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Gautaniel3 May 2020 14:37Hello everyone,
I have noticed that in several drawers of my Malm dresser, the screws holding the drawer slides are becoming loose over time. I suspect that the material here is not very durable and the screws are loosening in the wood. Therefore, my question is: which methods and materials do you recommend to securely and permanently fix these loose screws?
I have considered whether wood glue, wooden dowels, or a special wood repair kit might be helpful, and whether using smaller screws or filling larger holes with wood filler makes sense.
I would like to avoid removing the entire drawer or rebuilding complex parts if possible. It is important for me to find a reliable and long-lasting solution that can be implemented with standard tools.
Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips!
I have noticed that in several drawers of my Malm dresser, the screws holding the drawer slides are becoming loose over time. I suspect that the material here is not very durable and the screws are loosening in the wood. Therefore, my question is: which methods and materials do you recommend to securely and permanently fix these loose screws?
I have considered whether wood glue, wooden dowels, or a special wood repair kit might be helpful, and whether using smaller screws or filling larger holes with wood filler makes sense.
I would like to avoid removing the entire drawer or rebuilding complex parts if possible. It is important for me to find a reliable and long-lasting solution that can be implemented with standard tools.
Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips!
Hello Gautaniel,
thanks for the detailed question! I’m very familiar with the problem of loose screws in affordable furniture like Malm – it can really test your patience sometimes. 🙂
From my experience, it often helps to first completely unscrew the loose screw and check how large the hole in the wood has become. If the hole has widened a bit because the chipboard material has softened or been “stripped,” you can easily fill it with small wood shavings – ideally from a matching piece of wood, mixed with some wood glue.
Then slowly screw the screw back in, which usually provides a good hold again. If that’s not enough, I’ve also used wood filler kits in similar cases; let them cure and then reinsert the screw.
I completely understand that – often just a bit of patience combined with the right materials and technique is enough to fix the problem quickly. A tip: if the screw keeps loosening repeatedly, it might help to roughen the material around the hole slightly with sandpaper so that the wood glue or filler adheres better.
Looking forward to hearing if this helps! 🙂
thanks for the detailed question! I’m very familiar with the problem of loose screws in affordable furniture like Malm – it can really test your patience sometimes. 🙂
From my experience, it often helps to first completely unscrew the loose screw and check how large the hole in the wood has become. If the hole has widened a bit because the chipboard material has softened or been “stripped,” you can easily fill it with small wood shavings – ideally from a matching piece of wood, mixed with some wood glue.
Then slowly screw the screw back in, which usually provides a good hold again. If that’s not enough, I’ve also used wood filler kits in similar cases; let them cure and then reinsert the screw.
Gautaniel schrieb:
"I want to avoid removing the entire drawer and redoing complicated constructions if possible."
I completely understand that – often just a bit of patience combined with the right materials and technique is enough to fix the problem quickly. A tip: if the screw keeps loosening repeatedly, it might help to roughen the material around the hole slightly with sandpaper so that the wood glue or filler adheres better.
Looking forward to hearing if this helps! 🙂
Hello Gautaniel,
I would like to suggest a more systematic approach that works well for this kind of problem:
1. Completely unscrew the screw and inspect the hole – is the hole especially large or worn out?
2. If yes, mix wood glue with wood shavings until you get a thick paste (preferably using wood from the same type to minimize color and material differences).
3. Fill the hole with this paste and let it dry slightly (about 15-20 minutes).
4. Then slowly screw the screw back in – it is important to apply light pressure to avoid squeezing the paste out.
5. Alternatively, you can use special wood repair fillers that harden more firmly and are better suited for load-bearing areas.
6. If this still does not provide a sufficient solution, you can use a threaded insert (made of brass or plastic) that is screwed into the hole, creating a new threaded surface.
Tip: Especially with particleboard furniture, such as Malm, avoid using too much force. These boards are quite porous and can quickly damage the material. Some screws are often also too short, so it is advisable to try screws with a diameter that is one to two millimeters larger (but not too large, so the wood is not further damaged).
I definitely agree. Good luck with the repair!
I would like to suggest a more systematic approach that works well for this kind of problem:
1. Completely unscrew the screw and inspect the hole – is the hole especially large or worn out?
2. If yes, mix wood glue with wood shavings until you get a thick paste (preferably using wood from the same type to minimize color and material differences).
3. Fill the hole with this paste and let it dry slightly (about 15-20 minutes).
4. Then slowly screw the screw back in – it is important to apply light pressure to avoid squeezing the paste out.
5. Alternatively, you can use special wood repair fillers that harden more firmly and are better suited for load-bearing areas.
6. If this still does not provide a sufficient solution, you can use a threaded insert (made of brass or plastic) that is screwed into the hole, creating a new threaded surface.
Tip: Especially with particleboard furniture, such as Malm, avoid using too much force. These boards are quite porous and can quickly damage the material. Some screws are often also too short, so it is advisable to try screws with a diameter that is one to two millimeters larger (but not too large, so the wood is not further damaged).
bente schrieb:
"I totally understand that – often just a bit of patience and the right combination of materials and technique is enough to quickly resolve the problem."
I definitely agree. Good luck with the repair!
M
marcosku525 May 2020 11:21Hey Gautaniel and everyone else,
I have a little lifehack about screws for Malm dressers that worked really well for me. 🙂
Sometimes you don’t need to repair the hole extensively. Just insert a suitable wooden dowel or a small piece of a toothpick (yes, really simple 😉) into the screw hole, add a drop of wood glue, push it firmly in, let it dry a bit, and then screw in the screw again – this greatly improves the grip!
This only works for minor issues, of course, but it’s quick to do and almost gives your dresser a little upgrade. 🙂
I can confirm that, it’s good to go a little bigger sometimes. I once accidentally used a longer screw (4 cm instead of 3 cm (1.2 inches instead of 1.18 inches)), and it held perfectly.
Just don’t fuss around too much, or the dresser might give out ;-)
Good luck, and if you have any questions, just ask! 😊
I have a little lifehack about screws for Malm dressers that worked really well for me. 🙂
Sometimes you don’t need to repair the hole extensively. Just insert a suitable wooden dowel or a small piece of a toothpick (yes, really simple 😉) into the screw hole, add a drop of wood glue, push it firmly in, let it dry a bit, and then screw in the screw again – this greatly improves the grip!
This only works for minor issues, of course, but it’s quick to do and almost gives your dresser a little upgrade. 🙂
jelite schrieb:
"Some screws are often too short, so it’s advisable to try screws with a diameter one or two millimeters larger."
I can confirm that, it’s good to go a little bigger sometimes. I once accidentally used a longer screw (4 cm instead of 3 cm (1.2 inches instead of 1.18 inches)), and it held perfectly.
Just don’t fuss around too much, or the dresser might give out ;-)
Good luck, and if you have any questions, just ask! 😊
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