Ikea Expedit discontinued. Has anyone has tried the new Kallax as LP storage?

I really like what this guy did to keep his record spines from pushing too far back into the shelves. Jump to about 1 minute in:

 

Masonite board would be a very inexpensive method of 1) adding a full back to the unit, 2) adding a back to individual cubes, or 3) adding a strip along the back of the shelf.

It's cheap. It's available at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc., where they can cut it to the size(s) you need. It can be spray-painted. You can apply contact paper to it. It can be either nailed or screwed into the unit's frame.

 

You could even but foam core or gator board at art supply stores that you could cut yourself. Since you wouldn't see it it wound work.

 

I will add the below as a stopper at the back that you normally use to isolate windows and doors in your home. Much more discrete.

 

A question for anybody who has the BH&G cubes from Walmart: what are the cube internal dimensions? I trying to set up a home for Super Deluxe box sets, but based on the external dimensions I'm thinking these could be a tight fit...

 

I have one of these and the internal dimensions of each of the 4 sections in the cube is 13 inches by 13 inches and they are 14 and 1/2 inches deep.

I have a Beatles Blue Box and the Sly and the Family Stone "Higher" box sets on mine and those fit fine.

 

Thank you, sir - the dimensions are appreciated!

 

Wood moulding tacked or taped in place will also accomplish the same. And look better than black foam tubes. Of course, once each cube is completely full of records you won't see the foam tube or the wood moulding. But still...

 

Funny IKEA would drop that style. I thought they think they cater to Hipster-Vinyl types.

 

this is how i keep records from sliding back any further than i want them to. plus it keeps the front edge even. they are just oak strips i got at home depot for cheap held there with 3 pieces of 3m double sided tape. i used one of the strips as a spacer in the back for consistency. when i ran out of oak strips after adding a kallax i just ripped a 2x4 into strips and used those.

 

Apologies for the re-post but I just found this thread after posting the following in another thread regarding the Expedit/Kallax issue:

Not sure where to post this as there seems to be a dozen threads related to this topic but this seems to be the most recent. Just hit IKEA Sunday and bought a 4 x 4 and a 2 x 2 Kallax in Birch to try out. We currently have the following Expedit models:
1 @ 5 x 5
1 @ 4 x 4
2 @ 2 X 4

Luckily the Kallax are going into a nearby room due to space rather than being integrated with the current Expedit as there is a slight color difference, as can be expected with anything with so much gap in production time. We expected our Birch Expedit (what's the plural of Expedit? Expedit? Expedit's?) to be lighter due to having been exposed to sunlight for the past 8-10 years but in fact the Kallax is a touch lighter in color. I could see mixing the two in most rooms with little aesthetic issue though.

Overall we're pretty pleased with them so far. We all know that the interior spaces are the same and that the side, top and bottom are slightly thinner. The Expedit, to me, has a nicer 'presence' due to the extra thickness but the Kallax is fine. My suspicion regarding the 5 x 5 is that they decided that the extra size coupled with the smaller outer frame will be potentially too weak for a full load of LP's. In fact, they mention on the Kallax line-card that it's "perfect for records". Who knows, this may be a discovery for IKEA since the LP-loving crowd obviously let them know of it's usefulness for LP storage when the discontinuation of the Expedit was announced. I did.

A few additional things to note:
1) The caster set is relegated to only the models smaller than the 4 x 4.
2) This line has a pretty good accessory lineup: Drawers, doors, not just the typical baskets and boxes to slide in. We grabbed a two-drawer "insert" and while not the sturdiest thing available it looks good and will be nice for containing fiddly-bits. Hell, $20 for a dual drawer insert? Worth a go.
3) The best deal for 'per-square' cost is the 4 x 4. If you have the IKEA Family Card it's $119. And if you live in Oregon it's....$119 out the door. For comparison, the 4 x 1 is $70. So the 4 x 4 is $7.50 per cube while the 4 x 1 is $17.50. Oddly, the 2 x 2 is only $8.75 per cube.
4) Yes, every box set that I own fits, including the LZ SD's. Granted there's hardly enough room for light to get through but they fit fine with a little care in insertion.

Most importantly: The horizontal members of the Kallax now each receive EIGHT wooden dowels, four per side, whereas the Expedit horizontal members only received FOUR, only TWO per side. So, ultimately it seems as though the Kallax could indeed be a bit sturdier, both in weight bearing capability and laterally.

Option: We also considered another new line, the Besta. It's similar in look to the Exp/Kal, has the exact same depth so it's good for LP's and it comes in similar configurations. The difference is that the shelves are adjustable, so for those needing a bit of flexibility it may be a good option. The shelves are supported by the typical metal insert plugs on which the shelves rest.

 

http://time.com/3265308/ikea-catalog-2015/

 

So does The Beatles in Mono box fit into this?

 

Perhaps with lube.

 

I figured I'd throw this question in this thread even if it isn't directly related.

Does anyone have a solution for how to deal with bagged (in PVC sleeve) records in a unit like this one?

I have never bagged my records before but recently started to. Now when I slide them in the bag is pushed off by about an inch by the shelf/surrounding records. It's a real pain. I've been trying to push the other records back and hold tight to the sleeve as I re-shelf but it's very aggravating.

Anyone else deal with this? Ideas?

 

All of my records are bagged, but I have the bag openings at the top and so they stay on.

 

I had Lowes cut some plywood to size for me.

 

same here.

 

Thanks to you both-

Looks like I'll need to pull out the ones I bagged and do that. I put them in the sleeves so that I had easy access to the lps, but it's not worth the aggravation of trying to put them in this way!

 

More money but these are cool.

http://www.hi-phile.com/hi-phile-cabinets/

 

The records will push them through in no time. I've attached 3" wood trim with heavy duty velcro in the same place, and even those start to give way after a while. Next year I plan to replace and expand my Expedit shelves with the newer Kallax shelves and will permently attach the stops with glue and/or nails this time.

 

Grabbed one today, the 4 cube from walmart, thanks for the suggestion, works great!

 

Even glue came loose for me. I finally nailed trim pieces down....when I had an Expedit, that is. I've since replaced it.

 

Thanks for the heads up.

I am now out of space on my main wall system of one 5x5 plus three 1x5 shelves. When the local Ikea opens in nine months I plan to switch to Kallax units: two 4x4 side by side with two 2x4 on top of them. That will expand from a 8x5 system to a 8x6, which is all that wall will accommodate. I think I will plan to nail down something across the rear of the units to block egress off the backs of the shelves, and then add the trims on the shelves to use as spacers (I like the albums to come out to near the front edge when shelved).

 

Some trivia for y'all

Swedish word Expediten = the clerk