Awesome DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Built in with Oxberg Glass Doors in 8 Steps

Sharing all our tips & tricks for an awesome DIY Ikea Billy bookcase hack built in with Oxberg Glass Doors flanking a large garden window to create a small home library wall unit & add storage to our family room with a step by step tutorial & pictures.

DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack with Oxberg Glass Doors

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Family Room Bookcase Situation Before

Our family room had 2 small bookcases that Jason had built to border a previous entertainment center in our last house.

Because our terracotta tile floor is so wonky they never stood straight & were far too small for all the books, movies & kids toys & games I had wanted to store in our family room.

DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Cost & Size

The cost of our DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Built in Wall was less than $1,000 for the 8 Ikea bookcases, 8 Oxberg doors, 8 glass knobs & wood to build in the bookcases along with extra trim & crown molding.

To save money, you may use 4 (31 1/2 inch) wide Billy bookcases for a similar look instead of the 8 (15 3/4 inch wide Billy bookcases.

Each Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Built in Wall on either side of our large glass garden window is roughly 66 inches wide by 91 inches tall by 12 inches deep with the Oxberg Doors Attached.

DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Supply & Tool List

• 8 (15 3/4 inch) wide Billy Bookcases with Oxberg Panel & Glass Doors
• 8 Oil Rubbed Bronze Cabinet Hardware knob with Clear Glass
• 2 by 4’s for the Platform Base & Top
• Hammer & nails
• Cordless Screwdriver & Screws
• Pre-primed 1 by 6 foot Baseboard Trim
• Pre-primed Crown Molding
• Cordless Pin Nailer to Attach all the Trim
• White Paintable Chalk
• White Paint for Trim & Crown – Sherwin Williams Super Paint Semi Gloss Un-tinted Extra White
• Shiplap for Around the Window

DIY Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack – 8 Step by Step Tutorial

Step ONE – Build 2 Platforms for the Billy Bookcases

Using 2 by 4’s & a hammer & nails Jason built 2 platforms for the 4 sets of Billy bookcases to set upon to help level out the bookcases & raise them up so we could attach baseboard below them.

Step TWO – Assemble & Place the Billy Bookcases

We assembled the 8 Billy bookcases & placed them on top of the platforms we built.

Step THREE – Build & Add 2 (2 by 4) Frames to the Top & Sides of the Billy Bookcases

Jason built 2 (2 by 4) frames to add above the 4 Billy Bookcases to secure their position and fill in the gap between the top of the Billy bookcases & the ceiling. This also provided a nailing base for trim and crown molding.

He also added 2 by 4’s to the side & back of the Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Wall Unit to level out the bookcases, give him something sturdy to screw into & give more room for trim making it look like a true built in library wall unit.

Old houses NEVER seem to have level walls!!!

Step FOUR – Add Pre- Primed 1 by 6 to the Top, Sides & Bottom of the Billy Bookcases

Jason cut to size & finish nailed the pre-primed to the top, bottom & sides of the 2 sets of Billy Bookcase Hack wall units. In some spots (see photos above and below) he had to add a filler strip so there wouldn’t be a gap between the trim and where it meets the shelves.

Step FIVE – Add Crown & Accent Trim to the Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack

Jason cut to size & finish nailed crown molding to the ceiling around the Billy bookcase units as well as our giant garden picture window.

He also added shiplap & window trim to the window as well.

Step SIX – Caulk & Paint the Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack Built in

Jason caulked all the gaps between the wood trim & the walls & ceiling of our family room.

What Paint Should I use for a Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack?

If you are keeping your Billy Bookcases white, in my opinion there is no need to repaint your bookcases white.

We used Sherwin Williams Super Paint Un-tinted Semi Gloss extra white to paint our crown molding, baseboard & trim & it matches the Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack built in library cabinets & oxberg doors perfectly.

Step SEVEN – Hang Oxberg Doors & Add Glass Door Knobs

We hung the 8 Oxberg Doors to our Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack built in & topped them off with these beautiful oil rubbed bronze glass knobs from Amazon which were around $5 each!!!

The Oxberg doors definitely add character & old world charm to our Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack built in library cabinets.

Step EIGHT – Fill Up & Style your Bookcase Built ins

I styled my new Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack built in library wall unit with our many books, baskets, glass jars & DVD movies.

I gave them farmhouse style by keeping like colors together & placing the white & light colored books at the top & the darker black & blue colors at the bottom of the Glass Oxberg doors.

My Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack adds a ton of storage to my family room with the bottom cabinets holding excess books, movies, puzzles, board games & out of season decorations.

And… one of the best parts of this Ikea billy bookcase hack is that thanks to Oxberg doors, I won’t have to dust these bookcases often AT ALL!!!

I will be back soon to share our finished family room & newly painted black fireplace makeover with you.

If you are thinking of trying an Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack, I hope this post gives you lots of inspiration to give it a try & answers any Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack questions you might have!

by Tara Lehman

Don’t forget to pin & save my Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack to your Favorite DIY Projects Pinterest Board!

If you like my Ikea Billy Bookcase Hack you might like my Ikea Kallax Hack, see it HERE

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