ᐅ What tips are there for mounting Billy bookcases on different types of walls?

Hello everyone,

I am planning to install several IKEA Billy bookcases at home, but I am unsure how to securely fix them depending on the wall type. At my place, there are different kinds of walls – for example, drywall (plasterboard) walls, solid brick or concrete walls, and also wooden walls in the area of the old attic slope.

Therefore, my question is: What tips and methods are there to mount the Billy bookcases stably and securely on these different wall types? I am particularly interested in recommendations for suitable wall plugs, screws, and any special advice related to the specific materials. Experiences about what to avoid are also welcome.

Thanks in advance for your help!

For drywall, I would recommend using special cavity anchors, as regular anchors can easily pull out. Examples include metal toggle bolts or snap toggles that expand behind the wall.

For solid brick or concrete walls, hammer-in anchors or chemical anchors with injection mortar are suitable. It is important to thoroughly blow out the drill holes to ensure optimal anchoring.

For wooden walls, wood screws can be used directly, preferably with pre-drilling to prevent the wood from splitting.

Another recommendation is to always secure shelves to the wall at a minimum of two points to ensure they do not tilt or pull away.

Drywall: toggle bolts.
Concrete: nylon hammer fixings.
Wood: wood screws with pre-drilling. Done.

I really appreciate that you’re asking for specific methods—it makes things a lot easier. 🙂

Personally, I once had trouble with a drywall installation because I used standard plastic wall anchors, and the shelf ended up leaning after a short time—really frustrating! Since then, I always use metal toggle anchors, which provide much better support.

Just the worry that a shelf might fall can be quite nerve-wracking—I know that feeling! It’s definitely reassuring when you get a helpful tip.

Hello! 🙂

I like to have a kind of mental checklist for these things: plasterboard = toggle bolts or hollow wall anchors, brick/concrete = hammer anchors or chemical adhesive. And wood – you can practically always use wood screws for a quick and secure fix.

A little extra tip: I’ve made a habit of fastening shelves to the wall using two different types of screws – for example, regular screws at the bottom and angled ones at the top – this makes the shelf feel much more stable. Oh, and if you notice the wall isn’t perfectly flat, it’s worth using washers or small spacers. It really eases the whole installation! :-)

Gino38 schrieb:
For solid brick or concrete walls, expansion anchors or chemical anchors using injection mortar are suitable.

That is generally true, but it is essential to pay close attention to the correct curing time and proper application when using chemical anchors; otherwise, the fastening will not be durable.

Additionally, it would be interesting to consider whether Billy-type shelves actually require chemical anchoring due to their weight. Most standard expansion anchors are designed to handle these loads, provided that a sufficient number of fixing points are used.

Installation with injection mortar has advantages when dealing with irregular or porous bricks, which is why testing the wall structure in advance is advisable.