ᐅ Kallax out of level after laminate flooring installation – how to fix it?

Hello everyone,

I recently installed laminate flooring in my living room to upgrade the floor. The installation went well, but now I’m facing an issue with my IKEA Kallax shelf: due to slight twisting or unevenness in the laminate floor, the shelf is no longer completely level. It tilts a bit and feels unstable. I suspect the subfloor isn’t perfectly even—which can happen with laminate since small height differences can appear between the planks.

My question for the community is: What is the best way to compensate for this issue without compromising the shelf’s stability or appearance? Are there good and durable solutions to correct a slight tilt, perhaps special adjustable feet, wedges, or other adjustment options you would recommend? Should I focus on adjusting the feet themselves or is it better to level the floor further?

I’m especially interested in a practical and long-lasting solution that won’t negatively impact the visual impression.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Hello Domebla,

I’m familiar with this issue—laminate flooring can indeed have slight unevenness, especially if it wasn’t installed perfectly or if the subfloor isn’t completely level. For your Kallax shelf, there are a few practical ways to level it again:

First, check the feet of your Kallax: most Ikea shelves have small plastic caps protecting the feet, which can sometimes be replaced with adjustable furniture glides. There are furniture feet with threaded screws that you can place under the old ones to precisely adjust the height.

Alternatively, small plastic or felt shims or wedges can be used to level each corner exactly. These are easy to handle and don’t leave permanent marks.

If the floor itself has significant irregularities, a thin layer of carpet as an underlay could help, though it will change the overall look visually.

My advice: start with adjustable furniture glides or plastic wedges—you can easily find these at a hardware store. It’s simple and reversible.

I hope this helps you already!

Tevin schrieb:
Alternatively, there are small plastic or felt washers or wedges that you can use to precisely level any corner.

While this is a quick fix, I wonder how long-lasting it really is. Plastic or felt materials can compress or shift over time, especially under load.

In my opinion, it’s better to address the root cause: if the laminate floor is uneven, it would be ideal to level the floor itself—at least in the area where the shelving unit stands.

One idea is to place a custom-cut OSB or MDF board under the shelf, leveled with a spirit level and appropriate wedges. This creates a stable and flat base. Combining this with a non-slip mat will help prevent shifting and rocking in the long term.

This approach requires a bit more effort but is worthwhile if you value stability.

I would like to offer a more detailed perspective here, as the issue of a "Kallax being out of level after laminate installation" cannot be solved simply with basic shims or wedges.

First, it’s important to quantify the degree of unevenness or tilt. Have you already checked the amount of deviation using a digital level or laser level? Even a 2-3 millimeter (about 0.1 inch) difference across the shelf width can cause the Kallax to wobble.

If the deviation is small, the previously mentioned furniture pads or felt wedges are often sufficient. Make sure the base is non-slip; otherwise, the wedges may shift under load and the effect is lost.

If the laminate subfloor has a fluctuation of 5 millimeters (about 0.2 inch) or more, it’s advisable to consider a substructure, as BLAKEO mentioned with the OSB board.

Here is my step-by-step suggestion:

1. Measure precisely with appropriate tools to identify the spot with the greatest unevenness.

2. Cut a sturdy board (OSB or multiplex) slightly larger than the footprint of the Kallax.

3. Place the board and level it using special adjustable shims underneath. This can be done with small wooden wedges or screw-adjustable furniture leveling systems.

4. Ensure the board is non-slip yet easily removable—for example, by using double-sided anti-slip pads.

Under no circumstances should you try to fix unevenness by simply "shaking and pressing," as this often leads to permanent damage to the laminate and the furniture will not stand properly stable.

If you like, I can suggest specific products or suppliers.

How have you attempted to adjust the shelf so far? How much play or movement is there approximately?

kibutar schrieb:
First, it is important to quantify the degree of imbalance or tilt.

That’s a good point. I roughly checked the unevenness using a standard spirit level and found there is about a 3-4 mm (0.1-0.15 inch) difference across the width. The shelf particularly leans slightly forward on the right side when I gently press on it.

BLAKEO schrieb:
to place a precisely fitting OSB or MDF board under the shelf

The idea of using an OSB board sounds interesting. At first, I hesitated to add an extra board underneath because I thought it might look bulky or noticeable, but if you use the right size, it could actually be a neat solution.

So far, I have tried experimenting with cardboard shims, but of course, that’s not a permanent solution and not visually appealing either.

What do you think—would it be possible to replace the standard Kallax shelf feet with adjustable-height versions? Or is that a dead end?

Domebla schrieb:
What do you think, is it possible to replace the well-known Kallax shelf feet with height-adjustable versions? Or is that a dead end?

That is definitely not a dead end! Many users have successfully installed height-adjustable furniture feet on Ikea shelves like the Kallax.

There are numerous threaded options that you can simply mount in place of the old feet. These can be quickly adjusted, allowing you to level the shelf very precisely with just a few turns.

Important: Make sure to check the correct thread size – the original feet are usually attached with a cap or fixed in place, so you might need small adapters or plates to secure the new feet.

Besides the practical adjustment, this also has the advantage of protecting your floor, as the new feet often come with non-slip pads.

I would recommend this as a first step before making larger modifications to the floor or using plates. This way, you can also easily fine-tune small changes later on.