Hello everyone,As a 30th wedding anniversary present, we bought a bookcase. We wentto a furniture store that does custom building using variouscomponents and options...we have absolutely no experience in this sowe relied on the owner's expertise as to dimensions, etc.The bookcase is maple, 32" Wx80"Hx12.5" deep. It has one set of glassdoors measuring 60" high which come up to about 64". The top shelf istherefore fixed and open. There are 3 moveable shelves. We wanted itdeeper to accomodate some atlases but were advised against wasting thespace and additional expense for a couple of volumes which couldreside on the top open shelf. So, at the owner's recommendation, wewent with 12.5" deep.It's very unstable! Even with heavy books on the bottom shelf, itwill tip forward when the 2 doors are opened. I called the furniturestore and was told that the bookcase is not deep enough to support itsheight with those doors, and that I must bolt it to the wall. I wastold this is a common practice and that surely, I understood thisbefore I ordered it. Unfortunately, it never even occurred to me thata bookcase couldn't stand on its own four feet, and we're not in anearthquake prone area so it's not something we think about. If wehave to bolt it to a wall, we can't put it in the room where we wantit.Am I just terribly dim? Does everybody but me know that you have tobolt bookcases to walls, and therefore, the owner had no reason tomention this fact to me? Would it be adequately stable if the depthwere greater, or is it a hopeless cause?I appreciate any input you have to offer. thanks,Lily

Go with the flow and attach it to the wall. Not that difficulta task. Make sure the point(s) on the wall you attach it toare studs, not drywall. Attach it "high" (a little below thetop, not near or below the middle).I won't judge your ability or inability to have known of thispossibility -- or the fellow that made it advising youbeforehand's letting you know. But something with a 12.5:80depth:height ratio, with doors that stand out an additional16", will be unstable. Period.Jim Stuyck -- BSME long ago, when the earth's crust was still cooling

"safe" bookcase dimesions?

Jan 20, 2004 23 Replies

Rate this thread:

<manzanar 22 years ago

Make sure that if the bookcase is on carpet that you load it with books BEFORE you attached it to the wall; it make all the difference in the world in regard to its' stability. I'm in Southern California so I must attach just about everything that might tip in an earthquake, but it should be a standard practice wherever you are.

manzanar

Vote

Phisherman 22 years ago

I had to put a couple "shims" in front of my bookcase. The carpet stripping around the perimeter of the room tends to make the bookcase tip forward. Filing cabinets should be secured at the top too.

Vote

Kevin Craig 22 years ago

Shimming the front is one option. Cutting a 3/8 x 1-1/2" relief at the back is another. I favor the relief for any shelves or cabinets that will be placed against the wall in a carpeted room.

Kevin

Vote

Davis Eichelberger 22 years ago

Although if you ever move it to a room with hardwood instead of carpet, it's a lot easier to undo shimming the front than it is to undo the = relief cut.

Davis Eichelberger

Vote

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required