ᐅ How can I prevent scratches on Malm furniture?

Good morning everyone,

Some time ago, I bought a few pieces of furniture from the Malm series by Ikea and I’m quite unsure about how to prevent scratches in the long term. Especially during everyday use, when you place or move things on the surfaces daily, they seem very sensitive.

I’m particularly interested in which preventive measures are truly effective without limiting usage — for example, surface protectors, special care products, or specific rules for handling.

Also, does anyone have experience with certain protective films or mats that can effectively protect the furniture from scratches without making it look odd afterwards?

Thanks in advance for your tips and advice!

Simply attach felt pads under all items and furniture that are moved. This significantly reduces scratches.

Regular wiping with a soft, damp cloth also helps. Avoid using harsh or abrasive cleaners.

Hello Plokenji33,

Malm furniture usually has a laminate surface that looks nice but is unfortunately quite sensitive to scratches. To avoid this, I recommend generally not placing hard or sharp-edged objects directly on the furniture.

eldubi schrieb:
Simply attach felt pads under all items and furniture that are moved.

That’s a good tip, and I’d like to add that small coasters made of cork or silicone can also provide additional protection.

Protective films are an option, but they change the appearance of the furniture, which many people dislike. An alternative is transparent acrylic sheets, which can be cut to fit precisely and placed on top. These protect against scratches but are visible.

In general, I advise clearly defining areas for placing items within the home and avoiding placing anything directly on surfaces without protection for an extended period. A sense of how to handle the furniture properly will develop over time.

Thanks for the tips so far!

Do you think the laminated coating can be restored using different cleaning products if the scratches are not too deep? If yes, which products would you recommend? If not, do the signs of wear become noticeably unattractive quite quickly?

Maintenance products can help to somewhat mask small scratches, but they cannot fully restore the surface. It is better to prevent damage from the start than to repair it later.