ᐅ How can Ikea Hemnes furniture be effectively secured to prevent tipping?

Hello everyone,

I have a somewhat detailed question regarding the safety of my Ikea Hemnes furniture: How can Ikea Hemnes furniture be effectively secured against tipping? This series is quite solid and tall, but I have noticed that there is a risk of tipping, especially with small children or accidental bumps.

On one hand, I want to prevent damage to the furniture, and on the other, of course, ensure safety protection for children or pets.

Are there any specific devices that have proven effective? And if so, what is the best way to install them without damaging the furniture?

I would like to learn about all possible options (e.g., wall anchors, special fasteners, additional base wideners) and also know what to pay attention to during installation to ensure real stability.

I’m looking forward to your experiences!

Hello mackgu,

first of all, you bring up a good and important point. Hemnes furniture—especially shelves, cabinets, or tall dressers—is generally quite sturdy, but the upper parts often create a leverage effect that can cause tipping if, for example, a child climbs on them or a pet jumps against the surface.

For effective securing, I recommend the following measures:

- Attach the furniture to the wall using special brackets or straps: IKEA often includes anti-tip kits with their furniture, which can be fixed to the wall using wall plugs and screws.
- Important: Check the type of your wall (drywall, concrete, wood) because this determines the appropriate fastening materials.
- To protect the furniture, pay attention to the screw points: IKEA advises drilling through the slotted rails only where specified to avoid weakening the material.
- For additional stability under heavy furniture, non-slip pads are useful to prevent the feet from sliding on smooth floors.

I would ask: Have you already used the IKEA anti-tip hardware? Or are you planning custom solutions? What type of wall do you have exactly?

Hello mackgu,

I think your question is very well posed and important, especially regarding child safety. As danial60 has already pointed out, wall fastenings are essential for securing furniture against tipping over.

If you have never worked with these safety devices before:

- The anti-tip brackets usually consist of a metal angle or strap that is screwed both into the wall and the furniture.
- Make sure the anchors and screws are suitable for your wall type (e.g., expansion anchors for concrete, cavity anchors for drywall).
- A less visible alternative are tension straps, which are fixed with screws to the back of the furniture piece.

If you plan to place rugs under the furniture, I still recommend using non-slip pads, as these can help prevent the furniture from sliding but do not fully stop it from tipping over, which can be dangerous.

Important: Never leave furniture unsecured, especially when children are in the home.

If you want, I can also send you a list of materials I have successfully used.

danial60 schrieb:
I would ask you: Have you already used the IKEA tip-over prevention materials? Or are you planning custom solutions? What type of wall do you have exactly?

Thanks for the detailed advice, danial60.
So far, I have only used the tip-over restraints included in the delivery, but honestly, I haven’t installed them yet. The furniture is in the living room, which is in an older building with solid sand-lime brick walls. So, I could probably drill and use appropriate anchors without any problem.

I actually don’t want very visible brackets or metal straps, so I’m thinking of more discreet options that can be attached inconspicuously to the back panel. Possibly also using wooden battens creatively to increase stability?

Would something like this be practical, or would I be risking that the furniture isn’t sufficiently secured against tipping over?

mackgu schrieb:
I actually prefer not to have very visible brackets or steel straps, so I’m considering more discreet solutions that can be attached unobtrusively to the back panel.

That’s an important point, as many people prefer an elegant solution that doesn’t interfere visually.

In your case with sand-lime brick walls, I can recommend:

- Use flat metal anti-tip brackets that can be fixed to the back panel, ideally attached to the vertical supports of the furniture.
- Secure these with high-quality screws and appropriate anchors—you definitely need certified expansion anchors for sand-lime brick, because standard plastic plugs often won’t hold.
- For mounting to the wall, you can also use flat brackets installed from inside the shelf outward, making them hardly visible.
- If you work with wooden strips: while a reinforced back panel is visually discreet, it’s not sufficient to completely prevent tipping without a solid wall anchoring.

Still, you can use wooden strips as additional protection, for example as pedestals or feet to increase the furniture’s base surface.

How large are the furniture pieces exactly (height/width), and what is the load profile? Are they holding just decorative items or also heavy books?

Hello mackgu and everyone,

I would like to provide a brief, structured guide on how to effectively secure Ikea Hemnes furniture to prevent tipping:

1. Preparation:
- Check the type of wall (in your case, calcium silicate brick, which is very stable)
- Assess the weight and load of your Hemnes furniture pieces

2. Materials:
- Ikea tip-over prevention kit or universal furniture anchors
- High-quality expansion plugs suitable for calcium silicate brick
- Flat brackets or metal fixing straps, preferably black or white for better appearance
- Screwdriver, drill with masonry drill bit

3. Installation:
- Mark the positions on the wall where the furniture will be placed
- Drill holes with the appropriate drill bit and insert the plugs
- Screw the fixing elements securely into the wall
- Attach the other end to the furniture, ideally to the sturdy internal frame rails

4. Check:
- After tightening, test whether the furniture can be moved suddenly or rocked
- For additional safety: place anti-slip pads under the feet

Important: Do not damage any load-bearing parts; the structural integrity of the furniture must not be compromised.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!