IKEA Kallax for LPs?

:smiley:

I thought the same, but thought I’d look after doing research on Kallax capacity earlier in the thread! I suspect Kallax might be more stable under load, even if capacity is less. But IANASE (I am not a structural engineer!)

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IIRC, there’s a new Kallax that is 3x2 and the two up top are wide enough to accommodate full-width gear. so if you run something like a SN3 and NDX2, you can store some vinyl directly underneath your gear with the TT on the top along w whatever else

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My mistake - 4x2

Think you can put it on a stand as well

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Not sure the Ikea Kallax is even MDF. More like Cardboard… :astonished:

To me, that Ivar system looks more interesting / promising than Kallax. Yes, all shelves and uprights are solid wood, so they have that advantage over Kallax, plus the shelf height flexibility of course. I think I’d fix the uprights to the wall as well as using the rear cross brace. Plus, create record / book ends in some way - I’m sure I could come up with a solution with a sheet of ply and a circular saw frenzy. I think a reccy to IKEA may well be on the cards soon.



I’ve posted these before, but they could reassure people how much weight shelves can take.

These are various Form Konnects I got from B+Q. As you can see, the shelves containing records are particularly full.

I had Expedit before I had to leave it behind when I moved, then replaced it with the Form products over time.

Assuming LPs are placed on a correctly oriented Kallax, I would have little concern over the load-bearing capacity of a shelf. Where I would potentially have a concern is putting a very heavy load on a suspended wooden floor: all my Konnects are on a concrete base floor.

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I’m super interested to hear the outcome of your Ikea reccy!

Are you going to use the unit just to store media, or will any equipment go on it?

Yes, just records more than likely, as my LPs will be stored in a work room but I’ll need the added flexibility to enable the media shelves to be combined with other work related stuff. I’m thinking of one wall with a floor to (near) ceiling layout of the narrow shelves, and then on the RHS, two wider shelves and space underneath for a wall mounted TT shelf and Quadraspire rack.

On the opposing facing wall, two wider shelves where I’ll extend the shelves out over the drawers into a custom desk of some sort. This area will house the computer & screens. Then the narrower shelves for books and another paraphernalia either side.

I’ve been a playing on the Ikea Ivar planner! Screen shots below…

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A great product from Ikea

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I used a 6’ x 3’ Ivar unit, similar to the photo, many years ago until I outgrew it and needed something more modular and flexible. No problem at all filling it with records - I think it held around 1,000. It came with a couple of metal rods that screw into the back to add some bracing. I also used a couple of small metal angles to attach it to the wall (I don’t remember if they were included or not).

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No problems with the Kallax.

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I don’t see why the Kallax would collapse whichever way it was placed, unless it were leaning or the base is not on a level floor. The downwards force in one direction is always vertical through each sidewall, through the thickness of the shelf and in to the next sidewall, as pictured. If the unit was rotated through 90 degrees, the downward force is transferred through the locating dowels to the longer sidewall. As long as a single correctly dowelled shelf can hold the lp’s weight then the sidewall will transfer that weight vertically.
Push the unit from the side to form a parallelogram then the force is no longer contained within the design parameters. Collapse!

That’s the problem though. Those dowels cannot be counted on to support the weight of 20 kg of records. They just aren’t designed for it. When one fails then you get a cascading catastrophic failure, thus all those internet pictures of collapsed Kallax shelves, due to user error of mis-assembly and/or mis-orientation. I would never orient a 4x4 Kallax on it’s side: the dowels are just not adequate to support that weight longer term, the long shelves are.

I’ve had my 4x4 standing up completely filled for 7+ years now, without mishap.

All of those internet pictures?

Found one

You want the long one piece shelves to run across horizontally, while being supported vertically by the sandwiched single shelves, otherwise the single cube sized shelves would be holding all the weight resting solely on the screws.

As above?

As down it goes…

The inner shelves are oriented correctly, but it’s hard to tell from the picture if the outer frame was assembled with the correct orientation. If not, that could easily be a cause of collapse. I have seen examples that weren’t. This one might still be user error. If the outer parts with the screws are on the sides, rather than top and bottom, then it was done wrong.

These aren’t hard to assemble and site correctly, but people can’t be bothered to RTFM.

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I think thats the issue whatever orientation. Incorrect or lazy assembly. Either that or kids using it as a climbing frame. :grinning:

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If you look at the top right of the photo you can see the the corner of the ceiling and the wall. There doesn’t appear to be enough space to fit the top of the frame onto the side of the frame.
Plus, it would be very difficult to insert the screw into the top of the frame. :grinning:

Maybe an earthquake caused it to collapse. :scream_cat: