Be ready to hammer - a lot!KimberlyI typically love assembling Ikea furniture but these shelves are another story. I was able to build them myself doing the vertical assembly between a tall table and a wall. Otherwise, I probably would have needed an extra set of hands.
That said, this was the most physical furniture build I’ve ever done. Every single connection is wood slats or pegs that have to be hammered into place. They do not easily slip into place. The three sets took 5 hours and thousands of hammer strikes to get them assembled. Once together, they do seem sturdy.
I’ve never been so thankful to have a project done and regretted not getting metal shelves with every hammer strike.
I would not recommend to a friend. If they bought despite my lack of recommendation, I will definitely be “busy” when assembly time comes around. 2
Great, multi-purpose shelfAlainaI was nervous to purchase this after reading some of the reviews, but this was one of the easiest IKEA pieces to assemble, and I was able to do it by myself (IKEA man, please don't come after me). Pre-drilled holes aren't really necessary, and as long as I was able to lean one side against a wall, it was simple to add the other components while assembling. I love how customizable this is, and how it can literally grow/change with me as I need. Unfortunately one of the shelves I purchased is missing hardware, so I will need to exchange that - so if you're purchasing in-store, double check each shelf has all 4 metal pins. 4
Love the metal shelves, sturdy and sizableFrankEasy to assemble, very large, deep shelves. Perfect for baskets/crates.5
Needs improvementMatthew JVery difficult to assemble and rickety when done. The little snap-to-fit pins are not secure in their racks and have wide manufacturing tolerances. One of my shelves had a rack so wide the pin wouldn't even snap in.
Very rickety without the cross-brace as well, which is difficult to install as the unit wobbles from side to side while you try to secure it. Really needs to have pre-drilled holes so builders can easily identify where to place the cross-brace for maximum stability. Also, I think it needs more than one cross-brace - even with my unit properly installed the shelf still is nowhere near rigid enough, e.g. it twists way too easily. I'll probably need to buy another crossbrace out of pocket to stablize it. Perhaps it should come with 2?2
IVAR my Goto anytime any year for extra strageAnonymous reviewerBeen using IVAR shelving units in my store room for years. When we downsized, we had a lot of extra stuff we need to manage in a small storage space. But we managed just fine with two IVAR units side by side and had a lot of room to spare for other stuff. Held up strong for over 15 years before we gave them away to friends as we were relocating. If you need storage that will hold up for decades, get this. I don't recall assembly - how easy or tough it was, but i was new at IKEA DIY furniture and I managed so it must have been ok. I am buying another one now, so if it's tough as some people say, I will mention it here....but i seriously doubt it. 5
Terrible assemblyDerekI'm not sure why people say it goes together easily, because it does not. For one, it requires two people to assemble. Even after snapping the shelves in place, it's a floppy mass of parts until someone screws the cross brace in place (for which it's not pre-drilled in the factory, by the way, so you need to make sure the shelf is square and level). It also has these small shelf support pins that need to be extracted from clips with a small flat screwdriver. Not a medium or large flat screwdriver - it needs to be narrow. Flat screwdrivers are an obsolete tool that not everyone owns in a small size. Don't try to do it with a pocket knife - it will just spin. Also, despite the tenacity of these pins in their storage location, one of my shelves was missing one shelf pin. It's not worth the trouble to go to Ikea just to get one shelf pin, which should have just been stapled to the shelf in a plastic bag. I'm a carpenter - I've built furniture for a living for 20 years.2
Great design, but this unit is BIGCadeGoes together great and it's sturdy. Nice finish on the wood. However, it's huge. Way more imposing than I realized, make sure you really need the extra depth of this larger unit4
Great shelves, but a little less stable than I'd likeKristineI am using these shelves as an open pantry space in my kitchen, and they work great but aren't as stable as I would like -- which very well could be user/builder error. This is the only IKEA furniture I've assembled that didn't have 100% pre-drilled holes; I had to drill into the wood to get the bracers on, and I think that I needed more than 1 bracer, but it was hard to get it just right for maximum stability.
Luckily, it wobbles left to right (not front to back), and now that it is laden with pantry staples, there's very little movement, so I'm happy with it.4
Great plant shelfElanorI bought enough to make 4 shelves. It was easy to put together. They look nice. Very sturdy. I put them in a window and filled them with plants. They look great.5
Ivar Wooden 5 Shelf UnitKeithIt is efficient. It was easy to assemble. I recommend it.5
Sturdy and does the jobMeganWe have three sets of these in various rooms. One we purchased used, the other two new directly from IKEA. The used set has the much-vaunted plastic shelf connectors, the new ones are both the metal variety. They're both great!
The plastic version is in our kitchen as a pantry and art supplies storage system. The two metal versions are a room divider/bookshelf and LEGO storage. Everything is holding up well, and we haven't had issues with either the plastic or metal shelf attachments coming loose while moving shelves around.
They're easy to set up and take down if you need to move, and take up less space in the moving van. Just check for possible warping before you buy each piece, like you do with any lumber product.
We will continue to invest in this system as needed.4
Best PurchaseAnonymous reviewerThis selling unit and all the other options and variations are so versatile. This unit can change with you as you need it to. Add a corner, make it taller or shorter, add doors or a locker, or a fold out desk. Change height of shelves as needed, and so simple to put together. The wood is raw which allows you to stain it or paint it as you would like. Or just keep it raw. I’m looking into mixing the black shelve walls with my already plain wood shelves. And maybe add the new wicker doors. It’s a great, cheap in cost option for so many uses. I hope ikea continues to make the Ivan system forever. It’s SO EASY to put together. And super easy to change. Just takes planning the space to make sure you get the pieces you need. The price is also fantastic.5
Best Purchase I’ve madeAnonymous reviewerI love this system and hope they keep it around forever. All the different combinations, additions, door options, locker options, corners, fold out desk and ability to customize makes it one of the best options for an office, home, any space. And can grow and change with you over time. You can stain or paint it any color. There is a peg board feature which works with this system that comes with all sorts of options for tool and/office storage.
I love it. Ikea, please keep this system. It’s fantastic. As my office grows and business grows, this piece grows with it and can be changed to meet my needs. I cannot recommend this one enough.
It’s cheap in cost, so yes, it’s not finished like high end furniture, but it’s super inexpensive and allows for you to make it look how you would like it to. That’s the best part. It’s held up so well, despite moves. It holds together well but can be disassembled easily when needed. Love this system. Looking at expanding and getting the door additions5
Great shelving!!Anonymous reviewerGreat shelving!!5
IVAR againMarkBought again recently after decades of enjoying the IVAR system.5
Love itJamesGreat shelves5
Love these shelves, very easyIreneLove these shelves, very easy to put together and very sturdy.5
Cheap, no instructions provided and broken bracketAnonymousWhat is the max weight? Why didn't it come with instructions? Why deliver if the metal bracket is broken off? Oh, because this is Ikea, cheap, China made items. Ikea you can do better, question is are you willing to?1
Not the same quality as it wasAnonymousI have old version of this shelf and I love them! Stable and safe. They are making them now slightly differently but makes big deference in overall quality of the product. Metal track that’s attached to the shelf, that connects shelf to the pegs is different now. They fall off easy making it almost impossible to build shelf. Also whole thing it’s swaying now so much that you will be worried for your safety. Make sure to buy cross brase! Why would they change something that worked perfectly into something that looks like 5 year old design?1
Lesroyit okay and if you or a do it yourself person you can even make it much more stronger.4