IKEA Kallax for LPs?

Ever thought of a DIY build ?

I built this a few months ago using 18mm MDF, it houses x300 albums:


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Only 4 shelves but it hasn’t collapsed yet!

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The ubiquitous Kallax. Lots of forum users employ Kallax units in one form or another. Here is how we use ours…

Kallax works really well for vinyl storage.
It may also be used as a simple and inexpensive equipment support.

These Kallax units were modified in various ways to make it more suitable to our needs.
For example…

  • Glued and screwed to make it more rigid.
  • A ridge or “back stop” is installed at the back of the vinyl compartments to keep all the records level and smart at the front.
  • Also, use of IsoAcoustic carpet spikes.
    As the floor is solid concrete, under the carpet, all works reasonably well, with good isolation.

Hope that’s helpful.
Do post back and let us all know how you get on with your project.

KR
R

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Kallax user here for some of it. Does the job and inexpensive.

Gone.

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I wasn’t aware there was any option other than Kallax for vinyl :slight_smile:

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Resident Catalogue?

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I have several, mostly 2x4s (as in your pic) - few issues so far though I’m not sure the weight of the units hasn’t dropped a bit in recent years having had an old one in storage and a newer one I think the boxed weight was lower on the new one.

They can be a bit wibbly wobbly side to side unless fixed to the wall which I’m useless at doing. Have wondered about cross bracing or attaching some thin board at the rear of the unit, but not got around to it.

Gav, what a nice rack you made there, most impressed

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I got this unit as a kit and then painted and covered it using sticky back plastic from B&Q and Vinyl wall Art, took me back to the Blue Peter days :smile:
Holds around 400 albums

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Works for me too.

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Surprising how the Expedit seems to have faded away.

I remember the foofarraw when Ikea announced they were discontinuing the Expedit, and the antipathy towards Kallax

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I’ve got an 8 sitting on two 4s. I have to have the two 4s on the bottom because use they are slightly bigger than the 8. I think the top one is Expedit and the bottom two are Kallax. This is in an upstairs bedroom and so far it hasn’t plummeted through the floor!

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Is the older Expedit more robust than the Kallax?

Hard to tell really. As you can see, the Expedit has slightly wider frame but once I’d assembled the Kallax it never crossed my mind that it was in any was less sturdy. As long as it’s assembled correctly I think they are fine despite the fact that a shelf full of albums is probably heavier than the recommended weight for each shelf. I can’t remember what the IKEA maximum weight was.

13 kg per shelf, according to the current Ikea website.

(if anyone is interested, Tylko is rated at 60kg per compartment, I just checked their website, and think the two specs are the right ones to compare)

There isn’t much difference (if any) in strength, as others have said the Kallax is a thinner profile on the sides and top. AFAIK, the long fixings are the same, noting the sides are made from fibreboard. Best to glue for robustness, including the dowels et al.

I think Kallax comes in more colours than Expedit did.

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So the Tylko is way stronger but they are far more expensive. I’m assuming a compartment full of vinyl weighs more than 13kg?

Yeah, I posted earlier in the thread that it’s pricey stuff. Just putting it out there as an option. It looks lovely, IMO.

I reckon my shelves have about 20kg of vinyl in each compartment. Looking at some of the collections on here, there is a lot of weight being supported in some shelf systems! Another thought is the weight of the shelf itself, Tylko isn’t light, I’d guess Kallax is lighter, so if anyone is worried about the total system weight on their floor, that’s another consideration.

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It does look lovely. As I say, my collection is upstairs in a bedroom! :crossed_fingers:

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