ᐅ Kallax on Laminate and Tile Flooring – Different Experiences?

Hello everyone,

a great discussion here. I can understand well why this topic is important to you, vinlau, since you wouldn’t want to install new flooring every day.

I personally have little DIY experience, so I was unsure about which gliders to choose. In the end, I went with self-adhesive felt pads and am relieved that they protect my laminate floors from damage.

What I find interesting, however, is the issue of slip resistance on tiles. I have a Kallax unit on tiled flooring in my hallway and noticed it tends to slide a bit, especially when the legs are square rather than round. This made me wonder if there is a simple, visually appealing solution that combines both: protecting the tiles and providing a stable hold.

Maybe someone has a tip on how to secure a Kallax without creaking or sliding, but without attaching adhesive tape or similar to the tiles?

rickey schrieb:
I have a Kallax in the hallway on tile and noticed that it slides a bit

Hello rickey,

to address the issue: For tiles, it is recommended to place a thin, non-slip mat or small rubber pads under the Kallax. These can be found in furniture stores or hardware stores as "anti-slip pads."

They provide enough grip on smooth tiles without leaving visible marks and are also easy to clean. Additionally, they protect the tiles from point loads caused by the shelf feet.

It is important to make sure the pads are rubber-like and not sticky, so they avoid residue and can be removed at any time.

Another option is height-adjustable furniture feet with a non-slip base. These offer even more stability but are a bit more complicated to install.

For laminate flooring, I can confirm that felt glides are the best choice due to the sensitive surface.

In short:

Definitely use felt pads for laminate flooring.
For tiles, use non-slip rubber mats or pads.

That's it.

Giagau schrieb:
I highly recommend felt pads or suitable plastic furniture glides

Thanks for the tip about the felt pads. Is there actually a difference between felt pads that you stick on and those that clip onto the furniture legs?

I’m often concerned about the adhesive, especially if you want to move the piece or declutter later.

letar schrieb:
Another option is adjustable furniture feet with non-slip bases

Adjustable feet sound interesting, but is that feasible or still visually acceptable for a Kallax shelf that doesn’t have traditional legs?

Looking forward to your opinions!

vinlau schrieb:
Is there actually a difference between felt pads that you stick on and those that you clip onto furniture legs?

Yes, there are differences. Stick-on felt pads are easy to apply but sometimes don’t adhere permanently, especially on painted wood, and can leave residue when removed.

Clipped or pushed-on pads tend to be a bit more secure and cause less damage to the floor since they’re easier to replace. However, this requires that the shelf or furniture has legs or an edge where the pad can be attached.

With Kallax shelves, it can be tricky because the contact surfaces are quite flat. It’s often recommended to stick felt onto small wooden or plastic pieces and place these under the shelf bottom—this way they can be removed if needed.

In any case, you should check the felt pads regularly and replace them if they show signs of wear.

vinlau schrieb:
Height-adjustable feet sound interesting

Definitely interesting! If you like a DIY approach, you could buy small plastic feet that can be attached to the bottom of the Kallax. They usually come in different sizes, so you can compensate for uneven floors – this makes the shelf much more stable.

And visually, it doesn’t have to look bad at all. I did it that way myself, and hardly anyone noticed. On the contrary, it even looks a bit more professional because the shelf stands firmly and doesn’t wobble.

Plus: You can combine the feet with felt or rubber pads to provide perfect protection for your floor and shelf :-)