Well, hello there. I’ve taken a little Spring break from this blog to finish setting up house. But now it’s time to show you all when I’ve been up to!
Everyone loves a good Ikea hack so for our fist post back here is my hack of the Ekby Gällö / Ekby Tryggve shelving system.
I’ve always dreamed of having a full wall of shelves to display all my books and things. I was inspired by the look of the Eames House bookshelves with all their quirky collections displayed for the world. I’ve been seeing a lot of leather strap bookshelves trending, and I like the natural rustic look but I wanted something sturdier. Oh and you have to check out this awesome upside down shelf DIY from Mandi at Vintage Revivals. She’s so awesome.
When I spotted these Ekby shelves at Ikea I thought they looked kinda like ropes wrapped to hang the shelves and I like that they make that geometric triangle at the top (which also comes in handy for resting books against). But the white is so boring the whole bracket gets lost on a white wall. You know I am so obsessed with metallics and with a bit of copper spray paint those geometric details are ready to shine!
What I Used:
(Please note that what you use will very depending on wall type. Please consult your local hardware store to pick out what tools will work best for your install)
– Ikea Ekby Gällö / Ekby Tryggve shelving system (I installed (8) 119cm x 29cm deep bracket supports and (12) matching plain wood shelves)
– 16 heavy duty Molly Bolts (2 per bracket support) for your wall (our wall was double thick gypsum)
– Molly Bolt setting tool (for smashing in the bolt super well with the cutest little bird face! See the image below. I made him talk with a little bird voice while B did all the heavy drilling work. I recommend keeping your drilling buddy entertained similarly)
– Drill + Bits (for your wall and bolt size)
– Stud Finder (with electrical detection)
– Laser Level
– Measuring Tape
– Copper Spray Paint (I used 1 1/2 can of 600ml) (edit: Krylon also makes a great general purpose metallic spray paint)
– Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Metallic Acrylic Craft Paint in Copper (for touch ups) (edit: link)
For the hanging part: Follow Ikea’s directions and rely heavily on your helpful hardware store man. We made at least 4 trips to our local hardware store and the Clas Ohlson to make sure we had all the correct supplies for our install. We hung our brackets within 70 cm of each other in order to create a stable span of the 119 cm length of each board safely as per the Ikea instructions. Measure twice and drill once to avoid filling a lot of holes or having your whole beautiful wall tumble to the ground.
For the spraying part: Make yourself a nice little spray area out side for all the bracket supports. We just moved so I had quite a bit of boxes and packing material on hand and just used that. I made sure to keep all the pieces as close together, without touching, so I wouldn’t waste too much paint.
Now, I can not say this enough: spray paint in a well ventilated area! Use a mask and gloves because the metallic paint can really irritate your hands and throat (note my pre-gloved hand 2 minutes before it started itching like crazy). As with all painting, I recommend 3-4 light coats. It takes longer but you won’t get big drips. Patience is a virtue. Try taking chocolate breaks between coats, I think it helps.
The paint took about 24 hours to totally cure, which I found out the hard way when I tried to carry all the pieces back upstairs after they had only dried for an hour. Oops. This is where the MS metallic paint comes in handy. After 72 hours the paint is fully cured (but check your spray can for specifics!).
I expect the item layout to be pretty fluid but I think this is a good starting point. It drives my dear best friend (with her masters in literature) completely nuts that I’ve arranged our books haphazardly by subject (ish) and color, but I love it! And as long as I know where to find everything, it’s cool right?
I am so totally in love with how this project turned out! It’s really got this great American Southwest cabin retreat vibe. It completely anchors the whole living room as the focal wall, diverting attention from our overwhelmingly large cat tree (the focus of our last apartment’s living room) and the flat screen TV. All our games are within reach for when company stops by or we get board on Sunday night.
Stay tuned for more Ikea hacks in this room and the full house tour still to come. I can’t wait to show you everything I’ve been up to!
OMG! Cindy! I knew you had mad talent, but my chin is on the floor for this one! Miss your face around here, but it’s super fun to live vicariously 🙂 Kristi
Thanks, Kristi. I miss you, too. Thanks for the support!
Copper=big like
You know I love all things shiny!
I love this! Am going to do something similar in my place! Unfortunately the local Ikea in SF don’t carry these, so I have to have them shipped, I’m getting the 7 1/2" shelf, what depth did you use? I’m so happy I found your post!
Lauren
Sparrow & Urchin
Sorry for the delay in reply! I wasn’t forwarding my email properly. Oops.
I’ve had the shelves up for two and a half months now and I still love ‘um and I think you will, too. We went with the deeper 11 3/8" shelves so we could hold some bigger game boxes and baskets and things and to fit the scale of the whole wall. Send me a pic when you get it all hung. I’de love to see!
Can you tell me the height of the shelf that is created when the two units meet end to end? It looks like the shelf (fourth from the top) is a little taller than the others because of the design of the brackets- I am hoping I could squeeze a small TV/monitor in there.
This looks fantastic! Thanks, Sarah
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
There is 44cm (17.3") of clearance between the top of the first unit’s first shelf and the bottom of the second unit’s last shelf. The normal shelf gap (top to bottom) is 35cm (13.8”). I would definitely recommend talking with your local hardware guy about weight. You may need to add extra anchors because the last thing you want is your TV crashing down during a Parks and Rec marathon!
Good luck, be sure to send photos and thanks for reading!
So funny, I came across this post while researching for my own Ekby/Gallo painting project. Love the copper – what spray paint did you use?
Thanks!
Carrie
I used Molotow Burner Kupfer 600ml, which worked really well. I’ve used Krylon in the past with good results (I updated the supply list to link to their product). For touch ups I used Martha Stewart Craft Paint (updated in the supply list with a link). Good luck with your DIY! I’d love to hear how it turns out.
It looks super! May I ask how high your room is, floor to ceiling? Am trying to convince my boyfriend that the shelf can be put high up on the wall 🙂
Hey Lovisa,
We have 2.8 m / about 9 ft. ceilings and two sets of shelves fit perfectly for us. The bottom shelf is 30 cm / about 1 ft. off the floor and the top shelf is 61cm / about 2 ft. from the ceiling. The brackets kiss in the center. If you (or your bf) are still nervous, you should try mocking up the wall in SketchUp (sketchup.com). Search for the Ekby Gällö shelf in their 3D Warehouse.
Good luck!
I love how these turned out! I’ve had a bit of trouble securing regular metallic copper spray paint at my local Home Depot or Lowes. I tried the Rustoleum "aged copper" which is a little bit darker than yours. Did you find your copper paint darkened with time? I’m also debating looking into copper rub and buff, but with the crevices it may not look even. Love to get your input!
Hey Amanda! I’m so glad you like ‘um! My copper finish has developed a patina where it’s been touched. I like the aging and I think it makes it look more like real copper would. I haven’t used a copper rub before so I can’t give you advice on it but I’d love to know how it turns out. Good luck and happy DIYing!
Hello there, I’m thinking about doing similar project. I noticed you used shelves thinner than 2,5 cm (recommended by Ikea). Is that because all together with books and things it would become too heavy for Ekby Gallo parts? Do you think I can use thicker shelves (thinking of massive wood ones)? TIA for your advice.