ᐅ Why do screws suddenly come loose in BILLY shelves?

Hello everyone, I have been experiencing an issue with my Billy shelves for some time now: the screws keep loosening by themselves, even though I tighten them properly. This confuses me a lot because the shelves are not subjected to excessive load, and I don’t notice any unusual vibrations. The screws are tightened using the original Allen key and feel secure at first, but they often loosen just a few days after installation.

My specific question is: why do the screws in BILLY shelves suddenly loosen seemingly without external influences? Is it due to the material quality, the design, or could there be a common assembly mistake that many users might be making? I would appreciate well-founded opinions or shared experiences!

bramsan schrieb:
Why do screws in BILLY shelves suddenly come loose, apparently without any external cause?

Interesting question! Before discussing materials or construction, it’s important to first determine whether the screws were not tightened enough or if there is a thread defect. Furniture like the BILLY shelf usually uses chipboard screws that are driven into wood-based materials. If the chipboard-like material is too soft or porous, the thread won’t hold properly – this causes the screws to come loose.

Experiences from other users with similar issues would be helpful to confirm this. I have often seen assembly mistakes where overtightening destroyed the material threads. This can have exactly the opposite effect.

Hey everyone! It’s great that we’re focusing on this topic together now! 🙂

I also have three BILLY shelves at home, and one of them actually had a screw come loose after a short time. At first, I was totally confused, but then I realized that I hadn’t screwed it in completely straight. Since then, I’ve been very careful to tighten all screws properly, straight, and with the correct torque — and since then, it’s held firmly!

Maybe there really is a connection between assembly and screws coming loose. It’s worth keeping at it!

Rashadmeo schrieb:
Since then, I have been very careful to screw in all screws straight and with the correct torque – and since then, it has held firmly!

That sounds reasonable, but with shelves like BILLY, the quality of the wood material is also important. The connection of screws screwed into particleboard or MDF can loosen due to changes in temperature and humidity.

This means that even if assembled correctly, the material can easily deform and the screws lose their grip. This is a physical effect that often occurs with inexpensive materials – which may need to be compensated for with additional securing measures.

In my experience, it helps to retighten the screws after a few days.

Chipboard tends to expand and contract, which can cause everything to loosen. Just check once and tighten the screws, and that usually solves the problem.

I completely understand that it’s frustrating when screws suddenly come loose – it can really spoil the good impression of the furniture.

Sometimes it’s just bad luck with certain screws or the material. I had a similar issue myself and used a simple trick: applying a little wood glue or construction adhesive into the thread before screwing the screws in. That really helped me prevent the screws from slipping out of the wood-based material.

Maybe this could be a solution for some of you here.