ᐅ How can I securely attach BILLY shelves to walls in older buildings?

Hello everyone,

I want to securely attach several BILLY shelving units from IKEA to the walls in my older apartment. The walls are quite old, somewhat crumbly, and consist of plaster on brickwork. Regular wall plugs don’t seem like a good solution, as I’m concerned they won’t hold properly or that the plaster might start to crumble.

I’m particularly interested in which fastening methods you would recommend for these types of old walls, so that the shelves are stable and, in the worst case, no holes or damage to the wall occur that would be difficult to repair later.

Are there special types of anchors, clamping or fastening systems I should look out for? What is the best approach if the plaster is already somewhat crumbly? Do I possibly need to carry out any special preparatory work for the installation?

Thanks in advance for your tips and experiences!

For old brick walls, a hammer anchor or a chemical anchor works best, depending on the thickness of the plaster. It is important to remove the plaster around the drill holes and drill directly into the brick. If the plaster crumbles, treat it with a primer first to increase stability.

Hello odinga,

I have personally attached several BILLY shelves to old building walls and can recommend the following step-by-step guide:

1. Preparation: Carefully check the wall for loose plaster. Remove any loose material around the drill holes using a chisel or scraper to ensure you are drilling into solid brick.

2. Drill Hole Depth: Drill at least 8 cm (3 inches) deep to ensure the wall plug holds securely.

3. Choice of Wall Plug: Use chemical injection anchors if the masonry is porous. These provide strong hold through resin. For solid bricks, standard expansion anchors are sufficient.

4. Support Plates: For non-load-bearing walls, there are special clamping plates or brackets available to provide additional support for the shelf.

5. Installation: Use high-quality screws (at least 5x60 mm (0.2x2.4 inches)) and check the stability after mounting.

Summary: Never screw only into plaster; always find solid backing. If plaster is loose, be sure to clean it off and, if necessary, treat the area with a primer.

If you are uncertain, a local tradesperson can check the wall’s load-bearing capacity. Good luck!

odinga schrieb:
The walls are partly very old, rather crumbly, and built with plaster on brick.

That really doesn’t sound easy. I recently had the same experience with my old building walls and know how frustrating it can be when everything feels unstable or crumbly. What helped me was completely clearing out the holes of any loose parts and then repairing them with special mortar or filler. It takes a bit of time, but afterward, even standard wall plugs hold better.

KUDAISY schrieb:
Chemical anchor bolts provide strong hold through resin.

I can only confirm that! Especially when the brick is truly porous, it’s worth investing a bit more. I initially used standard wall plugs, but they didn’t hold, which was really frustrating.

Also: take your time during installation and proceed carefully at every step. Old buildings have their own character, which can make things a bit tricky sometimes, but once you’ve securely mounted the shelf, it feels great 🙂