ᐅ What is the best way to install BILLY shelves in rental apartments?

Hello everyone,

I will be moving into a new rental apartment soon and want to install some BILLY shelves from IKEA to make better use of my space. However, I’m unsure how to best attach them to the wall without damaging the rental property or causing issues with the landlord.

My specific questions are:
- Which fastening methods are especially suitable for BILLY shelves in rental apartments where drilling holes may not be allowed or desirable?
- Are there alternative solutions that are stable enough but do not leave wall damage?
- What tips can you share for living in older buildings with partially crumbling walls or drywall (plasterboard) walls?

It’s important to me that the shelves are secure and that I don’t face any unpleasant surprises when moving out.

I look forward to your experiences and ideas!

mauri62 schrieb:
Which attachment methods are especially suitable for BILLY shelves in rental apartments where you might not want or be allowed to drill holes?

If drilling holes is not allowed, clamp shelves or shelves with tension rails are an option – but not necessarily suitable for BILLY. It’s best to use the included plugs and screws if permitted. Otherwise, so-called shelf rails that can be glued on are an alternative, though they have less holding strength.

mauri62 schrieb:
What tips can you give if living in older buildings with partly crumbling walls or drywall (plasterboard) walls?

For older buildings, it’s best to use heavy-duty anchors. For drywall (plasterboard), use special cavity anchors. Use drill bits of the correct diameter and avoid drilling too deep.

Hello mauri62,

I can gladly provide you with a detailed explanation on how to best install the BILLY shelves, especially in a rental apartment with different wall types. First, it is important to accurately identify the wall material: load-bearing walls made of concrete or brick, drywall (plasterboard) walls, or possibly even wooden walls.

For concrete or brick walls, I recommend using high-performance wall plugs such as Fischer UX or similar. Important: pre-drill with a masonry drill bit that matches the wall plug exactly. Clean the hole thoroughly by blowing it out to ensure optimal grip.

If you are unsure whether drilling is allowed, you should check with your landlord and possibly obtain written permission.

For drywall, you should use cavity anchors (e.g., metal toggle anchors). The drill hole should be clean and not too large; otherwise, the anchor will not hold. BILLY shelves are relatively heavy, so always distribute the load across multiple anchors—ideally at least three per shelf.

Another tip you might not know: If the wall is very delicate and you don’t want to drill at all, you can use furniture brackets attached to the shelf frame and lightly pressed against the wall—this provides stability, though the load capacity is lower.

One question for you: How much weight do you plan to store on the shelf? This greatly influences the type of fixing you should use.

In general: For uncertain walls, it’s better to use more smaller screws rather than fewer larger ones.

Dilen schrieb:
If you’re unsure whether drilling is allowed, you should ask your landlord and maybe even get written permission.

Great tip, I completely agree! 🙂

I installed my BILLY shelves in an old rental with drywall. I also used metal toggle anchors and followed Dilen’s advice: I used more anchors than the manual recommended.

One more little trick: mark the wall with painter’s tape before drilling. This helps prevent the anchors from slipping and makes the holes more precise.

And if you’re not allowed to drill, as gasidney mentioned, check out tension shelves. Still, for BILLY, I just find wall mounting more secure.

Good luck, a fully stocked Billy really looks great! 😉