Combined book shelves to create a 2x8 Expedit

Materials: Expedit

Description: The Expedit shelving units are great: very simple in style, and great for books.

However:
- none of them really did fit the wall I wanted it to stand
- I really don't like those ugly crevices where the boards meet
- and the color needs to match my newly painted white walls

So I took two IKEA Expedit (2x4) in the super-standard (and rather ugly) white.
If you simply put two of these back to back, you end up having two of the wider "framing" elements side by side - and I didn't want any of that.

What I was really aiming for, was a 2x8 Expedit.


So, you start putting the first Expedit together as usual. But instead of adding that last wide panel as the end, you simply attach another Expedit via a screw dowel for both the upper as well as the lower long boards.
Continue to put the second half together until your done.

You will be left with a middle section that does not have any dividing elements (red section in the diagram).

So I purchased another 2x2 Expedit - and used the long dividing element from that set horizontally in my 2x8 Expedit.

I used a ratchet set wrapped around the 2x8 and put some pressure on the furniture, so that wood dowels are in as far as they go, and there are only minor cracks left.
As soon as this was done, I added the remaining two small dividers from my original 2x4s as vertical dividers.

They fit nicely - and a bit of glue will keep them in place.

After this initial construction, I spent some time adding wood putty and Spackle to get as much of the cracks and crevices (as well as screw heads, etc) all covered.

Sand a bit, add Latex Primer, and then cover with 2 coats of Latex color with the same roller I used for my walls.

Obviously, my aim was NOT to have a glossy finish - but a texture and color very similar to the wall (white, matte) - which makes the furniture blend into the background, and only the books to "stick out".

I like it!!!

~ Robert, Houston, TX