ᐅ How do I fix loose screws in Ikea Metod kitchen cabinets?

Hello everyone,

I have been experiencing an issue for some time where several screws in my Ikea Metod kitchen cabinet system come loose, especially on the cabinet doors and connecting fittings. Although these screws can be tightened again, they do not hold permanently and tend to loosen quickly during use. I suspect this may be due to the material quality or the small drill holes, which might wear out from frequent tightening.

My question is: What methods or tricks do you know to reliably and permanently fix these loose screws in Ikea Metod furniture? Are there any special products recommended for this? Or possibly some useful DIY solutions to stabilize the wood or panel material? Instructions or shared experiences would be especially helpful, as I want to avoid fully disassembling the furniture or causing further damage.

Thanks in advance for your tips and advice!

A common trick is to put a bit of wood glue into the screw hole and then screw the screw back in. This sometimes holds better if the hole is already too large.

Or insert a wooden stick (toothpick), coat it with glue, and then screw the screw in.

Sounds simple, but often works well.

Hello Yahya45,

I understand your problem well, as I also experienced loss of screws with my Metod kitchen cabinets, especially at the connection points between the units. The first important step is to check whether the screws used by Ikea are still intact or if they are already worn out. Sometimes it helps to use sturdier screws with a slightly larger diameter instead of the supplied ones—but be careful that the material can handle it.

Regarding repair, I have the following tips:

- As mentioned, wood glue or even wood filler can be used to fill the holes if they are worn out.
- For somewhat higher loads, wooden dowels can be used: slightly enlarge the screwless hole with an appropriate drill bit, insert the dowel with glue, and after it has dried, drill a new hole for the screw.
- Some also swear by strengthening injection resins for wood that provide permanent stability.

If you don’t want to completely disassemble the furniture, first try the wood glue with the toothpick method, as it is the least effort and least risky.

If you like, I can also recommend exact measurements that worked well for me.

I hope this helps you.

emmaju schrieb:
Some people also swear by using strengthening injection resins for wood, which provide long-lasting stabilization.

That sounds interesting, but the idea of using solid resin also makes me a bit uneasy because it’s difficult to reverse if you want to make changes later on. I understand how frustrating it is when screws keep loosening, especially since you rely on the stability of the furniture.

Personally, with loose Metod screws, I’ve always tried simpler methods first, like toothpicks or wood glue. If that doesn’t work after several attempts, it might be worth checking whether Ikea offers goodwill support or replacement parts – that’s also an option for me if the furniture is still relatively new.

Has anyone else had bad experiences with the screw materials used in Metod? It would be interesting to know if this is a widespread issue or just isolated cases.