Mallette Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Bubo, are your familiar with the verb "to photoshop?" [] I have one of just about every size of these and none have ever shown the slightest strain under even extremely heavy (full shelves of 78s on the top row!) loads. If they are assembled correctly...and I don't know how you could get them very wrong...I wouldn't lose sleep over their structural integrity for vinyl. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted February 14, 2012 Author Share Posted February 14, 2012 Not mine: I never wound up getting these. they would not fit in the car when I went on vacation. To avoid this, try fastening a piece of plywood on the back of the unit and attach to each thick shelf with wood screws. That will make it nice and strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhoak Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I have 2 of the 2X4 Expedit units (not holding records) but I can see where the larger ones, especially the bigger ones like 5X5 could use a back to stiffen them up a bit. Somebody applied force to one of the top corners causing it to fail diagonally. Having built a couple I can understand how that could happen. They're just particle board with veneer. The fasteners used aren't the best they could be either. If you're concerned about the structural integrity of a large Expedit either fasten a one piece back to it or be certain to fasten the top corners securely to the wall behind it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 I've a 5X5 that I recently repurposed to a general storage. However, it had held LPs full to the brim with 78s all the way across the top for 5 years. Is it POSSIBLE to cause a diagonal failure. Sure it is...but unless there were a structural flaw my impression is that it would take a LOT of force to bring about a collapse. I just checked mine that way, though it's nowhere near as heavily loaded as it was with the records, and I could create no notable distortions. Not questioning that it happened to you, but I really can't imagine it without a structural flaw or a LOT of force. Perhaps they "cheaped up" on them. It's been a couple of years since I purchased one. I don't even know how many I have! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBryan Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 That collapse looks catastrophic! I'll have to consider bracketing the top shelf to wall studs (as per IKEA's instructions) just so I can sleep at night. Being used, I don't know how old mine is either but it does have 24" long steel rods screwed in at the corners which I would guess are there to prevent just such an accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColonialHoo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Schu - Those pics look pretty ugly, but something doesn't look right with either of those pics. Are those older Expedit units? I use the Expedit unit, and all mine (3 4x2 units and 2 4x4 units) have the short interior pieces on the vertical and the longer pieces are horizontal. This spreads the load better so that each shelf isn't being supported by 4 dowels. This arrangement doesn't help at all with side loads, though. To help with that, I attached the larger units to the wall with the supplied brackets. One of these is in my daughter's bedroom, and it's sturdy as a rock. Granted, she doesn't load it with LPs like I do in the basement. But I haven't had any issues with my shelves related to their load levels. That being said, I am sorry that you had a lot of work just getting those albums off those shelves and back into another storage system. BTW, what did you replace those blown shelves with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 not mine... but it dd happen. I understand the smaller Expedit units(4x4) are wonderful... the larger units... not so much unless externally braced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColonialHoo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Understood. And I agree that the larger units (5x5) definitely need brackets or bracing if LPs are to be stored as in those pics. Unfortunately, both pics look like the folks assembled them incorrectly (their long shelves are running vertically rather than horizontally). I wonder, though, if they wouldn't have failed if they had been assembled correctly. Just something to be aware of when searching for LP storage. As I said before, I'm very happy with mine, and I have not had any trouble or concern with them so far. Just my $0.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 As I said before, I'm very happy with mine, and I have not had any trouble or concern with them so far. Yep. As I said, I had probably a third more load on mine and top heavy, and I don't think I could have made it collapse without a lot of effort. While light, the honeycomb engineering is very strong and rigid. Of course, with enough effort anything can be made to fail. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 /_I you could put a triangle of material in each corner, that would make it considerably more resistant to shear loads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Funny in the middle of reading this, my wife calls me. She is down in Georgetown Texas, and happened to stop off at the ikea store in that area telling me how they have great stuff including some nice shelfs for my records. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Funny in the middle of reading this, my wife calls me. She is down in Georgetown Texas, and happened to stop off at the ikea store in that area telling me how they have great stuff including some nice shelfs for my records. That's funny! I guess you're supposed to get one! I have a 5 x 5 that fits snuggle between two walls. It must weigh a ton! I also have a 4 x 4 that is free standing. It does matter which ways the shelves run. The long pieces should be under the records, not the small pieces. If you notice the one's that fell over had them the wrong direction. Attaching these to the wall or adding corner "triangles" or backing is smart! Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadHahn Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I've had a 5x5 up for about a year. It's pretty much full with things on top and knock on wood I don't think it's going to fall any time soon. My 5 year old uses the shelves to pick her self up from the sofa so she can stand on the arm and fall backward. I haven't heard any ominous creaks yet. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennie Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I've had a 5x5 up for about a year. It's pretty much full with things on top and knock on wood I don't think it's going to fall any time soon. My 5 year old uses the shelves to pick her self up from the sofa so she can stand on the arm and fall backward. I haven't heard any ominous creaks yet. Chad Well, looking at those pictures, I would suggest attaching it to the wall somehow or using corner braces to make sure it dosen't fall on your "5 year old"! Better safe than sorry.... Dennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 In the early '70s, I was in Chicago with a brother/sister duo working on an album. This associate of the producer took us to his apartment to sample some.... what was that now? [*-)] He lived about 15 floors up in this efficency apartment, and the whole end of the livingroom looked out over Lake Michigan. Stunning view! One other wall was full, floor to ceiling with LPs. It was probably 15 feet long. I can't imagine the weight. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninshine Posted February 18, 2012 Share Posted February 18, 2012 I am not sure why I have Chorus' in front of Klipschorns in this picture???? The expedit works really well in my small space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Funny in the middle of reading this, my wife calls me. She is down in Georgetown Texas, and happened to stop off at the ikea store in that area telling me how they have great stuff including some nice shelfs for my records. My wife would do the same for me, sort of. Just substitute "large dumpsters" for "nice shelves for my records." Oh, and it wouldn't be IKEA, it would be the dump. Another reason to secure any shelving, especially ones with heavy loads, to the walls is earthquakes. You probably only need to worry if you live somewhere prone to this, like Missouri. Or Earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrinkles Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 IAlso, I did find a quick and cheap solution to line up the records and keep them from sliding through. I found 5' PVC cable holders at Lowes for just under $5 each. Simply cut to size with shears, peel off the tape backing and press into place. Have fun. JBryan, Do you have a LOWES part number for these. From the LOWES catalog pics I cannot determine what you used. Thanks, Wrinkles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBryan Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Here's the link... http://www.lowes.com/pd_143785-35681-CH1-W_0__?productId=1017229 There are other (possibly better) choices at Lowes but these work well, adhere very nicely and were the cheapest solution I could find quickly. Hope it works as well for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrinkles Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 JBryan, I have been really scratching my head on this. I was looking for something that I did not have to attach to the shelving as it may be difficult to remove, leave holes, mar it in anyway, etc. After walking through Home Depot, Lowes and Walmart I came upon this idea. During the swimming pool months (very seasonal) Walmart sells individually in a large box something called Funnoodles. You may have seen them. They are 5 feet long and 2.5 inches in diameter. Placing them behind the speakers and against the wall positions the records about 1.5 inches from the front. Although, I would prefer the records a little closer to the front, I can deal with 1.5 inches in order for the records to look organized and to not having a record slide to the back against the wall and be missed. The Funnoodles were $1.68 each. You can make 4 record stoppers from each Funnoodle, I cut mine 13 and 1/8 inch long. They are of medium hardness and come in 4 colors. Wrinkles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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