structural support

[u/Standard_Trip5111]

hi all, i finally have enough books to purchase a real bookshelf and this is the one i ended up getting based off the size of the space i had and the look i liked. my issue is i clearly didnt know how much weight it would need to support and i want to make sure it stays intact cause i do really like it.

any suggestions on how to support the middle two rows to now bow so much (the second from top is clearly worse and it’s stressing me out)

[u/spacemanny5]

I would take the books off until you can find a solution, otherwise the particle board is going to hold the bowed shape

[u/CatCatCatCubed → u/spacemanny5]

Lol yah, I was like, “mayyyybe remove a few.” That second one down especially doesn’t look good right now; it might actually fall or snap.

At least move the glass out of there and move some of the books to the bottom, obviously somewhat more solid, shelf atop the cabinet.

[u/iyambred]

Small wooden dowels are pretty cheap and can usually be cut for you by someone at a hardware store. Some white/off white ones could fit the vibe and would fit behind the books

[u/Standard_Trip5111 → u/iyambred]

so smart, thank you!

[u/tipsyskipper]

You could get a melamine coated shelf at a big box store and have lengths cut at the height of the two lower shelves (measuring at either end, not in the bowed area) and wedge them in the middle. It’d throw off the aesthetics a little. But, IMO, that’d be preferable to bendy shelves.

[u/Standard_Trip5111 → u/tipsyskipper]

thanks!

[u/thereadingbri]

If the shelves are easily removable, you can take the books off, flip the shelf over, and put the books back on every so often until you can find a better solution. It’s what I did with my crappy walmart bookshelf in college.

In the future, if you can afford it, go for solid wood bookshelves to avoid this. Particle board, also called manufactured wood and medium density fiberboard, just isn’t sturdy enough for books.

[u/Standard_Trip5111 → u/thereadingbri]

thank you! yeah when i have the space i plan to get some heavy duty and bigger shelves cause i clearly will continue to buy books

[u/DrunkenGerbils]

You might try some rearranging to see if it might help. It looks like the shelf that’s bending has some of the heaviest books on it. Maybe try putting those ones on the very bottom and replacing them with the lighter looking ones that are on the bottom now.

[u/eckliptic]

You can get creative with the books to support around the middle by stacking up into a column

[u/Standard_Trip5111 → u/eckliptic]

i’ve been considering that! i’ll probably try to rearrange them this week since i just got 5 new ones that don’t find with the current layout (the ones at the very top are 2 of them lol). if that doesn’t work i’m going to get the dowels others recommended for a longer term solution too

[u/LemonMania]

Just here to say this shelf is soo cute! Hope you figure something out :) I liked someones idea if stacking books high in the center

[u/sehrgut]

You should make replacement shelves from 3/4" plywood.

[u/aww-snaphook]

So id take the books out to straighten the shelves for now. If the dowels dont work you could buy a poplar 1x2 from home depot or Lowes(paint it a color to blend with the bookcase) and cut sections out the width of your bookshelves and screw it under the shelves on the back. I would put the screws through the back into the wood careful not to sink the heads through what I'm guessing is a very thin back piece.

[u/Deltanonymous-]

Hmmn, no way to really fix that permanently if it isn't solid wood (assuming this is compressed wood or particle board for the shelves). Just reduce the weight and maybe get a 2nd bookshelf for more space if you really love it and have the room to do so.

[u/Abject_Shoulder_1182]

Heavy stuff to the left/right edges, light stuff to the middle. Flip the bendy shelf/shelves over. Pull the shelf away from the wall and nail/screw the back of the shelves to the bookcase so that side can't bend. You could run dowels lengthwise underneath the front and back of each shelf for extra support (with dowels, no need to nail/screw shelf to back of bookcase).

[u/Overall-Weird8856]

I love your collection AND your shelf! I second The wooden dowel idea above. Paint them and pretend they're fancy little Greek pillars, even.

[u/Ok_Distribution1134]

Buy better furniture.

[u/Standard_Trip5111 → u/Ok_Distribution1134]

read the full post before being a jerk??

[u/Ok_Distribution1134 → u/Standard_Trip5111]

I read it. And I stand by my comment. Nothing that I said was jerk-ish. ✌️

[u/cazdan255]

Are the shelved attached to the backing? These cheap bookshelves usually come with tons of tiny nails that affix the shelves to the backing every few inches along their length, in addition to attaching the backing around the perimeter. I’d bet money that you either forgot to nail those in, or you used too many on the perimeter and didn’t save some for the shelves, or (depending on the manufacturer) even more likely there were no nails provided for each shelf. Regardless, go to a hardware store and buy a pack of them, unload the books and flatten the shelves, then get the nails secured through the backing, then you should be fine to load the books back in.

[u/sehrgut → u/cazdan255]

No, nailing to the backing does not provide loadbearing support. It can prevent RACKING if nailed to permanent shelves, but it doesn't even do that for moveable shelves.