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Thread: Need to Secure Bookcases to Ceiling

  1. #1

    Need to Secure Bookcases to Ceiling

    I'm designing a pair of built-in bookcases for my daughter's home, which will be installed on top of 32" base cabinets and reach to a 9' plastered ceiling. Should be simple - right? Nothing is square straight or level in this pre-1900's home. Also, bookcase cannot be secured to the wall, which is soft brick, so anchors can pull out. I want to allow for 1/4" - 1/2" of change in height, because of potential shifting in the structure. I remember catching a glimpse of a Saturday morning TV show several months ago that presented a possible solution by securing the top to a 2x6 or something that had been screwed to the ceiling joists and was hidden behind a panel at the top of the bookcase. It was finished off by wrapping the top with crown moulding. I don't remember enough of the details. No idea which show. I'd love to locate this episode or otherwise get some solid design advice.

  2. #2
    Before I finished reading your post I had in mind screwing a block to the ceiling such that a similar piece on the bookcase would come up against it when the bookcase is in place. I'd drill some oversized holes or slots in the piece attached to the bookcase. Then, once the bookcase is in position, put in screws with large flat washers on them to allow for movement of the house without affecting the bookcase. Hide it all with the crown molding.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Napa Valley, CA
    Posts
    916
    I see it like this:

    Bookcase attachment 8-8-13.png

  4. #4
    Dave - I think you hit it. I can screw a pair of stacked 2x4's to the ceiling, face them with a piece of 3/4 ply. Build another piece of plywood, with slots for screws & washers, into cabinet top, with a raised panel access.

  5. #5
    Jerry - I wish I was confident enough that the distance between floor & ceiling wouldn't change in a couple months or years to use that approach. Aside from that, I've used the economy verions of TurboCAD Deluxe for 10 - 15 years. I really like the illustration you did. Very magazine-like. What did you use?

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Griffith View Post
    What did you use?
    Looks like a SketchUp model to me.

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