ᐅ Are there any assembly tips for IKEA Brimnes furniture in older buildings?

Hello everyone,

I am currently facing the challenge of assembling the IKEA Brimnes wardrobe in an older apartment with period features. Do any of you have assembly tips or special recommendations to keep in mind specifically for older buildings?

The walls are partly uneven and built in an older construction style, where nothing is perfectly straight. The floorboards are also a bit uneven, which affects the stability of the wardrobe.

I would appreciate any advice on how to mount the wardrobe securely and stably, for example regarding wall fixing, compensating for uneven surfaces, or any other particular issues based on your experience.

Thanks in advance!

Hello Plo-fa,

that’s a very good question! Especially with IKEA furniture in older buildings, there are some important points to keep in mind.

- First, check the condition of the wall where you want to attach the Brimnes. Wooden walls or very crumbly walls in old buildings require special anchors, preferably heavy-duty anchors or ones specifically designed for older structures.

- Uneven floors can be easily leveled with furniture shims. These are inexpensive and help prevent the cabinet from wobbling or standing unevenly.

- When assembling, it is recommended to first build the basic frame, place the cabinet roughly against the wall, use a spirit level to align everything, then secure it, and finally install the drawers or other components.

I hope this is helpful as a starting point!

Interesting approach, Deandre. However, I would like to point out critically that recommending heavy-duty anchors for old masonry walls cannot be considered a universally safe solution.

Deandre schrieb:
Wooden walls or very crumbly old masonry walls require special anchors, preferably heavy-duty anchors or those specifically designed for old buildings.

From my experience, it is essential to check the wall material and its strength before installation. Sometimes pretreatment or reinforcement of the wall is necessary; otherwise, the cabinet may become dangerously unstable after a few months.

Does anyone here have tried and tested methods for carrying out such reinforcements themselves?

Great topic! I installed the Brimnes myself in an older building, and here are my tips:

- Feel free to use wooden strips on the floor as a base to even out any unevenness in the flooring. It may seem a bit more work, but it’s definitely worth it.

- When drilling, make sure to use a hammer drill and appropriate anchors, which often hold better in older buildings.

- Important: Always use the wall brackets provided with the cabinet – safety first!

I felt like my cabinet has been rock solid ever since. Good luck to you all!

If the wall is very uneven, use flexible wall plugs.

It is best to level the floor with small furniture shims.

Always secure the cabinet against tipping.

Thanks for all your tips so far!

I have one more question: How do you handle alignment with a spirit level when the floor or wall actually appears quite uneven?

Is it better to fully assemble the cabinet first and then fix it to the wall using spacers, or to do it in separate stages?

Also, do you have any experience with adjusting or relocating the mounting holes if the wall doesn’t allow the planned positions?

Thanks for any insights!