cookie 0]

i used billy for more than three years, still strong and standing...

now I confused liaoz..

But good at least I know someone have no problem using the BILLY.

Will consider it, if I are to get, I will choose the 40cm width one.. Dun think the 80cm can hold the weight of books...

[Elemental 0]

now I confused liaoz..

But good at least I know someone have no problem using the BILLY.

Will consider it, if I are to get, I will choose the 40cm width one.. Dun think the 80cm can hold the weight of books...

Cookie, it really depends on how you use it and what you use it for....

If you are only using it:

1. To hold lighter items like novels and paperbacks, little knick knacks

2. More as a storage than a shelf - NO loading and unloading from it daily

it should be ok.

BUT if you are using it:

1. To hold heavy stuff like encyclopedias, hardcovers, large photo albums, etc

2. As a surface what may contact water

3. With the cabinet doors and open and close them many times daily

then do reconsider.

The shelves are not very strong and warp under heavy weight. The surface is not water proof and swells if puddles of water are left on it for too long. The hinges for the cabinet doors are not very high quality and so may shift their alignment after time, especially if you open/close very often and have a tendency to leave the door open sometimes. The weight of the door , when left open, pulls on the hinge and causes it to tilt downwards just a fraction each time.

I am not sure if the quality of the billy bookcases have improved since I last bought them, which was a few years ago... It's still standing in my room, but it's a bit shaky, one of the shelves are warped, and the doors are out of alignment but I don't use it often anymore so it doesn't bother me. But if you are a perfectionist then it might just irritate you that it's not as good as it should be.

But then again, for the price...... Anyway, you can always just get it first and see how long it'll last you lor. As long as you don't have heavy usage and take good care of it, it's passable. Even if it only lasts 2 yrs... i think it's still worth the money.

[redbottle 0]

Cookie, it really depends on how you use it and what you use it for....

If you are only using it:

1. To hold lighter items like novels and paperbacks, little knick knacks

2. More as a storage than a shelf - NO loading and unloading from it daily

it should be ok.

BUT if you are using it:

1. To hold heavy stuff like encyclopedias, hardcovers, large photo albums, etc

2. As a surface what may contact water

3. With the cabinet doors and open and close them many times daily

then do reconsider.

The shelves are not very strong and warp under heavy weight. The surface is not water proof and swells if puddles of water are left on it for too long. The hinges for the cabinet doors are not very high quality and so may shift their alignment after time, especially if you open/close very often and have a tendency to leave the door open sometimes. The weight of the door , when left open, pulls on the hinge and causes it to tilt downwards just a fraction each time.

I am not sure if the quality of the billy bookcases have improved since I last bought them, which was a few years ago... It's still standing in my room, but it's a bit shaky, one of the shelves are warped, and the doors are out of alignment but I don't use it often anymore so it doesn't bother me. But if you are a perfectionist then it might just irritate you that it's not as good as it should be.

But then again, for the price...... Anyway, you can always just get it first and see how long it'll last you lor. As long as you don't have heavy usage and take good care of it, it's passable. Even if it only lasts 2 yrs... i think it's still worth the money.

i would say billy is a mid-range bookshelf... it is more expensive that those cheap stuffs sold in carrefour, but less expensive than custom-made 3-piece plywood type...

if u want really good quality bookshelf, perhaps look for a good contractor to quote u for a custom-made one...

if ur expectation is not so high, perhaps billy will suit u... just take good care of it e.g. gently put and remove things from the shelves, dun overload the shelves, distribute the weight evenly...

i used billy to keep my heavy textbooks during my uni days and it was ok... now i use it to keep paperback novels...

Edited August 15, 2007 by redbottle

[applefreak 1]

actually if you pack them tight enough, even those from carrefour will survive many years

coz the weight is held by the books below instead of the shelf itself

[cookie 0]

Thanks guys, now I understand more.

Actually I also do not know what I will put in the book shelve.

I dun read and do not have much books.. but maybe put lots of other rubbish

We want to buy bcos we like the Billy glass door with floral. Also The shelves are cheap but now know compromise with the material. See whether I have time to look around first, if not think I will just get it.