Hackers Help: How to lengthen an IVAR Shelf?

Willisbe30·
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I would like to use IVAR shelving to build a pantry around my fridge much like this:

20143_nkro11a_01_PE386348
Photo: IKEA.com

The problem is that my fridge is wider than the widest shelves by about 3 inches. I had thought about cutting two shelves and then putting them together with dowels and metal brackets, but I wonder if you all have any other ideas. Cheers!

Willisbe30
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6 Responses

  1. I built a small work bench into an ivar system using a piece of project pine from Home Depot. I cut the notches around the uprights with a jig saw to match the regular shelves and actually trimmed the underside to install the metal edges.
    It works great as everything matches up and I have had no sagging.

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  2. There is a simple solution. Take the IVAR legs, mount them HORIZONTALLY – and then rest the Ivar shelves on those for support. Here is an example of a lady who built a wall bridge like you want using the IVAR legs to support her shelves:

    https://ikeahackers.net/2015/09/exact-size-ivar-shelf-system.html

    Sorry, Tripp Knightly, but you are dead wrong about trying to stick two shelves together without significant support (such as using the ivar legs horizontally to provide full support). That will ALWAYS fail, sooner rather than later if you actually put anything on the shelf.

    Anyway. No need to go crazy with the glue and the biscuit cutter and metal rods and Krieg jigs and whatnot. Just buy one extra set of IVAR supports for $12, whatever size is bigger than what you need to span – you can cut them down to size for the space along the top of your fridge. Plus anything needed to attach them to the vertical legs.

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  3. I wouldn’t be TOO dismissive of mending two shelves together. If what those shelves will store is not too heavy and/or you use strong steel plating bar (not just any old mending brackets) it could work fine. At some point it becomes an academic challenge and you might be better off (effort & cost) just fashioning longer notched shelves from lumber as described above. Doing that, you still might need to join narrower boards together using biscuits and glue.

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  4. Don’t try to assemble two IVAR shelves for this — the joint won’t be strong enough to support anything on the shelf. Instead, buy some longer boards or shelves and notch the ends to fit the IVAR posts. Then you can mount the shelves on peg supports that fit into the holes in the IVAR posts. See here for an example of how I previously hacked some shelves to be shorter by cutting and mounting them in this way:

    https://ikeahackers.net/2012/04/custom-fit-ivar-shelves.html

    If you are going to be using shelves longer than the standard IVAR ones, I’d recommend adding a stiffener to each shelf so they don’t sag, too.

    Reply

  5. For the love of… DON’T even think about that. You’re creating a weak point that’ll fail if you put any significant weight on it. Use a single board. You’ve got plenty of options, since this system is all just unfinished pine, just go tot he hardware/lumber store, get a couple of (better grade) pine boards in the size you need. If you’re careful you can even either drill notches on the underside for the board to rest on the ikea metal dowels (that hold up normal IVAR shelves by the plastic edge). Also, you could probably get a 12″ length of small steel bar (of same diameter of the dowels), and drill THROUGH the rear dowel mount, and then thread the bar through the back standard, into the front one, and secure it (with crazy glue?). Then you can rest the whole “alternate” board on those.

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  6. Those shelves look pretty simple – I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier to just go to the hardware store and buy the proper length boards to build the shelves to spec.

    Reply

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