The Simplest Way To Fill Those Unsightly Shelf Holes In Your IKEA BILLY Bookcase

Nothing makes a room feel complete like a bookshelf. The simple, stackable IKEA BILLY bookcase is a perennial favorite for turning any nook in your home into a reading nook. However, they come with one small decor issue — shelf pin holes that can lend an industrial look you may not want. These holes allow you to adjust the shelves for a fully customizable bookcase. Once you've adjusted the shelves to your liking, though, some spackle is all you need to fill the holes for a clean, streamlined look. It's so easy, you'll be back to reading in no time.

Spackle is cheap and easy to find at your local home improvement store. While you could use a putty knife to apply it, your fingers are more nimble and easy to work with. If you've ever spackled nail holes in a wall, the technique is much the same. Just take a little spackle and pat it into each hole, smoothing over the top so it's flush with the bookcase. 

Some spackle will apply colorful at first, so you can easily see where you need to wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. Regardless of its beginning color, most spackle dries white, which will match a white bookcase just fine. However, if you have a colored bookcase, you'll need to paint over the spackle once it's dry to make it match. Visit a home improvement store to get color-matched paint if you don't have any. You can even DIY your own spackle with paint mixed in if you want to save money on a perfect match. Get a tiny paintbrush (an old makeup brush may work well) for precision.

If you accidentally spackle over a hole you want to use for a shelf, don't worry! You can take a chopstick, a pen, or anything similar and poke the spackle out anytime. Once the spackle dries, you might notice a rough finish. A cloth or paper towel should be abrasive enough to remove the excess for a more subtle look, without damaging the bookcase itself. With just your hands and some spackle, you'll have that BILLY bookcase looking like a custom-built shelf in no time.