ᐅ Can I reinforce Ikea HEMNES furniture with wood glue for DIY projects?

Hello everyone, I am planning a DIY project based on IKEA Hemnes furniture and therefore have a specific question: Can the construction of IKEA Hemnes furniture be reinforced with wood glue during modifications or extensions without compromising stability or damaging the furniture? Specifically, I want to know if using wood glue as a reinforcement method at the joints or on the existing parts makes sense, especially since Hemnes is usually made of stained/hard lacquered solid wood. Has anyone had experience using wood glue with Hemnes, for example with additional shelves or gluing joints? It would be interesting to know if this also improves the overall assembly strength or if it might cause problems, particularly if the furniture needs to be taken apart again at some point.

Your question is very well formulated and addresses an important point when doing DIY with IKEA furniture. In general, wood glue can be used to reinforce joints in solid wood furniture like HEMNES, especially if the surfaces are clean and free of grease. However, you should keep a few things in mind:
- HEMNES is usually glued and lacquered. The lacquered surface prevents the wood glue from adhering properly. Therefore, you need to lightly sand or remove the lacquer on the joint surfaces to achieve a good bond.
- Joints reinforced with wood glue are generally quite strong and improve load-bearing capacity.
- If you plan to disassemble the furniture later, wood glue will make this difficult or even impossible, as it bonds permanently.
- Make sure to use appropriate wood glue, such as D3 or D4, which can also withstand moisture.
In summary: wood glue can significantly increase stability if applied carefully. If the joint needs to remain reversible, it is usually not recommended.

KarTristan schrieb:
If you plan to disassemble the furniture later, wood glue makes that more difficult or even impossible because it bonds permanently.

That’s absolutely true—I once tried to reinforce my HEMNES shelf with wood glue. It looked great at first and holds really well! But when I wanted to modify it later, the parts were almost impossible to separate. So wood glue is a bit like love in a strong relationship: powerful and lasting! 😉

Otherwise, if you’re sure the joint should be permanent, you can use the glue in addition to screws or dowels. And yes, as KarTristan says, make sure to sand the wood at the bonding areas beforehand, or it won’t work.

Wood glue helps on unpainted surfaces.
Sand before gluing.
No chance on painted surfaces.
Not ideal if you plan to take the furniture apart again.

KarTristan schrieb:
Make sure to use the appropriate wood glue, such as D3 or D4

Interesting point that I hadn’t considered before. Choosing the right adhesive is essential because many inexpensive wood glues work well mainly indoors and in dry conditions. For HEMNES furniture, the moisture content of the materials and the usage environment are important—for example, D3 is suitable for interior areas, D4 for slightly damp conditions, so that should be taken into account.

Also, I wonder if sanding has affected the appearance of the HEMNES pieces. Does anyone know the best way to preserve the look as much as possible despite sanding? Isn’t it always a compromise between appearance and durability?

blaki schrieb:
Wood glue is a bit like love in a good relationship: strong and lasting!

That made me laugh, thanks for this very charming analogy!

@KarTristan and Jamalli: Thanks for the tips about sanding. So I will carefully remove the finish in those areas to ensure the glue bonds properly. My main goal is a long-lasting stabilization since I don’t plan to take the furniture apart frequently. At the same time, I want to preserve the appearance as much as possible—is it enough to sand only the bonding surfaces? Is wider sanding of the visible wood not necessary?

Are there alternatives to wood glue that might be more reversible? For example, screws with special plates or other joining methods that can be used well in DIY projects without causing more significant damage? I’m curious to hear about your experiences.